Dhanbad, May 29: Dhanbad district, which currently has nine blocks and one sub-division, will soon be reorganised to add two more blocks and a sub-division.

A proposal is being prepared by the district administration according to which the district will be divided into 11 blocks and two sub-divisions in the near future.

The effort is aimed at equitable distribution of population in different blocks, which will facilitate greater administrative convenience as well as reduce discomfort of the people who have to travel long distances to reach their block headquarters for different work.

As of now, the population and panchayat count of Nirsa and Baghmara blocks is much higher compared to blocks such as Jharia, Dhanbad, Baliapur, Govindpur, Tundi, Topchanchi and Purbi Tundi.

Nirsa, with a population of 3.76 lakh, has 69 panchayats — the highest in the district — while Baghmara, with a population of 4.08 lakh, has only 61 panchayats.

Meanwhile, blocks such as Tundi and Purbi Tundi have just 17 and eight panchayats under their jurisdiction.

Additional district magistrate (law and order) Balmiki Prasad, who presided over a meeting held yesterday in this regard, said a lot of things, such as demography of the region, have to be considered before reaching a final decision.

“The proposal is at a very early stage. Opinion of different stakeholders, including people’s representatives, has to be taken before coming to a decision,” he said.

He added they were planning to create blocks comprising 20 to 25 panchayats, with a population of 5,000 people in each panchayat.

Baghmara is likely to be divided into two blocks of Radhanagar and Rajgang.

This apart, a separate block is also being planned in Nirsa.

Dhanbad sub-divisional officer George Kumar said that besides Dhanbad sub-division, another sub-division at Govindpur was being planned.

]He added that a proposal in this regard would soon be sent to the state government.

“Smaller blocks will make work easier for the masses. Besides, it will also help in carrying out various administrative functions smoothly,” said Kumar.