SAD opposes Chandigarh admn’s proposal to repatriate 112 doctors to Punjab

SAD termed this decision as a conspiracy to dilute state’s share in the Chandigarh administration and also announced that a party delegation will meet Union home minister Amit Shah to take up the issue

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday objected to the proposal of the Chandigarh administration to send back 112 Punjab doctors working on deputation in the Union territory and hire more doctors from outside.

On February 3, Chandigarh health secretary Yashpal Garg had said some doctors had stayed between five and 20 years after completing their deputation period of three years. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The party termed this decision as a conspiracy to dilute state’s share in the Chandigarh administration and also announced that a SAD delegation will meet Union home minister Amit Shah to take up the issue.

Addressing a press conference here, party spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema alleged that when Punjab leaders were busy in state assembly elections, officials in Chandigarh hatched a conspiracy to send back Punjab doctors to their parent state and gave an advertisement to hire doctors from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, central government and other Union territories for Chandigarh.

He said this was a clear violation of the Punjab Reorganisaton Act, which stated that officers and employees in Chandigarh will be drawn from Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40, respectively.

He said earlier too, similar attempts were made by officials posted in Chandigarh by the central government. But when such proposals were opposed by the Akali Dal, they rolled back the decisions.

Cheema said even in the education sector, Chandigarh had recruited more than 80% staff on its own.

As the state education minister, he said, he had opposed shifting of Punjab teachers from Chandigarh in 2015 and had sent a detailed report, including list of subject-wise teachers to the Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator, informing him that Punjab was still to get 211 more posts, apart from the present ones at that time.

Notably, while the UT administration had earlier decided to repatriate 112 doctors for overstaying after completing their deputation period of three years, on February 17, it had decided to give a year’s extension to all of them.

On February 3, UT health secretary Yashpal Garg had said some doctors had stayed between five and 20 years according to records.

“There was a need to break this cycle and nexus, and superannuation and relieving of doctors on completion of deputation tenure should be started,” Garg had said in his order.