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Retired Haryana cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka has raised questions about the number of IAS and IPS officers in Chandigarh. In a post on his social media account, he stated that Chandigarh, with a population of less than 1.5 million, has 21 IAS and IPS officers posted there. According to him, this means there is approximately one IAS or IPS officer for every 70,000 people.

In his post, Ashok Khemka questioned the deployment of such a large number of IAS and IPS officers in a sparsely populated city like Chandigarh. He wrote that reducing this cadre of officers to fewer than 10 would reduce overlap in administrative work. He believes this would increase accountability and provide faster and more responsive administration to the city’s residents.

Fewer officers used to run the city

Ashok Khemka explained that there was a time when Chandigarh had only four officers, and there is not much difference between the system at that time and the current system. Ashok Khemka pointed out that having more officers leads to less accountability rather than improved performance. He explained that many parts of Chandigarh still have poor infrastructure. He cited the example of the grain market in Sector 26, where the infrastructure is poor and residents are suffering from filth.

How is the city’s infrastructure?

The deployment of IAS and IPS officers is expected to improve infrastructure. A city with 21 IAS and IPS officers serving a population of 1.5 million should have excellent infrastructure. However, this is not the case, and Chandigarh remains mired in chaos. Public transport in Chandigarh is in a very poor state. While CTU buses ply throughout the city, they are insufficient for the population and the number of people visiting the city. Disputes arise frequently regarding bus timings, and people often face shortages.

The situation in educational institutions in Chandigarh is also not satisfactory. There are numerous schools in the city, and students are competing for admission. Furthermore, the health sector is also facing significant challenges. Major hospitals in the city are overcrowded, forcing people to wait for hours to receive treatment. Furthermore, there are very few local small clinics, forcing people to rely on larger hospitals for even common ailments.

City Lagging in Cleanliness

Chandigarh may be known as a clean and hygienic city, but in recent years, garbage has become visible everywhere. The situation is even worse in the outskirts of the city. The cleanliness drive has failed to meet the expectations of the city’s residents.

Consequently, questions are being raised about traffic management and law and order. In recent times, law and order in Chandigarh has been under scrutiny. Whether it’s the broad daylight shooting at a medical shop in Sector 11 or the shootings at PU or Sector 8, these incidents have put the Chandigarh administration under scrutiny.

Are more officers needed?

This city, with a population of less than 1.5 million, has 21 officers. This raises the question: why are the city’s systems failing? So many officers could monitor the system at the micro level, but this isn’t happening. Ashok Khemka points to this in his post. Implementing the model of minimum government, maximum governance could also bring about improvements. Therefore, the government must seriously consider how many officers are needed in a city like Chandigarh to ensure smooth functioning.