Even as rural local body elections concluded in two phases across Sirohi district and administrative work resumed in most areas, the newly established Karoli gram panchayat office under the Abu Road panchayat committee tells a different story. The doors of the newly created panchayat office have remained firmly shut ever since the election results were declared. Local residents point out that more than 15 days have passed since the election of the sarpanch and ward panches, yet the office building has not been unlocked for public service.
Background of the New Panchayat
The Karoli gram panchayat was originally a part of the Amthala gram panchayat. Later, the revenue villages of Karoli and Goliyan were separated from Amthala to form the independent Karoli gram panchayat. To serve as its administrative headquarters, the panchayat office was established inside the Karoli passenger waiting shed. However, ever since the recent panchayat elections concluded, this office has failed to open its doors. Inquiries revealed that neither the newly elected sarpanch nor the assigned administrative personnel visit the premises.
Allegations Raised by Local Residents
Ward panch Nathu Singh Rao along with villagers Manohar Singh Rao and Laxman Singh stated that deliberate attempts are allegedly being made to shift the panchayat headquarters out of the village. They believe this is the primary reason why the building remains locked. The continuous closure of the office has created major hurdles for residents trying to complete official paperwork and government tasks. Villagers previously approached the village development officer and the panchayat committee development officer regarding the issue, but no concrete steps were taken to resolve the deadlock, leaving the local population extremely agitated.
Delegation Approaches District Collector
Fearing that the office might eventually be relocated to Goliyan village or another alternate site which would cause severe inconvenience for daily administrative needs, a delegation of villagers decided to take direct action. They traveled to the Sirohi district collectorate and formally briefed the Sirohi District Collector about the ongoing crisis, expressing deep resentment over the administrative paralysis. The delegation emphasized that despite Karoli being a designated revenue village, the absence of officials and elected representatives has kept the building abandoned. Their core demand is for the authorities to reopen the Karoli panchayat office immediately and restore regular functioning.
