Senior officials of the Chandigarh administration have met to take stock of the situation, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a probe as residents fumed over the inconvenience caused by his visit.
On Friday, Modi's first visit to the union territory as Prime Minister to inaugurate the new international terminal was marked by a virtual lockdown as the administration ordered closure of 187 schools, besides a main crematorium at Sector 25.
The administration is, however, yet to file a reply to the Union home secretary, who had sought an explanation.
Sources in the administration told HT that officials are now discussing what the reply should be and also who will own responsibility.
Blame game begins
Sources in the Raj Bhawan said the reply will not be sent "immediately" and "only after a lot of thinking". The administration, which is seen as having gone overboard with the Prime Minister's visit, had not seen the inquiry coming. Now, sources say, a blame game has begun.
The schools were ordered to be shut through a written order with the signature of UT education secretary Saravjit Singh, which leaves no escape route for the department. Only, there is no clarity as to who decided to close down the schools and ordered the secretary to issue the order.
{{/usCountry}}The schools were ordered to be shut through a written order with the signature of UT education secretary Saravjit Singh, which leaves no escape route for the department. Only, there is no clarity as to who decided to close down the schools and ordered the secretary to issue the order.
{{/usCountry}}It is, however, barring the last rites of the dead in the crematorium at Sector 25, which was converted into a makeshift parking lot, which marred the enthusiasm of Modi's visit and snowballed into a controversy. There's no order in writing for the closure and the administration is, for now, laying the blame on the Chandigarh Police, whose personnel were deployed outside the cremation ground.
Sources say civil officials are accusing the police of stopping mourners from cremating their dead "without an orders to do so".