Centre admits Chandigarh has more bureaucrats than required

In an interesting contrast, while most of the Indian states rue the acute shortages of bureaucrats and demand a hike in cadre strength, the Union Territory of Chandigarh has an excess of it. It was admitted by the Centre in the Parliament, which said that Chandigarh is currently functioning with more IAS and IPS officers than its sanctioned strength permits.

This disclosure has added a new twist to the tale, as it has sparked off the old debate over the Union Territory being over-governed with a bloated administrative structure.

The issue came to light after Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai stated in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that against a sanctioned strength of 11 IAS and 7 IPS posts, the UT currently has an excess of one IAS and two IPS officers over the approved cadre strength. According to him, 12 IAS and 9 IPS officers are currently serving in Chandigarh.

The issue had been raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari who sarcastically described Chandigarh as ‘a quintessential bureaucratic parking lot.’

The MoS (Home) divulged that of these, five IAS and two IPS officers are on deputation from the Punjab and Haryana cadres—three IAS and one IPS officer from Punjab and two IAS and one IPS officer from Haryana.

The Lok Sabha MP made a comparison of Chandigarh with Mohali and Panchkula, saying each, four to five times the geographical size of Chandigarh, is administered by a single Deputy Commissioner (DC) and a single Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), respectively.

On the issue of the rationale behind maintaining such a large contingent of civil servants in a city that spans barely 114 sq km, the MoS brushed aside Chandigarh’s comparison with neighbouring Mohali and Panchkula, saying that officer strength was “determined on the basis of functional requirements.”

The minister also ruled out any possibility of the government going for a cadre review in Chandigarh, saying no proposal for review or rationalisation of the cadre strength and composition of the AGMUT cadre, including the Union Territory of Chandigarh, is under consideration in the Ministry of Home Affairs.