Punjab protests repatriation of teachers from UT schools

Unjustified to give Punjab, Haryana only 20% posts, employees have right to work in capital, says education minister; shoots off letter to UT admn

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Monday reacted against the sudden repatriation of its teachers who are on deputation in Chandigarh, saying it violated the employee-ratio norm.

In a protest letter to the UT administration, Punjab education minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema demanded the withdrawal of the orders, reminding the UT administrator and Punjab governor of his assurance against the move during a meeting over the issue. “The repatriation order has shocked people, since deputation to Chandigarh is guided by the Punjab Reorganisation Act, which mandates maintaining 60:40 ratio of Punjab and Haryana employees in the joint capital,” he wrote.

The minister argued that the UT schools were short of 139 teachers from Punjab already. In the 20% total quota of teachers on deputation, Punjab’s rightful share is 12%. “The position of teachers deputed in the UT is different, as they get no deputation allowance and, moreover, have the right to serve in the state capital,” Dr Cheema further wrote, adding: “The UT administration has chosen deliberately to ignore the assurance that governor Kaptan Singh Solanki had given me after hearing a delegation led by Rajya Sabha mem- ber Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, after which he had stalled the repatriation move, terming it illogical.”

Dr Cheema said the UT was discouraging the employees from coming to the capital for short deputation. “It didn’t consult the Punjab government before. It is travesty of justice to both partner states that under the new UT policy, Chandigarh has kept 80% of the posts for its pool and left only 20% to the two states,” he wrote, claiming that a further reduction was “rubbing salt into the wounds of Punjab”.

He ruled out any question of replacing the teachers working on deputation. “Rather more teachers would be sent in on deputation against the vacant posts in the state quota. The process of rationalisation and transfer is over in Punjab, and there’s no vacancy nearby Chandigarh to adjust these teachers. It will mean dislocating the families of these teachers,” he argued.

› The UT administration has chosen deliberately to ignore the assurance the governor had given me after hearing a delegation, after which he had stalled the repatriation move, terming it illogical DALJIT CHEEMA, education minister