New Delhi: The Punjab Assembly on Friday, April 1 passed a resolution seeking immediate transfer of Chandigarh to the state, with chief minister Bhagwant Mann accusing the Union government of trying to upset the balance in the administration of the Union Territory and other common assets.The resolution, which was moved by Mann, was passed by the House in the absence of the two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators, who had earlier staged a walkout.Except the BJP, members of all political parties including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the lone Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator came out in support of the resolution and dubbed the Union government’s move as “dictatorial” and “autocratic”.Union home minister Amit Shah had on March 27 announced that the service conditions of employees of Chandigarh administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services. This means that the Chandigarh employees, who were so far covered under the Punjab Civil services rule, will now come under the Central service rules, which have been implemented from April 1.According to The Indian Express, the move impacts 16,000 employees working under the Chandigarh administration.Also read | Explainer: Why Union Govt’s Decision to Bring Central Service Rules to Chandigarh Has Raised FuroreWith the new rules, the Chandigarh employees’ retirement age will now be 60 years, instead of 58 years. Female employees will also get two years maternity leave instead of the previous one year.Several unions, the newspaper reported, are happy with this change. “This will definitely help in streamlining a working system in the administration. We are governed by one set of rules now. Currently, there is a mixture of Punjab and Centre rules which leads to confusion,” a senior Union Territory cadre official told the daily.However, the Union government’s move has evoked sharp reactions from political parties in Punjab, alleging that it’s an infringement on the rights of the state and violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.As per the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 60% employees in Chandigarh administration have to be from Punjab and 40% from Haryana.With the new rules, this ratio won’t be followed. The New Indian Express, however, reported opposition leaders as saying that this ratio is not being followed for some time. IAS officers of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre have outnumbered their counterparts from Punjab and Haryana, the report said. Moreover, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service cadre officers are also being appointed now.Opposition parties have alleged that BJP – which lost the recently concluded Punjab assembly elections – is interfering in Punjab’s political affairs by bringing in such changes.Also read: Rookies, the Centre and the Role of ‘Insurgency’: What AAP in Punjab Can Learn From Assam’s AGP GovtHowever, this is not the first time the Union government has been accused of interfering in Punjab’s affairs to try and increase control, The Wire had reported. Earlier, the change in rules to appointment of top officers to the BBMB, or Bhakra Beas Management Board, had raked up a storm with many political parties in Punjab and Haryana criticising the Union government.The BBMB is a statutory body under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and manages the water resources of Sutlej and Beas. It has a whole-time chairman and two members for irrigation and power.Political leaders have claimed that according to the BBMB Rules, 1974, the member (power) in BBMB must be from Punjab and the member (irrigation) from Haryana, but the requirement has been removed in the amended rules.Akali leader Daljit Cheema criticised the decision, saying that the home ministry’s decision to impose Central government rules on employees of Chandigarh means a denial of right of capital to Punjab forever. “After changes in BBMB, this is another big blow to the rights of Punjab,” he tweeted.MOH’s decision to impose central govt rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of Punjab Reorg act and must be reconsidered. This means denial of right of Capital to Punjab for ever. After changes in BBMB, this is another big blow to the rights of Punjab.— Dr Daljit S Cheema (@drcheemasad) March 27, 2022According to The Print, the amended rules will put more pressure on the Mann government because the employees of the Punjab administration might demand a revision of their salary to match with their Chandigarh counterparts.A senior Aam Aadmi Party leader told The Print that such a demand could place additional stress on the state government, which currently has a debt burden of Rs 2.82 lakh crore.
