Badal to PM on administrative violations by Chandigarh

Chandigarh, Mar 19 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to halt the Chandigarh Administration "from tampering with the existing system for filling the top civil posts in the Union Territory on deputation from Punjab and Haryana on a 60:40 ratio till Chandigarh is transferred to the state of Punjab." In a written communication to the PM, the Chief Minister warned that "the people of Punjab will not permit any change in the administrative structure of the city of Chandigarh to the detriment of the interests and claims of the state and Punjabis".

"Any such effort will cause unrest in the minds of Punjabis within and outside the state and will deeply hurt their sentiments", Mr Badal stated in the letter.

He claimed that the reported 'tampering' move of the UT Administration violated not only the "specific position taken by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on the issue but also the related provisions in the Punjab Re-organisation Act, 1966." "I am amazed and shocked to learn that efforts are afoot to turn Chandigarh into a perpetual Union Territory," he lamented.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister's Media Advisor Harcharan Bains disclosed today that Mr Badal would take up the matter with the Prime Minister at their next meeting.

The Chief Minister's 'firm and unequivocal stand' came amidst reports that the Union Territory was seeking to change the present process of filling the posts of Principal Medical Officer-cum-Director, Health Services and Joint Principal Medical Officer-cum-Medical Superintendent by officers on deputation from Punjab or Haryana. The UT Administration reportedly was initiating a move to fill these posts by promotion from the UT cadre officers.

Ever since the Re-organization of Punjab in 1966, these posts have been filled from amongst the officers of Punjab and Haryana who can remain on deputation up to a period of four years. Other important posts in the UT have also been filled by officers of deputation from Punjab and Haryana.

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