Chandigarh: Congress leader and Rajya Sabha Member Parliament (MP) Partap Singh Bajwa has demanded the formation of Batala as the 24th district of Punjab before the 552nd birth anniversary of Sikh’s first master Guru Nanak Dev Ji being celebrated on November 19, 2021. In the recent past Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and cabinet minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, both MLA’s from Dera Baba Nanak and Fatehgarh Churian respectively had demanded the declaration of Batala as a new district of Punjab.
While talking to Zee News on Thursday (November 11, 2021), Partap Singh Bajwa said that Batala which was earlier known as Iron Bird of Asia due to its foundry industry had rich religious, cultural, literary, and economic history. Bajwa said Batala, as a city, had witnessed many pivotal moments of history in the subcontinent.
Bajwa added that it was disheartening to read that Batala ranked #432 for cleanliness and sanitation nationality in the 2018 Swachh Survekshan survey. “The city has now climbed to #286 rank in 2020 Swachh Survekshan survey but it also shows that the needs of the city has grown and to govern it in a better way it needs to be made an independent district,” he argued.
However, the demand of making Batala an independent district by some political leaders has come under severe criticism as a few organizations including Shiv Sena, Punjab is of view that making Batala a new district will tantamount to downsizing the Gurdaspur district. Shiv Sena, Punjab, president Rohit Mahajan said that Gurdaspur earlier used to touch Himachal Pradesh but it was downsized after making Pathankot a new district.
Bajwa said that he had also written a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi urging him to declare Batala as a new district before the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
“I have urged the government to dedicate the creation of the district of Batala to the 552nd Parkash Purab (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev Ji which is being celebrated on November 19,” he said.
Notably, before the Indo Pak partition Gurdaspur district had its borders up to Shakargarh, now in Pakistan, and up to Kangra and Joginder Nagar in Himachal Pradesh. Kangra and Joginder Nagar went to Himachal Pradesh after Punjab's reorganization in1966 later Pathankot was created a new district in 2011. About the historical prospect of Batala, Bajwa informed that the sixth Sikh master, Guru Hargobind had come to Batala to marry his son Baba GUrditta and in his memory GUrdwara Sat Kartaria Sahib was built in the middle of the city.
The Achaleshwar Dham, a temple constructed in honour of Kartikeya, the second son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is also located in Batala along with Kali Dwara Mandir and Sati Lakshmi Devi Smash. The city was also the house of famous Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
