Today is the last day of the tenure of VP Singh Badnore: Demand for a separate administrator for Chandigarh, President has not yet issued orders for new appointment

File photo of VP Singh Badnore

Today is the last day of the tenure of VP Singh Badnore, the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, who took charge in Chandigarh on 22 August 2016. With the end of Badnore’s term, the demand for a separate administrator for Chandigarh has also intensified. However, so far no orders have been issued by the President for the appointment of the new Governor of Punjab and the new Administrator of Chandigarh or the reappointment of Badnore.

Sources say that by today (Sunday) orders for the appointment of the new administrator will be issued. Discussions are going on for several days to extend the tenure of Administrator Badnore. Badnore has made preparations to go to his hometown. Now it will depend on the decision coming from the President on Sunday whether he will stay in Chandigarh for the next five years or else this responsibility will be given to someone else.

Demand for separate administrator for Chandigarh
The BJP has put forward the demand for a separate administrator in front of the central government through various means. Whereas, Congress leaders say that the post of Chief Secretary should be reinstated in Chandigarh. Recently, the Union Home Ministry had made it clear that no proposal from the Governor of Punjab to take over the responsibility as Administrator of Chandigarh is under consideration before it. The ministry had to give this clarification as Akali leader Sukhbir Singh Badal had demanded not to separate the Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator from the home ministry.