Administration in Barnala
Barnala in Punjab has always been important from the administrative point of view. When the area was under the Patiala Riyasat, the town was the district headquarters of the entire region. However, after independence, the whole area was merged with the Sangrur district and Barnala was relegated to the position of a subdivisional town. The fate of the town changed once more when the Barnala district was carved out of Sangrur on 19th November, 2006,. Today, the town is a district headquarters and all the official work pertaining to the Barnala district is controlled from here.
Administrative Set Up in Barnala
For administrative convenience, the district is divided into two subdivisions; i.e. Barnala and Tapa. There are also 3 sub-tehsils, five blocks and five municipal councils in the district. The administration of the entre district is carried on from Barnala town by two different departments – the administrative department under a Deputy Commissioner and the police department under a Senior Superintendent of Police. Besides, there is the municipal council of Barnala, which looks of civic needs of the citizens of the town. Let us take a separate look into each of them:Administrative Department under Deputy Commissioner:
As we have already stated, the administrative set up of the district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner. Generally, he belongs to the Indian Administrative Service. However, in special cases, he can also come up from the Punjab Civil Service. Nonetheless, he is the most important person in the district and is variously known as the District Commissioner, District Magistrate and District Collector. In fact, as the head of the administration, he has three fold roles – that of Deputy Commissioner, District Magistrate and District Collector.Primarily, as the Deputy Commissioner, he is in charge of all governmental assets under his jurisdiction. He acts as the eyes and ears for the state government and reports each and every significant incident that may take place within his jurisdiction. It is also his responsibility to take appropriate action in each case. Moreover, in case of major law and order problem or natural calamities, he has to work in liaison with the district police cell.
The Deputy Commissioner of Barnala also has a number of civilian duties ranging over a number of issues. For example, he works as the District Election Officer and conducts Parliamentary, Assembly, Municipal as well as Panchyat polls in the district under the guidance of Election Commission. Special Marriage Act, 1954 also empowers him to act as the Register of Marriages. He is also the licensing authority under Indian Arms Act.
Moreover, as the District Collector, he is responsible for collection of revenues from within his jurisdiction as specified by the law of the land. Then again, as District Magistrate, he is endowed with certain quasi judicial power. He is in fact, the 1st Appellate authority. He is entitled to hold court and hears appeal from aggrieved parties pertaining to certain cases. Some of these cases are as follows:
- Cases under Land Revenue Act, 1887
- Cases under Punjab Tenancy Act, 1887
- Cases under Displaced Persons Act, 1954
- Cases under Punjab Package Deal Properties ACT, 1976
- Cses under Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulations) Act, 1976
The Deputy Commissioner is aided by more than one Additional Deputy Commissioners belonging to Punjab Civil Service. In general, each ADC is in charge of a separate subdivision. Since Barnala is divided into two subdivisions; i.e., Barnala and Tapa, there are two additional Deputy Commissioners to assists the DC. Besides, he is also aided by a number of officers belonging to different services such as the Assistant Commissioner, Executive Magistrate, District Revenue Officer, District Transport officer etc.
Police Force in Barnala
At the district level, the force is headed by a Senior Superintendent of Police or SSP. In general, he belongs to the Indian Police Service. He is assisted in his job by a number of officers including Superintendent of Police (SP), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) etc.