KOLKATA: The new BJP government in West Bengal on Tuesday terminated 232 Group A rank officers, who were nominated by the previous TMC government as members, directors and chairpersons of non-statutory bodies, boards, organisations and public sector undertakings across the State.
A day after the swearing-in ceremony of the West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Suvendu Adhikari on May 9, before the Governor R N Ravi at the Brigade Parade Grounds, the first-ever BJP Government in the state on Monday took drastic steps, directing all departments to immediately terminate the services of such officers.
On Tuesday, the state government released a list of 243 officers and terminated them from the services. Most of these officers are posted at different offices belonging to the finance, home, labour, urban development and municipal affairs, MSME and other departments.
They were nominated by the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in West Bengal during her 15-year regime.
The order issued on Monday also asked the departments to end the re-employment and extension of the tenure of officers and officials who have continued in service beyond the normal superannuation age of 60 years.
A few senior administrative officials felt that several hundred IAS, IPS, WBCS and other officers under state government service categories would also be culled by the termination order.
"The government has directed all departments to take necessary steps to immediately terminate the tenures of the nominated members, directors, or chairpersons of different boards, organisations, non-statutory bodies and public sector undertakings of the state government," an administrative official at the state secretariat Nabanna said.
According to Monday’s directive, addressed to all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries of departments, "the tenure of officers/officials who are on re-employment/ extension of service beyond the normal age of superannuation (60 years) in different departments under the state government may also be terminated immediately".
The order said the decision was taken "with the approval of the competent authority".
Officials, however, did not immediately elaborate on the reasons behind the move or specify how many appointments and extensions would be affected by the decision.
Suvendu had been alleging that these officers, rehabilitated by the previous Trinamool Congress government in different departments and non-statutory bodies, used to work as cadres of the party.
Today’s order virtually broke the political eco-system, a section of BJP insiders felt.
Three retired bureaucrats life former Chief Secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay, H K Dwivedi, and Manoj Pant, who were rehabilitated by the previous state government in different posts after their retirement, have already tendered resignations after the formation of the BJP government in Bengal.