New Delhi: The Central Government has acknowledged in Parliament that Chandigarh is currently functioning with more IAS and IPS officers than its sanctioned cadre strength, even as it ruled out any immediate proposal to review or rationalise the administrative structure of the Union Territory.
The disclosure came in a written reply by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai to an unstarred question raised by Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari in the Lok Sabha. The issue has reignited the debate over the size of Chandigarh’s bureaucracy, with Tewari describing the Union Territory as “a quintessential bureaucratic parking lot.”
Centre Admits Excess IAS and IPS Officers
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Chandigarh has a sanctioned strength of 11 IAS and 7 IPS officers, but is currently functioning with 12 IAS and 9 IPS officers.
This means the Union Territory has:
- One additional IAS officer beyond the sanctioned strength.
- Two additional IPS officers beyond the sanctioned strength.
Overall, against a sanctioned cadre of 18 senior officers, Chandigarh currently has 21 officers posted.
Cadre Position
Sanctioned IAS Posts: 11
- IAS Officers Currently Posted: 12 (1 more than sanctioned)
- IAS Officers on Deputation: 5
- 3 from Punjab cadre
- 2 from Haryana cadre
Sanctioned IPS Posts: 7
- IPS Officers Currently Posted: 9 (2 more than sanctioned)
- IPS Officers on Deputation: 2
- 1 from Punjab cadre
- 1 from Haryana cadre
Total Sanctioned Senior Officers (IAS + IPS): 18
- Total Officers Currently Posted: 21 (3 more than sanctioned)
- Total Officers on Deputation: 7
- 4 from Punjab cadre
- 3 from Haryana cadre
Seven Officers on Deputation
The Centre informed Parliament that a significant number of officers serving in Chandigarh are on deputation from neighbouring states.
Among the IAS officers, five are on deputation, including three from the Punjab cadre and two from the Haryana cadre.
Similarly, two IPS officers are on deputation, with one each from Punjab and Haryana.
The deputation arrangement reflects Chandigarh’s administrative linkage with both neighbouring states while being part of the AGMUT cadre.
Government Says Officer Strength Depends on Functional Requirements
Responding to Manish Tewari’s query on why a city spread over only 114 square kilometres requires such a large number of senior officers, the Ministry did not directly compare Chandigarh with neighbouring districts such as Mohali and Panchkula, as sought by the MP.
Instead, Minister Nityanand Rai stated that the deployment of officers is determined on the basis of functional requirements and that cadre management is a dynamic process, depending upon administrative needs.
No Proposal to Review Cadre Strength
The Centre also made it clear that no proposal is currently under consideration to rationalise or reduce the cadre strength of Chandigarh.
In its written reply, the Ministry stated, “At present, no proposal for review or rationalisation of the cadre strength and composition of the AGMUT cadre, including the Union Territory of Chandigarh, is under consideration in the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
The response indicates that the existing administrative arrangement will continue for the foreseeable future.
Manish Tewari Calls Chandigarh ‘Over-Governed and Underserved’
Reacting to the government’s reply, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari argued that the figures reinforce long-standing concerns regarding the Union Territory’s administrative structure.
Describing Chandigarh as “over-governed and underserved,” he said the city had effectively become a “quintessential bureaucratic parking lot.”
Tewari pointed out that neighbouring districts Mohali and Panchkula, each covering an area four to five times larger than Chandigarh, are administered by only one Deputy Commissioner and one Senior Superintendent of Police each.
In contrast, Chandigarh currently has 12 IAS officers and 9 IPS officers, exceeding even the sanctioned cadre strength.
He also noted that the Governor of Punjab simultaneously functions as the Administrator of Chandigarh, giving the Union Territory an additional layer of top-level administrative oversight.
“No wonder nothing ever gets done,” Tewari remarked while criticising what he described as excessive bureaucratic presence.
Debate Over Administrative Efficiency
The disclosure has once again sparked discussion over whether Chandigarh’s administrative framework is proportionate to the size and governance requirements of the Union Territory.
While the Centre maintains that officer deployment is based on operational needs, critics argue that the city has a disproportionately large bureaucracy compared to similarly placed districts.
With the Ministry ruling out any review of the AGMUT cadre structure for Chandigarh, the existing arrangement is expected to continue unless a fresh policy decision is taken in the future.
