Aiming to accord due status to the Punjabi language in Chandigarh, the Punjabi Cultural Council in a resolution asked the Chandigarh administrator and Governor of Punjab to implement two laws in the union territory (UT) promulgated by the Punjab namely 'Learning of Punjabi Language and other Languages Act-2008' and 'Punjabi Language (Amendment) Act-2008' so that aspirations of lakhs of Punjabis contributing in the development of Chandigarh could be fulfilled. Besides this, the Council has also appealed to the Chief Justice of the Punjab High Court to impose the legislations without any delay in the lower courts of the state to start all official work in Punjabi.Stating this Council Chairman Harjeet Singh Grewal, state awardee informed that during the annual general meeting of the Punjabi Cultural Council has passed resolutions for the promotion of Punjabi language. "The Council has expressed surprise that when all the laws promulgated by the Punjab government were being implemented in Chandigarh, why not the laws governing promotion of Punjabi were being executed in UT"?To provide due honor the mother tongue in Chandigarh the Council has also demanded to setup separate Punjabi language department and Punjabi Sahitya Akademi for the development and promotion of mother tongue in UT. Apart from this, recruitment drive of Punjabi staff including teachers and lecturers in all government offices, schools and colleges in Chandigarh must be launched.On the occasion Council leaders have also honoured Hardeep Singh Butrala, the newly elected senior deputy mayor of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh and Prof. Pandit Rao Dhaneshwar for the promotion of Punjabi language in UT.
While lauding their efforts for the cause of Punjabi both social activists were presented with Siropa and mementoes. Grewal hoped that both the persons will continue their efforts to take the mother-tongue Punjabi to the forefront in UT to which they assured to take all possible steps for the promotion of Punjabi in Chandigarh and to support the council in future. The PCC has also resolved to celebrate international Punjabi Language day on Feb 21.Grewal has said that though Chandigarh is temporarily arbitrated as a joint capital of Punjab and Haryana but Punjab has a legal right over this UT as 28 villages in Punjab were uprooted ravaging of nearly 30,000 acres of land to build the city as the capital of the Punjab. He lamented at the pathetic condition of the mother tongue in Chandigarh and said no official work in Punjabi is being done in any office and nor a Punjabi signboard is in place in UT but deliberately administration is hell bent upon to impose Hindi on the Punjabi community living here. He asserted that according to the state reorganization acts, all the parent states have retained their capitals during bifurcation but Punjab have a unique example in independent India where the parent state shares joint capital with bifurcated state and common high court.He appealed to the writers and intellectuals including Punjab Government, all political parties, social and religious organizations, to work jointly to implement the unanimous resolutions passed by Punjab Vidhan Sabha in the past the accord due status to mother tongue in the capital. Among others present on the occasion included, PCC finance secretary Baljit Singh Saini, Press Secretary Harjinder Kumar, Joginderpal, President Gatka Association SAS Nagar Kanwar Harbir Singh Dhindsa, Secretary Harpreet Singh Sarao, Paramjit Singh, Sarbjit Singh Dhindsa former Sarpanch, Kanwaljit Singh Maan Pir Sohana, Gurpreet Singh Dhindsa, Parvinder Singh Mundi Kharar and Bhupinder Singh Mundi Kharar.