Mamta came out in support of Alapan, said- ‘Honest’ officer authorized to take action as per convenience
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday came out in support of former chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and said that he is an “honest” and “competent” officer.
Addressing a press conference, Banerjee said the former chief secretary was “fully authorized” to take action as per his convenience.
Mamta said, “Alapan Bandyopadhyay is an honest officer and an able person. He is fully authorized to take action as per his convenience and our government will support him. The central government is torturing an officer.”
The chief minister’s remarks came two days after the central government initiated “major penal proceedings” against Bandyopadhyay, amid a tussle between the Center and the Mamata Banerjee government, which could partially deprive him of post-retirement benefits. or completely.
Read more: Center will soon decide on action against Alapan Bandopadhyay: Sources
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has sent Bandyopadhyay, who retired on May 31 and is now chief advisor to the CM, mentioning the allegations in a “memorandum”, giving him 30 days to respond.
Bandopadhyay was due to retire on May 31, but the state recently sought and obtained permission to extend his tenure by three months as he played a key role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, soon after a controversy at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s post-cyclone review meeting, a transfer instruction was handed over to him by the DoPT, which did not attend the CM and the state chief secretary.
The bureaucrat instead of reporting to Delhi decided to retire amid Centre-state tussle. He was later appointed as the Chief Advisor to the CM.
The DoPT had sent him a reminder after he failed to report in response to the May 28 order.
The Union Home Ministry has also served a show-cause notice to Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act, which carries a jail term of up to two years, for abstaining from a meeting chaired by the PM.
The notice said that Bandyopadhyay “acted in a manner similar to refusing to comply with the valid directions of the Central Government”. Bandyopadhyay had responded to the Home Ministry notice.
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