North Bhiwandi Residents Demand Ambadi Be Declared Independent Taluka
The Ambadi Taluka Kriti Samiti and local residents in North Bhiwandi have threatened a large-scale democratic agitation against the Maharashtra government's proposal to establish the Padgha Additional Tehsildar headquarters. The action committee is demanding that the state government immediately withdraw the proposed notification and declare Ambadi as an independent taluka headquarters instead.
Warning of widespread public resentment, committee president Sharad Patil stated during a press conference in Ambadi that nearly 125 villages in North Bhiwandi would join the movement if the government ignores public sentiment. He argued that selecting Padgha over Ambadi bypasses geographical considerations and the recommendations of an expert committee.
According to the committee, Ambadi is the most centrally located area in the region, offering convenient road connectivity to Bhiwandi, Wada, Vasai, Nashik, and Kalyan. Patil stated that its strategic location, coupled with its predominantly tribal and agrarian population, makes Ambadi the most suitable administrative headquarters for the reorganised taluka.
The committee has submitted memoranda to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Guardian Minister, the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, the Thane District Collector, and the Sub-Divisional Officer of Bhiwandi. The memoranda demand that the proposal to establish the headquarters at Padgha be scrapped.
Committee leader Mohan Patil noted that in 1992, an expert committee headed by the then Divisional Commissioner G. B. Pingulkar conducted a detailed study and recommended Ambadi as the headquarters of a separate taluka. He alleged that the current move to establish the headquarters at Padgha is driven by political pressure rather than administrative merit, ignoring three decades of recommendations.
The demand has garnered significant local political backing. The committee stated that 45 gram panchayats have already passed Gram Sabha resolutions supporting Ambadi, while seven MLAs and two Members of Parliament have submitted letters of support to the state government.
Furthermore, the committee maintained that Ambadi possesses adequate government land for establishing administrative offices and public infrastructure. They asserted that making Ambadi the taluka headquarters would significantly improve governance and accelerate development in North Bhiwandi's long-neglected tribal and agricultural belt.
The press conference was also attended by committee vice-president R. G. Patil, working president Vijay Gaikwad, secretary Sudam Patil, advisor N. Y. Patil, Shyam Bhoir, Atmaram Patil, Keshav Late, chief coordinator Navsu Patil, treasurer Santosh Patil, and Ajay Tanpure.
