The Chandigarh administration has officially set a maximum tenure of seven years for employees working on deputation in the Union Territory. As per a notification issued under the new deputation policy, the rule applies to staff from Punjab and Haryana serving in departments like education, health, and engineering.
The policy impacts nearly 1,500 employees across Group A, B, and C. According to the notification, if recruitment rules specify a deputation period, it will be followed. In cases where no tenure limit exists, a maximum of five years will be allowed. However, no employee can serve beyond seven years, and repatriation will be planned based on a First-In-First-Out system.
This decision aligns with the central service rules that came into effect in Chandigarh on April 1, 2022, which also mandate a seven-year limit on deputation in the UT.
However, the policy has drawn criticism. Ranbir Jhorar, president of the Punjab and Haryana Employees Welfare Association (Deputationist), called the new terms vague and impractical. He argued that they contradict Punjab’s statutory deputation rules and lack clarity on exemptions. “It remains unclear which employees qualify for exemptions, and this ambiguity will create confusion,” he said.
While the policy aims to streamline deputation rules, concerns over its implementation and impact on employees are growing.
