Centre recalls Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay after PM-Mamata meeting fiasco
Interestingly, the West Bengal cadre IAS officer Alapan Bandyopadhyay is due for retirement on May 31.
FollowHours after the controversy over West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reportedly coming late for the cyclone review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then leaving it abruptly, the Centre has recalled the state chief secretary with immediate effect.
The Department of Personnel and Training's order said that the appointments committee of the cabinet had approved the placement of the services of Alpan Bandyopadhyay (IAS WB:1987) with the Government of India, as per provisions of rule 6(1) of the Indian Administrative Service (cadre) rules, 1954, with immediate effect.
Bandyopadhyay has been directed to be at the office of the DoPT, which comes under the Prime Minister's Office, at 10 am on May 31 morning.
Interestingly, the West Bengal cadre IAS officer Alapan Bandyopadhyay is due for retirement on May 31. Earlier this week, the West Bengal Chief Minister announced that the Centre had cleared her request to extend the chief secretary's tenure for three more months because he had experience managing the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and working during last year's cyclone Amphan.Â
According to experts, forced central deputation of a state's chief secretary is unprecedented.
In Bandyopadhyay's case, the DoPT has invoked the rule 6(1) of the IAS (cadre) rules, 1954, which states that a cadre officer may, with the agreement of the state governments concerned and the central government, be assigned for service under the central government or another state government.
The rule also notes that if there is any disagreement, the matter shall be decided by the central government and the state government or state governments concerned shall give effect to the decision of the central government.
