Maintain status quo in filling up of civil posts in Chandigarh UT, Amarinder writes to Modi

Punjab Chief minister Amarinder Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to maintain the status quo in filling up of civil posts in Chandigarh Union Territory (UT), according to an official statement here Friday.

In a letter to Modi, Singh asked the PM to personally intervene and advise the Ministry of Home Affairs to maintain the ratio of 60:40 between Punjab and Haryana in filling up civil posts in the UT as has been done in the past.

Singh said it was heartening to note that the Government of India (GoI) had agreed to keep in abeyance its notification of September 25, 2018, merging the posts of DSPs of Chandigarh Police with Delhi, Andaman, Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS), in response to his letter on October 1.

In the letter, the CM further pointed out that currently of the14 IAS officers posted in Chandigarh administration, only three belonged to Punjab and two belonged to Haryana, with the remaining officers from the UT cadre.

Similarly, of the seven IPS officers posted in Chandigarh, only one each belonged to Punjab and Haryana, whereas the remaining five were from UT cadre.

The ratio of 60:40 was also not being adhered to in placing officers in Chandigarh administration, he claimed, adding that the situation was similar in other categories of employees, such as teachers, doctors and other civil officer posts in Chandigarh administration.

Given the fact that the Government of India had appreciated the need to maintain the ratio of 60:40 between Punjab and Haryana in filling up the posts in Chandigarh administration, the imbalance created during the last few years needed to be rectified, Singh said.

The CM also urged Modi to advise the Chandigarh administration to not curtail the role and responsibilities of the officers of Punjab and Haryana, as assigned to them in pre-determined ratio and posts.