In a first, Chandigarh home secretary won’t be CITCO chairman

Since the formation of CITCO in 1974, the Chandigarh home secretary, traditionally a Haryana cadre IAS officer, has held the chairman’s position

In a break from tradition, the UT home secretary will no longer hold the position of chairman of the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO).

Issuing a notification recently, the Chandigarh administration stated that the CITCO chairman will be appointed by the UT administrator from among officers of the administration. (HT Photo)

Since the formation of CITCO in 1974, the UT home secretary, traditionally a Haryana cadre IAS officer, has held the chairman’s position.

Issuing a notification recently, the UT administration stated that the CITCO chairman will be appointed by the UT administrator from among officers of the administration.

The UT notification also specifies that under the category “Ex-Officio (Government)”, the phrase “home secretary, Chandigarh administration” has been replaced with “officer working in Chandigarh administration as appointed by the UT administrator from time to time”.

Incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, on March 28, 1974, CITCO has played a key role in the city’s industrial and tourism development.

In the years following its incorporation, it was handed over the management of various hotels, including Mountview in Sector 10, Shivalikview in Sector 17 and Parkview in Sector 24. It also manages Chef Lakeview at Sukhna Lake and Baithak restaurant at Kalagram, apart from multiple petrol pumps.

But increasing competition from a surge of private hotels and restaurants in the city has resulted in financial difficulties for the corporation, putting it in the red.

In 2021, CITCO had decided to renovate its three flagship hotels to equip them with latest design and facilities to help tackle losses. But even after three years, there has been no progress.

Charge temporarily with UT cadre IAS officer currently

At present, the post of chairman is temporarily being held by AGMUT cadre IAS officer Ajay Chagti.

Chagti was handed the additional charge after home secretary Nitin Kumar Yadav was relieved on June 14 to join his new assignment with the Government of India.

While Mandip Singh Brar, a 2005-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, took over as the home secretary in August, the CITCO chairman’s charge remains with Chagti, who is also the CEO of Chandigarh Housing Board, besides leading a host of UT departments.

Currently, the top positions in the UT administration are held by a mix of 10 officers from the UT cadre, six from the Haryana cadre and eight from the Punjab cadre, encompassing various services, including IAS, PCS, HCS and DANICS.

No regular MD for over two years

Notably, CITCO has also been without a regular managing director for 30 months, creating significant challenges in decision-making. The post has been vacant since March 2022, when Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, a Punjab cadre IAS officer, returned to her parent cadre. As of March this year, the charge has been with another UT cadre IAS officer Hari Kallikkat.

Even after repeated attempts, Kallikkat did not respond to messages and calls for a comment.