CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Assembly, in a special one-day session, unanimously passed a resolution seeking immediate transfer of Chandigarh to the state. The resolution was passed on a day Central services rules became applicable to employees of Chandigarh administration instead of Punjab services rules.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann moved the resolution in the House and MLAs of all political parties - AAP, Congress, SAD and even the lone BSP legislator - supported it and dubbed the Centre's move on service rules as "dictatorial and autocratic".
However, the two BJP MLAs opposed the resolution and accused the government of misleading the people before they staged a walkout.
The resolution stated, "Punjab was reorganised through the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 wherein, the state of Punjab was reorganised into the state of Haryana, Union Territory of Chandigarh and some parts of Punjab were given to the then Union Territory of Himachal Pradesh."
A balance had always been maintained in the administration of common assets like Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) by way of giving management positions in some proportion to nominees of states of Punjab and Haryana. But the Centre, through some of its recent actions, had been trying to upset this balance, the resolution stated.
The Centre has opened the posts of BBMB members to officers of all states and central government, whereas these were traditionally filled up by officers from Punjab and Haryana. Similarly, Chandigarh administration has always been managed by officers of Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40.
However, recently the Union government posted officers from outside in Chandigarh. And now, it has introduced Central civil service rules for employees of Chandigarh administration, the resolution stated.
NEW DELHI: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Chandigarh is and will remain the joint capital of both states. "Both states have several issues to discuss other than Chandigarh," he told reporters in Gurugram.
Khattar asserted that the Centre has taken the decision to implement Central service rules as it will greatly benefit the employees and alleged that the Punjab government was misleading the public on this issue.