Chandigarh AAC Standing Committees Deliberate on Critical Civic Issues
In a significant development for the Union Territory, a comprehensive meeting of the chairpersons of the standing committees of the Administrator's Advisory Council (AAC) was convened on Saturday. The session, held in Chandigarh, brought to the forefront a wide array of citizen-centric concerns demanding immediate attention and strategic intervention.
Governor Kataria Chairs Meeting, Emphasizes Law & Order
The meeting was presided over by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Gulab Chand Kataria. Expressing deep concern over the recent surge in criminal activities, Governor Kataria underscored the urgent necessity for intensified night patrolling across the city. He issued clear directives for the formation of a specialized, well-trained cyber team dedicated to combating the growing menace of online fraud and cybercrime, which has been troubling residents.
Standing Committees Present Key Challenges
The deliberations saw active participation from various standing committees, each highlighting sector-specific hurdles:
- Law and Order Committee: Chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu, this committee pressed for more robust action by the Chandigarh Police against cyber fraud and called for enhanced measures to ensure public safety. The Director General of Police (DGP) provided a briefing on the ongoing public awareness campaigns related to cybersecurity.
- Health Committee: Led by Dr. Raj Bahadur, the committee brought attention to significant delays in the delivery of specialized healthcare services. These delays were primarily attributed to persistent recruitment challenges and staffing shortages. In response, Administrator Kataria instructed the concerned departments to engage in prompt inter-departmental consultations to resolve these pending matters without any further delay. He also put forward a compassionate suggestion to provide psychiatric counselling to child beggars, aiming to aid their rehabilitation, boost their self-esteem, and assist in police investigations.
- Education Committee: Under the chairmanship of Jatinder Pal Malhotra, this committee raised several critical issues plaguing the education sector. These included the excessive burden of non-teaching administrative workloads on teachers, inordinate delays in promotions, sluggish decision-making processes, the need for introducing skill-based vocational courses, and the urgent requirement for upgrading sports facilities in educational institutions. Governor Kataria acknowledged the need for improvements, while officials presented updates on pending promotions, ongoing skill education initiatives, audit processes, and school development works being carried out under central government schemes.
- Social Welfare Committee: Headed by Satya Pal Jain, this committee flagged several welfare-oriented concerns. Key among them were the pending revision of pensions affecting approximately 25,000 families, issues related to land allotment for the Majdoor Bhavan, the operationalization of evening dispensaries, and the persistent problem of stray cattle management. Officials reported on the progress made in areas such as beggar rehabilitation programs, efforts to trace missing children, and the upgradation of the Prayas Building in Sector 38.
Broader Civic Agenda Discussed
Beyond the specific committee reports, the meeting also touched upon a broader civic agenda. Issues such as improving metro connectivity to enhance public transport, tackling the city's air pollution crisis, providing incentives for electric vehicle adoption to promote sustainability, and enhancing the ease of doing business to boost the local economy were part of the wide-ranging discussions.
The meeting concluded with a reinforced commitment from the administration to address these multifaceted challenges through coordinated efforts, timely resolutions, and a focused approach on improving the quality of life for all residents of Chandigarh.
