CHANDIGARH MAY 16:Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to take effective measures immediately to restore the norms of deputation policy, under which all posts in Chandigarh Administration are to be filled by deputation from Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40, besides checking the systematic erosion of Punjab’s share over past few years.
In letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Badal lamented that lot of erosion had taken place to dilute the role of Punjab in the Chandigarh Administration. He said even the distribution of Departments was to be such so as to reflect the ratio of 60:40 – 60% departments to be handled by the officers of Punjab cadre and 40% by Haryana cadre officers.
Citing the background of entire case, Mr. Badal mentioned that the first Chief Commissioner of Union Territory, Chandigarh was a Punjab cadre officer. Subsequently, the Chief Commissioners and now the Advisors to the Administrator are UT cadre officers. Earlier, the post of Advisor to the Administrator was an ex-cadre post which had now been converted into cadre post of IAS of Assam, Goa, Meghalya & other Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre. Even with above arrangement, only the post of Chief Commissioner/ Advisor to the Administrator was supposed to be handled by an IAS officer of AGMUT cadre. Today, atleast 4 IAS officers of AGMUT cadre were working in Chandigarh Administration. Similarly, earlier only the post of IGP was occupied by an IPS officer of AGMUT cadre. Now, apart from the IGP, two posts of DIGs were also being manned by IPS officers of AGMUT cadre.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that the Departments like Vigilance, Education, Health, Transport, Housing, Local Government, Social Welfare etc. had always been held by the Finance Secretary who was a Punjab cadre officer. Over a period of time, these departments have been transferred to the Home Secretary who was now a Haryana cadre officer. Today, Finance Secretary, a Punjab cadre officer, was only handling 11 departments whereas the Home Secretary was handling more than 25 departments. Earlier, some of the posts like DPI (Schools), Joint Secretary Home, Assistant Estate Officer, Divisional Forest Officer were normally filled from Punjab cadre officers. However, all these posts were now being manned by Haryana cadre officers.
The Chief Minister further stated that employees working in the Union Territory were to be taken on deputation from the States of Punjab and Haryana in the ratio 60:40. However, as on today 20261 employees working in the Union Territory, Chandigarh, only 1580 employees were deputationists. Thus, only were very small size of officials was on deputation and mostly, employees are from UT Administration.
Seeking personal intervention of the Prime Minister, Mr. Badal asked him to restore the share and role of Punjab in the Chandigarh Administration by issuing suitable instructions in this regard to concerned authorities at the earliest possible. He impressed upon Dr. Manmohan Singh to fill all the posts of IAS and IPS Officers in the Union Territory, Chandigarh from Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40. In future, all the posts of employees in the Chandigarh Administration should only be filled on deputation from Punjab and Haryana in the same ratio. Of the departmental officers, all those posts which were earlier manned by Punjab cadre officers needed to be restored to Punjab cadre officers and all those departments which were earlier with the Finance Secretary should immediately be restored to him.