After
the partition of India in 1947, thousands of migrants from West
Punjab settled in the eastern towns within India. Lahore, the
capital of undivided Punjab, went to Pakistan. The Indian side was
left without a capital city. These two factors led the selection of
a site in the foothills of the Shivalik range in 1948 for building a
new capital city. Deriving its name from an existing village, Chandi
(the powerful Goddess) – Garh (fortress) was symbolic of the new
energy that powered a rebuilding mission in post-Independence India.
The administration of Chandigarh is the responsibility of the President of India (i.e of the Central Government) acting through the Administrator appointed under the provisions of Article 239 of the Constitution. Administrative control rests with the Union Ministry for Home Affairs which is advised on policy matters concerning the Union Territory by a committee constituted by the Union Home Minister. There is no legislature but Parliament is directly responsible for legislating for Chandigarh Union Territory. By notification in the official gazette. The Central Government is empowered to extend by notification to this territory any law enacted by another State legislature..
Powers of the Administrator
All powers of the State government under State laws and Central acts/laws in force in Chandigarh immediately before November 1, 1966
Financial powers as provided under the relevant rules. He acts as Financial Commissioner so that he may function as the highest Court of Appeal in revenue matters. Because the Governor of Punjab is also ex officio Administrator of the Union Territory, all the financial powers are vested in him but these powers are delegated to his Adviser under the Delegation of Financial Powers Rules, 1978. In 1988, special legislation (the Chandigarh (Delegation of Powers) Act, 1987) authorised the Administrator to delegate his powers to such officer or other authority as may be specified in this behalf by the Central Government or the Administrator. Under the laws, the Adviser acts as appellate authority for all matters including revenue, sales tax, Capital Project and so on.
Under Article 299 (along with other officers) the Administrator is empowered to sign or execute all deeds, contracts and other instruments in matters connected with the Union Territory Administration.
Under Article 239, the Secretary, a Deputy Secretary, an Under Secretary and an Assistant Secretary in any of the Departments of the Chandigarh Administration is authorised to authenticate the orders and other instruments made and executed in the name of the Administrator
Day-To-Day Functioning
The Adviser to the Administrator oversees the actual administration of the Union Territory. Assisting him are six Administrative Secretaries, namely the Home Secretary and Finance Secretary, the Chief Engineer, the Chief Architect -cum- Secretary Urban Planning, and the Director Principal Government Medical College who is ex officio Secretary of the Department of Medical Education and Research. Because the Chandigarh Union Territory is a comparatively small administrative unit, Secretaries hold charge of many departments in one capacity or another. These administrative secretaries are in turn assisted by a large number of officers of the rank of Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries and Heads of departments.
Then there is the Chandigarh Housing Board which is an autonomous organisation set up in the year 1976 under the Act of Parliament and is headed by a full time, Executive Chairman. Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation, incorporated on 28.03.1974 under the Companies Act 1956, is having a Managing Director and a Board of Directors.