The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today registered its protest against denial of official language status to Punjabi by the Chandigarh administration besides non-implementation of Punjab quota in UT administration with the Chandigarh Administrator V P Singh Badnore. A delegation of the SAD led by party mp Prem Singh Chandumajra briefed the Governor that despite the fact that Chandigarh was planned as a capital of Punjab by uprooting scores of Punjabi villages, grave injustice had been done to it by denying official language status to Punjabi.The SAD MP also briefed the Governor that the Chandigarh was the only UT in the country where the regional language had not been given official status. He said this anomaly should be corrected immediately. The delegation members, including former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, said over the years there had been a concerted effort to change the Punjabi character of the city. He said while this started with removal of Punjabi sign boards, it had extended to such an extent now that UT offices now did not even entertain correspondence in Punjabi.
Dr Cheema said the Chandigarh UT department of education was adopting a discriminatory attitude towards teachers of Punjab State serving on deputation with U.T Chandigarh. He said as per the provisions of Punjab Reorganisation Act, the employees of Punjab and Haryana States were entitled to be taken on deputation with Chandigarh administration in the ratio of 60:40. He said the education department of Chandigarh was however not adhering to these mandatory provisions and filling vacant posts with its own cadre without consulting the various States. He said the Chandigarh administration was always making one excuse or the other to repatriate teachers to their parent state. "In these circumstances, the teachers and other employees hesitate to apply / join Chandigarh administration on deputation, keeping in view the uncertainty about their repatriation on flimsy grounds", he added. He also brought to the notice of the Governor that a new policy was on the offing to fix period of deputation of Punjab employees. He said this would be discriminatory to Punjab employees.The Administrator Shri VP Singh Badnore assured the delegation that a high level committee would look into all these issues. He said once the Committee, which would have representatives of Punjab and Haryana, gave its report the same would be sent to the Union government for necessary action.