UT move on DSP Cadre violates Parliamentary Resolution: Sukhbir Singh Badal
UT move on DSP Cadre violates Parliamentary Resolution: Sukhbir Badal Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today lashed out at the reported move of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to merge the DSP cadre of the Chandigarh Police with the police officers of all Union Territories, including the Delhi Police. Rubbishing the move as “mischievous and provocative” Mr Badal urged the Punjab Chief Minister to ensure that no one is allowed to tamper with the status of Chandigarh as the designated capital of Punjab. Mr Badal also called upon the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to treat the issue of Punjab’s right in this regard as matter requiring top priority. He asked Captain Amarinder to ensure that the directives of the then Union Home Minister Mr P Chidambram on the division of employees between Punjab and Haryana on 60:40 basis till Chandigarh’s actual transfer to Punjab be fully and honestly implemented by the UT administration. Mr Badal however questioned the wording of the Punjab government’s statement on the preservation of the 60:40 apportionment between Punjab and Haryana. He said that to say that the present status be maintained is wrong because UT has already tampered with the ratio which needs to be undone. “The UT administration is not following this ratio in appointment of DSPs, teachers or other employees. Therefore, its not maintenance of but correction in the present status which needs to be emphasized. During his tenure as Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal had aggressively pursued the matter with the centre forcing the Union Home Minister to issue a fresh directive on Punjab’s plea,” he said. In a statement here, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal said the SAD would firmly and actively oppose any move to dilute the “strictly temporary arrangement of the cadre distribution between Punjab and Haryana on 60:40 basis” pending the final and actual transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab. He said Punjab’s just and repeatedly proven claim on Chandigarh stood nationally acknowledged and accepted.” The reported move on the merger of the DSP cadre of Chandigarh with the police officers from other Union Territories is a gross violation of the Union Government’s own directions, instructions and guidelines on the subject and it would disturb the arrangement on the 60:40 ratio of apportionment of posts between Punjab and Haryana till the final transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab”. Mr Badal said that it was sad that the country needed to be reminded every now and then that Punjab’s claim on Chandigarh is endorsed not only by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha but also by the Vidhan Sabha of Haryana. “Above all, it is acknowledged by Parliament through a unanimous resolution adopted in 1985 which categorically stated that Chandigarh belongs to Punjab and the arrangement on the sharing of posts from Punjab and Haryana is also merely a strictly temporary arrangement, pending the final and actual transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab. Mr Badal recalled that the issue of creation of a separate cadre by the UT administration over and above the Punjab and Haryana cadres was strongly resisted by then Punjab Government headed by Sardar Parkash Singh Badal. “To resist the move of the UT to create its own cadre violating the nationally agreed norms on the subject, Mr Badal wrote a strongly worded letter to the then Union Home Minister Mr P Chidambram. The Home Minister then fired a firm directive to the UT at that time in which he desired that the status quo on 60:40 apportionment of all employees including the cadre posts between Punjab and Haryana be sincerely and strictly maintained. There is no provision under the existing laws and directions of the Government of India to make any changes on that score, including through the merger of the DSP posts as proposed now. This must be nipped in the bud, “ Mr Badal added. -PTC News
