Restructure of sub-committees under Administrator's Advisory Council: Tewari seeks H S Lucky's appointment in his place as head of heritage sub-committee

Indian Express

13-07-2025

Senior Congress leader and Member of Parliament from Chandigarh (MP), Manish Tewari, has written to Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, requesting that Harmohinder Singh Lucky, president, Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC), be appointed as the chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Art, Culture, Tourism and Heritage Preservation in his place.
In his letter, Tewari expressed concern over the 'political imbalance' in the composition of chairpersons for the newly constituted sub-committees under the Administrator's Advisory Council. He pointed out that while presidents of various political parties in Chandigarh have been appointed as chairpersons of different sub-committees, Lucky has only been made a member — not a chairperson — which he described as a 'serious anomaly.'
The MP emphasised that ideally, such committees should be headed by domain experts with proven credentials in their respective fields. However, since political appointees are being made chairpersons, he argued that all major political parties in the city should be represented fairly.
'There is no dearth of experienced and talented people in Chandigarh who possess deep expertise in their fields. Ideally, such domain experts should be heading these committees,' Tewari wrote, adding that the current structure does not reflect equitable representation.
Expressing concern, Tewari wrote 'seven out of ten chairpersons belong to one political dispensation only,' referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), raising questions about whether the appointments were 'inadvertent or deliberate.'
The Chandigarh Administration on July 11 restructured its governance framework by forming 10 standing committees under the Administrator's Advisory Council. These committees include professionals, experts, and public figures from a variety of fields. However, the dominance of BJP-affiliated appointees in chairperson roles has drawn criticism from opposition leaders.
Tewari urged Kataria to reflect on the matter in the spirit of fairness and to uphold propriety in the advisory structure, especially given his vast political and administrative experience.