Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its breakaway faction SAD (Punar Surjit) on Wednesday opposed the proposed UT Chandigarh Health Service Rules, 2026, which it claimed “strike at the very basis of the 60:40 arrangement governing Chandigarh employees”.SAD spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema, in a post on X, called it a “a clear-cut violation” of agreements at the time of Punjab Reorganisation. “Under the draft rules, 40% of medical officer posts will be filled by direct recruitment into a separate UT cadre, while only the remaining 60% will be filled through deputation. If the remaining 60% is then divided between Punjab and Haryana in the agreed 60:40 ratio, Punjab’s effective share is reduced to just 36% of the total posts, instead of 60%,” he said.He claimed that the Chandigarh administration had issued a notification last night to create a new cadre. “UT administration has done this despite the fact that it does not have any right to create a separate health cadre,” he said.Cheema claimed that AAP govt in Punjab was silent on the issue. “Earlier also, chief minister Bhagwant Mann failed to defend the rights of Punjab vis a vis Chandigarh. Now again, another attempt is being made to dilute Punjab’s rights in Chandigarh. This must be resisted vigorously,” he said.SAD (Punar Surjit) president Giani Harpreet Singh described the proposal as a new recruitment system that ignored Punjab’s “historical, administrative and constitutional rights in govt jobs and services in Chandigarh”. “Chandigarh is not merely an administrative Union Territory, but a highly sensitive issue connected with the reorganisation of Punjab. Therefore, before taking any major policy decision concerning Chandigarh, the central govt should take into consideration Punjab’s rights and the agreements made in the past,” he said.He demanded that the Chandigarh Health Services Rules, 2026 be reviewed again with regard to the recruitment rights associated with Punjab.Ends
