Key Points
Last year witnessed some ominous developments regarding Chandigarh and Punjab:(i) As per the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, both Punjab and Haryana deputed their employees to Chandigarh administration but they were governed under the Punjab Civil Services Rules..
(ii) Allocation of land in Chandigarh to Haryana for its new assembly building was announced on July 9, 2022, in the Northern Zonal Council meeting..
The recommendations were considered controversial as (i) Punjabi was the dominant language in the rural areas of Kharar tehsil, (ii) Chandigarh was carved out by uprooting Punjabi-speaking villages of Kharar tehsil, and (iii) according to established precedent, Punjab being the parent state had a legitimate right over the capital..
According to the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966: (i) The territories which will form a new state of Haryana include Pinjore kanungo circle and Manimajra kanungo circle of Kharar tehsil; and (ii) A new Union Territory of Chandigarh shall be formed comprising Manimajra and Manauli kanungo circles of Kharar tehsil..
These commissions could not identify any contiguous Hindi-speaking areas for transfer, as had happened earlier with the Prime Ministers Award (January 29, 1970), giving Chandigarh to Punjab in lieu of 105 Hindi-speaking villages and two cities (Abohar and Fazilka) to Haryana..
