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West Bengal: Centre initiates disciplinary proceedings against Alapan Bandyopadhyay
The newly appointed chief advisor of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Bandyopadhyay was also issued a show-cause notice earlier by the Centre under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 asking him to write back within three days.
The Centre has initiated disciplinary proceedings against former West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and has asked him to submit a statement of his defence for missing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting in the aftermath of cyclone Yaas within 30 days.
In a memo issued to Bandyopadhyay, who is a West Bengal cadre 1987 batch IAS officer, on June 16, the Centre said that it proposed to hold major penalty proceedings against him under Rule 8 of All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) 1969 and Rule 6 of All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement benefits) Rules, 1958.
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The newly appointed chief advisor of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Bandyopadhyay was also issued a show-cause notice earlier by the Centre under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 asking him to write back within three days.
The government claimed that Bandyopadhyay's decision to miss the meeting convened by the Prime Minister during the visit to Bengal to review the damage caused by cyclone Yaas on May 28 was a violation of the Disaster Management Act 2005.
On May 28, the Centre issued an order to recall Bandyopadhyay and said that the placement of his services with the government has been approved. As a result, the state government was asked to relieve the IAS officer with immediate effect and he was directed to report to North Block by May 31.
West Bengal chief minister, however, requested the Prime Minister to withdraw the order to recall Bandyopadhyay. Later, she informed that the bureaucrat has retired from the service and will not join in Delhi and has been appointed as her chief advisor.
Bandyopadhyay decided to retire on May 31 rather than avail the three-month extension granted to him by the state government.
The entire controversy erupted after the chief minister arrived 30 minutes late for the meeting held by the Prime Minister at Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur district to take stock of the post-cyclonic situation. After arriving late for the meeting, the chief minister and the then chief secretary left for the 'pre-scheduled' meeting at Digha.
