CM against merging Chandigarh DSP cadre with Delhi, other UTs
Amarinder says status quo must be maintained till the territorial dispute of Chandigarh between Punjab and Haryana is settled for goo
Chandigarh Saying that the existing pattern of all Chandigarh UT posts being shared between Punjab and Haryana in 60:40 ratio should continue, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, on Sunday, opposed the reported move of the Union ministry of home affairs to merge the DSP cadre of the Chandigarh Police with police officers of all Union Territories, including from the Delhi Police.
Amarinder added that the status quo be maintained till the territorial dispute of Chandigarh between Punjab and Haryana is settled.
“The proposal of the MHA would lead to all sanctioned posts of DSP of Chandigarh UT being merged with the entry grade of the combined cadre of Delhi and other UTs. This would allow their transfer and posting in any UT,” Amarinder pointed out.
He expressed concern over attempts to gradually dilute Punjab’s stake in Chandigarh, pointing to the fact that a similar erosion had already taken place, over the years, in the post of Class-I gazetted officers.
“Punjab would not allow further erosion of its interests,” he added. The move to merge the Chandigarh DSP post with other UTs would disturb the fine balance achieved over the years, he said, warning that it could be counter productive. “Any such move would limit the avenues for the career progression of senior Punjab officers in line for promotion,” he added.
Amarinder also directed the chief secretary to initiate steps for the establishment of a special cell, in the general administration branch, to deal with Chandigarh-related issues to protect the interests of Punjab.
He has asked the chief secretary to bring a formal proposal on this in the next cabinet meeting. Chandigarh, as of now, has no policy in place for promotion of its police officers and uses Punjab service rules. Of 23 posts of DSP, 10 are filled by DANIPS (UT and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Services) officers. The MHA, in a letter on April 20, has invited both suggestions and objections to the draft policy, uploaded on the Chandigarh Police website, by May 19.
The draft policy proposal states the merger is suggested to ‘have uniformity in the composition of feeder grade for induction into the IAS/IPS from various segments’.