Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has constituted a commission to examine the reorganisation of administrative units across the state, including the creation, merger and bifurcation of districts, subdivisions, tehsils, sub-tehsils, development blocks and other departmental divisions.
A government spokesperson said the commission had been constituted to improve administrative efficiency and ensure greater public convenience by reviewing the existing administrative structure in the state.
The commission will be headed by Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary (Retd.), former judge of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, as its chairperson. Advocate Vishal Panwar and IFS (Retd.) Rajesh Sharma have been appointed as members, while the Director of Land Records, Himachal Pradesh, will serve as the member secretary.
The commission will assess the need for creating new administrative units or merging, bifurcating and reorganising existing ones. Its recommendations will take into account population, geographical conditions, accessibility, administrative efficiency and public convenience.
The spokesperson said administrative secretaries of the departments of Revenue, Finance, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Forest, Public Works, Jal Shakti and General Administration would be invited to participate as special invitees, whenever required, to facilitate interdepartmental coordination and provide expert inputs.
The commission will also consult stakeholders, public representatives and concerned government departments before finalising its recommendations. In addition to examining administrative requirements, it will assess the financial implications of establishing new units, including infrastructure and manpower needs.
It will also suggest measures to optimise available resources and streamline the functioning of existing offices without imposing an additional financial burden on the state exchequer.
The commission will have its headquarters in Shimla. The Department of Revenue and the respective Deputy Commissioners will provide secretarial assistance, official records and demographic data required for its functioning.
According to the spokesperson, the commission will function for six months from the date of notification and submit its final report, along with specific recommendations, to the state government within the stipulated period.
The exercise is expected to provide a comprehensive assessment of the state’s administrative framework and help the government determine whether changes to existing administrative boundaries and structures are required to improve public service delivery.
