Make Chandigarh Punjab’s capital: Capt Amarinder to Rajnath Singh

Punjab chief minister on Friday wrote to Union home minister Rajnath Singh reiterating his demand for making Chandigarh the capital of the state.

In his letter, the CM urged the Union minister to resolve the pending territorial dispute (between Punjab and Haryana) and “restore Chandigarh to Punjab, being its legitimate original capital”.

Asserting that Chandigarh undoubtedly is an integral part of Punjab, the CM said that being Punjab’s capital, no other state can have any claim on it, denying the parent state its territorial jurisdiction thereon. Nevertheless, subsequent to the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, territorial dispute remains unresolved, he added.

Amarinder also demanded cadre protection for Punjab in Chandigarh and sought Rajnath’s intervention to ensure a fine balance in sharing of resources and officials in the union territory between Punjab and Haryana.

Expressing concern over the constant effort seen over the past few years to disturb the ‘fine balance’ in sharing officers and officials and other resources of the Chandigarh union territory between Punjab and Haryana, the CM urged Rajnath to advise his ministry not to induct UT-cadre officers into the Chandigarh administration.

He also sought restoration of the role of senior superintendent of police (SSP), Chandigarh, as head of the district police as earlier.

The CM urged the Union minister not to induct DSPs and other officials from the UT cadre into Chandigarh, thus maintaining the share of Haryana and Punjab.

He pointed out that 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 added.

The letter 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. There has been reduction in departments allocated to officers of Punjab and Haryana as also increase in number of UT cadre officers in Chandigarh.”

The CM asked the Union minister to consider the matter and issue appropriate instructions accordingly.