SAD hails MHA's decision for advising UT Chandigarh to fill up civil posts in 60:40 from Pb, Hry

The Shiromani Akali Dal Wednesday hailed Union Home Ministry's decision for restoration of the 60:40 ratio in recruitment, appointments and postings between Punjab and Haryana in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

SAD patron and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal also hailed the Centre's decision for keeping the September 25 notification of merging the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police in Chandigarh with DANIPS in abeyance.

The UT/Chandigarh administration has been advised that in filling up civil posts, the ratio of 60:40 may be used as between Punjab and Haryana, wherever it is being followed conventionally, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday.

The MHA also Wednesday put on hold the September 25 notification, merging the posts of DSPs of Chandigarh Police with DANIPS.

Under the September 25 notification, the DSPs of Chandigarh police were liable to be posted to other Union territories of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

"The stoppage of the merger of posts of DSPs should be followed as a model and nothing should be done to disturb the status of Chandigarh as the prospective capital of Punjab, with current administrative arrangements being only of a temporary nature till the transfer to Punjab actually materialised," Badal said.

Notably, the Congress, the Akali Dal and the AAP had objected to a notification by the Centre that includes ChandigarhDSPs in the DANIPS cadre, making them liable to be transferred to various other Union Territories.

They had urged the Centre to reconsider the notification, arguing it would affect the agreed 60:40 ratio of officers from Punjaband Haryanain Chandigarh.

The political parties had seen the notification as an attempt to do away with the 60 per cent share of the state's officers in the Union Territory of Chandigarh while pointing out that as per the provisions of the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, which created the states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh from November 1, 1966, all assets and liabilities of the parent state between newly-created states in the ratio of 60:40.