No threat to Chandigarh as UT: Bansal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 13

Former Member of Parliament Pawan Kumar Bansal has expressed confidence that the status of Chandigarh as the Union Territory faces no threat and is here to stay.

Bansal recalled that after having been conferred the status of a Union Territory on reorganisation of erstwhile state of Punjab on November 1, 1966, there were two occasions when uncertainty stared at Chandigarh. The first was on the completion of 5 years as the UT in 1971 and the second in January, 1986, but the threat died down.

It has come a long way since then. During the last half century of its existence as a Union Territory, Chandigarh has developed an ethos of its own as a microcosm of India, Bansal said.

Occasionally, there have been statements and claims and counterclaims by leaders of Punjab and Haryana, but that has made no difference. Rather, the position of Chandigarh has gradually consolidated over the years.

Bansal said: “Both Punjab and Haryana have virtually reconciled to the present set-up and arrangement, which has worked well for 52 years with the city being capital of both states and Union Territory by itself”.

Further, the futility of the statements of leaders of Punjab and Haryana from time to time can be judged from the fact that on one peculiar occasion the same person holding the charge of the Governor of both Punjab and Haryana laid claim to the city for each state in the Governor’s address to the Legislative Assembly of each state, Bansal said.

Several positive steps and developments over the past two decades have consolidated the position of Chandigarh as a Union Territory like any other Union Territory.

The challenge that Chandigarh faces today is only the deficiency of funds commensurate with its growing needs of development and upkeep. Being a generator of revenue for the Centre, it deserves allocation of ample funds to maintain its unique character as a planned city of Pt Nehru’s vision, Bansal said.