E-Paper
Makeshift administration: 4 top Chandigarh posts lying vacant
Chandigarh administration is running on makeshift arrangements as the four top posts in the administration are under the additional charge of officers. The posts have been lying vacant for years.
The UT administration is running on makeshift arrangements as the four top posts in the administration are under the additional charge of officers. The posts have been lying vacant for years.
The posts include adviser to administrator as the post has been lying vacant since October 31 after former UT adviser Dharam Pal retired and now the charge has been given to the UT home secretary, Nitin Yadav.
The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) chairman’s post has been vacant for the last five years and the charge has been given to various other officers since March 2018. The last regular chairman of the board was Maninder Singh Bains, who was transferred in March 2018 and since then UT advisers are holding the additional charge as chairman.
For the past 21 months, Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited (CITCO) has been without a regular managing director, leading to significant challenges and decision-making delays. The education secretary, Purva Garg, has assumed the additional responsibilities of MD, CITCO, since March 2022, after Jaswinder Kaur Sidhu, a Punjab-cadre IAS officer, returned to her parent cadre. Punjab Cadre IAS officer occupies the post.
Even the post of assistant excise and taxation commissioner (AETC) has been vacant since November 16 after the repatriation of Alok Passi to his parent state Haryana. Passi was repatriated after 10 months as he joined UT on January 17. Now, the additional charge has been given to 2016-batch PCS officer Jagdeep Saigal.
Officiating UT adviser Nitin Yadav said, “As far as the post of the MD, CITCO, is concerned, we have already taken up the matter with the Government of India and have written several letters. Regarding the post of the UT adviser and the chairman of the CHB, we are hoping the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will soon send officers.”
Another senior officer from the UT administration said that in the absence of a regular MD, the corporation’s operations are suffering, and major decisions are on hold. After issuing an expression of interest in February this year to privatise Chef Lakeview and Mermaid restaurants at the Sukhna Lake, CITCO shortlisted 12 agencies but is yet to take any action even after seven months. Similarly, CITCO outsourced the Drop-In restaurant in Sector 34 in July last year, but the agency has not commenced operations yet. Furthermore, CITCO has failed to decide on a waiver of ₹1 crore related to Baithak in Kalagram. The agency requested this waiver in 2022 due to the pandemic.
Federation of Sectors’ Welfare Association (FOSWAC) chairman Baljinder Singh Bittu said in the absence of regular officers, efficiency and accountability are taking a hit. The work is suffering in the CHB as well as CITCO, he added.
