Chandigarh, November 30
The Punjab Chief Minister has asked the Union Government to facilitate shifting of Haryana government offices out of Chandigarh so that the Union Territory can be vacated for transfer to Punjab as per the Rajiv-Longowal Accord of 1985.

In a strongly worded reply to the letter of the Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily - who had sought a feedback from him on bifurcating the existing Punjab and Haryana High Court into two and setting up a separate HC for Haryana at Chandigarh - CM Parkash Singh Badal has said, “The proposal of setting up a separate HC for Haryana at Chandigarh is a move to turn Chandigarh into a perpetual Union Territory. It’s not acceptable and would not be allowed.”

Moily had written to CM Badal in August this year. “Non-transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab continues to be a weeping wound with Punjabis, as a result the Punjab government would not permit any action that weakens the state’s claim on the city,” Badal asserted.

Punjab has told the Centre that it has no objection to Haryana getting a separate HC, but it has to be located in the state of Haryana. “Chandigarh was built for Punjab after partition. The aspirations and sentiments of all Punjabis are attached with the city for which the Punjabis have launched several peaceful agitations,” the letter further reads.

Badal, citing the Rajiv-Longowal accord in his letter, has reminded the Centre that the transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab was accepted in principle, but the actual transfer could not take place due to Centre’s backtracking on January 26, 1986. Further talking about reorganisation of states that have taken place in various parts of the country and quoting the Reorganisation Act, 1956, Badal said separate HCs have been set up for newly carved out states in their own territory.

Referring to Section 29 and Section 36 of the Act that led to bi-furcating Punjab into Haryana and later the Union Territory of Chandigarh, Badal said the HC to come up at Chandigarh as it did and it has to stay here. “But if Haryana wants a separate HC, Punjab cannot accept the proposal of it being set up at Chandigarh”, said the Punjab CM.

He has further said the Haryana government should be asked to start moving their officers out of Chandigarh so that the UT can be transferred to Punjab.