Opposition Parties Slam Mann Govt; AAP Defends Move

In previous govts, political top brass had kept these powers with themselves to serve their vested interests. AMAN ARORA, AAP's state president

- HT Correspondents

CHANDIGARH: The opposition parties in Punjab have slammed the AAP government's move to replace the chief minister with the chief secretary as the chairman of development bodies.

The AAP, however, defended the state cabinet's decision, calling it a bold reform aligned with similar administrative set-ups in several other states.

Several senior AAP leaders, including state president Aman Arora, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, and education minister Harjot Singh Bains, stated that the cabinet approved a uniform framework across eight authorities such as GMADA, GLADA, Amritsar Development Authority, and Bathinda Development Authority, with deputy commissioners and municipal commissioners as members to decentralise governance and speed up decision-making.

The move to vest the chairman's powers, which were held by the chief minister earlier, with the chief secretary elicited strong reactions from opposition parties, which accused the ruling party of undermining the CM's authority.

Visionary move to decentralise governance, says Cheema