Senior and experienced IAS officers are expected to get key administrative roles in the new BJP government being installed in West Bengal for better governance. The reason behind it is the promise that the BJP’s central leadership repeatedly made during election rallies. Keeping it in mind, the new dispensation is believed to streamline the system of transfers and postings within the state bureaucracy.
During the 15-year-long Mamata Banerjee regime, several junior IAS officers were reportedly assigned influential positions such as Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, PWD Secretary, and Panchayat Secretary, while many senior and experienced bureaucrats in the rank of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) were given less significant departments for years.
Some retired bureaucrats allege that Mamata govt’s style of functioning demoralised a section of experienced bureaucrats and adversely affected development work, as even District Magistrate-rank officers used to be assigned departments traditionally reserved for senior officers.
According to reliable sources, during the TMC regime, several junior officers were given dual charges for prolonged periods, leading to resentment within the administrative system.
They cite the case of 1994-batch IAS officer Nandini Chakraborty being appointed as Chief Secretary by the Trinamool govt, overlooking officers who were three to four years senior to her and had greater administrative experience.
Another example cited by them is S. Suresh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer and one of the senior-most bureaucrats in the state, who had served in the Union Home Ministry for more than six years as Joint Secretary, and after returning to West Bengal, he headed departments including disaster management, fire services, labour, and employment, but the Trinamool government shifted him to the state training institute. There are others too who were meted out similar treatment.
According to many bureaucrats in the state, the Mamata govt’s policy regarding the utilisation of bureaucrats appeared inconsistent, due to which several IAS officers were given multiple important portfolios across departments and government undertakings, while many senior officers remained either underutilised or were shifted to departments with limited administrative relevance.
Although West Bengal has around 300 IAS officers, several of them are reportedly functioning as Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) or remain on “compulsory waiting,” effectively without substantial responsibilities.
Former bureaucrats believe that the implementation of the BJP’s agenda for Bengal would require strong and experienced administrative leadership, as apart from efficiently implementing welfare schemes, it will have to ensure benefits reach genuine recipients. Further, the new govt would also have to focus on job creation through industrialisation and other developmental measures.
Many retired bureaucrats allege that the practice of favouring a select group of officers during the TMC regime created unrest among sections of the bureaucracy ahead of the Assembly elections.
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