Restore Chandigarh to Punjab : Capt to Rajnath

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday wrote another letter to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking to restore Chandigarh to Punjab, being its “legitimate original capital”.

Capt Amarinder, besides urging the Home Minister to resolve the pending territorial dispute, has sought cadre protection for Punjab in Chandigarh.

He also sought the Union Minister’s personal intervention to ensure that fine balance in sharing of resources and officials in the Union Territory, between the states of Punjab and Haryana, is not allowed to be disturbed.

Expressing concern over the constant effort seen over the past few years to disturb the ‘fine balance’ in sharing officers or officials and other resources of Union Territory, Chandigarh between Haryana and Punjab, Capt Amarinder urged Rajnath to advise the Ministry not to induct UT cadre officers into the administration of Union Territory, Chandigarh.

Capt Amarinder also asked the Home Minister not to curtail role and responsibilities of officers of Haryana and Punjab, as assigned to them in a pre-determined ratio of share. He further sought restoration of the role of Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, as Head of the District Police as earlier.

In his letter, he urged the Home Minister not to induct Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) and other officials from UT cadre into Chandigarh, thus maintaining the share of Haryana as also of Punjab, till such time the pending territorial dispute between these two States is finally settled. 

Capt Amarinder noted that recently, the powers of SSP, who is an IPS Officer of Punjab cadre, have been curtailed, making him SSP (Law and Order).

Likewise, a decision seems to have been taken to induct more DSPs of UT cadre though all posts of DSPs in Chandigarh are filled with officers from Punjab and Haryana in a pre-determined ratio, he said, adding that that these decisions were clearly avoidable as they had the potential of causing bigger unrest in the region.

Asserting that Chandigarh undoubtedly was an integral part of Punjab, the Chief Minister said that being Punjab’s capital, no other can have any claim on it, denying parent State its territorial jurisdiction thereon.

“Nevertheless, subsequent to the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, territorial dispute remains unresolved,” he added, pointing out that, “During this period, a fine balance in sharing officers or officials and other resources of Union Territory, Chandigarh between Haryana and Punjab has been achieved with an advantage of hard earned peace in Punjab”.

The letter further said: “Unfortunately, during the past few years, it has been observed that there is a constant effort to disturb this fine balance achieved after a great deal of effort. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has been inducting more officers of UT cadre and other Union Territories into administration of Chandigarh without realizing implications of such avoidable decisions.”

There has been reduction in departments allocated to officers of Punjab and Haryana as also increase in number of UT cadre officers in Chandigarh, he pointed requesting the Union Home Minister to consider the matter and issue appropriate instructions accordingly.