Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration is set to get new Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers in the coming days, with the selection process already underway from a panel of three officers recently sent by the Haryana govt. The state govt has also submitted vigilance clearance reports for all three officers, confirming that no vigilance cases are pending against them.The panel comprises 2011-batch HCS officer Gaurav Kumar, 2013-batch officer Pardeep Ahlawat and 2019-batch officer Manav Malik. Sources said Kumar and Ahlawat are direct recruits, while Malik is a promotee officer currently serving in Haryana.At least one officer is expected to be selected. However, with HCS officer Inder Jeet recently relieved from Chandigarh and no replacement yet provided for Sumit Sihag, who was repatriated to Haryana more than six months ago, the UT administration may consider appointing two officers from the panel.“While the final decision will be taken by Punjab governor and Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, the recommendations of the UT chief secretary will play a crucial role in the selection process. At present, the Chandigarh administration has only three HCS officers on deputation, resulting in a shortage of officers with decision-making authority. Several state cadre officers are holding additional charges,” officials told TOI.Box: Shortage persists as officers return to parent cadreOver the past four years, the flow of Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officers to the Chandigarh administration has remained relatively stable, with many completing their three-year deputation tenure and some even receiving extensions.In contrast, nearly half a dozen HCS officers opted to return to Haryana within one or two years of joining the UT administration. Chandigarh had previously raised the issue of the early repatriation of HCS officers with the Haryana govt.
