Hoshiarpur, Nov. 13 -- Opposition parties and several stakeholders are up in arms amid reports that the Punjab government is likely to announce Anandpur Sahib as the state's 24th district, merging areas of Rupnagar and Hoshiarpur's Garhshankar sub-division on the occasion of the 350th martyrdom day of the ninth Sikh master, Guru Teg Bahadur.

Although there is no official word from the government, the Hoshiarpur district bar association has started a campaign against any such move. At present, the district comprises five subdivisions, namely Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur, Tanda, Dasuya, and Mukerian. If Garhshankar is detached, the district would lose around 300 villages falling in Garhshankar and Mahilpur blocks.

Historically, Hoshiarpur was ...