Chandigarh administration has more IAS officers than sanctioned posts

Time of India

a day ago

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration, infamous for its top-heavy babudom, now has more IAS officers posted than the sanctioned IAS posts in the city. According to the Jan 3, 2025 notification of the Govt of India, 'The Indian Administrative Service (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Amendment Regulations, 2025', there are 11 sanctioned posts for IAS officers in the city.
Of these, the secretary-level posts are only six, but the UT has 13 such officers currently.
After the latest joining of three new IAS officers, the total strength of the IAS officers with the UT increased to 12. This includes one IAS officer posted as municipal commissioner, who is also holding the charge of secretary, rural development and panchayats. In addition, there is also a Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officer serving as Secretary of the Social Welfare Department.
Consequently, there are 13 secretary-level officers in the UT administration.
In contrast to the fully filled IAS posts, there is a shortage of staff lower down the hierarchy. For instance, in the education department, there are 1,500 posts vacant. Of these, only recently, the administration started the recruitment process for 993 posts.
Earlier this week, three officers - Swapnil M. Naik, Pradeep Kumar, and Mohamed Mansoor - joined the Chandigarh administration.
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Naik, an AGMUT officer of the 2009 batch, was assigned the charge of Secretary, Hospitality, relieving Anuradha S Chagti of the charge. He was also given the charge of Chairman, CITCO, relieving Ajay Chagti of the charge. In addition, he was appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Personnel.
Pradeep Kumar, a 2013 batch officer of the AGMUT cadre, has been posted as Special Commissioner, MC. In addition, he has been assigned the charges of Secretary, Agriculture, and Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, relieving Hari Kallikkat of these charges.
The third officer to join the UT, Mansoor, has been assigned the charge of Secretary, Cooperation, and Secretary, Food and Supplies, relieving Prerna Puri of these charges.
He has also been appointed as Secretary, Excise and Taxation, relieving Ajay Chagti of the charge.
Questions have been repeatedly raised over the utility and efficacy of the 'large' IAS strength in the UT administration. "For most of its history, including the 2010s, the city was run by three senior IAS officers – UT adviser (now renamed as chief secretary), home secretary, and finance secretary.
But slowly, the number of IAS officers increased. So, now we have a secretary being posted as OSD or having main charges of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, both of which have a very small footprint in an urban area like Chandigarh," said a retired IAS officer who didn't want to be named.
A senior UT official, however, contended, "We have IAS officers heading multiple departments and are overburdened. The posts are sanctioned by the central govt. There are 11 posts sanctioned, and 11 IAS officers have been posted. The MC commissioner post is not counted in these 11 sanctioned posts."