Probe into Alapan Bandyopadhyay’s ‘absence’

An inquiry committee set up by the Centre, sources said, asked him to appear before it in Delhi on October 18

Alapan Bandyopadhyay: File picture

TT  Special Correspondent   |   Calcutta   |   14.10.21: The Centre has set up an inquiry committee to find out whether Alapan Bandyopadhyay, former chief secretary and now chief advisor to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, had violated norms by “not attending a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” at Kalaikunda on May 28 sources said.

The committee, sources said, asked Bandyopadhyay to appear before it in Delhi on October 18.

Bandyopadhyay was not available for comment as he could not be contacted, but sources in the administration said the former chief secretary had the liberty to move to the central administrative tribunal against the order issued by the department of personnel and training (DoPT).

“A decision on moving the CAT would be taken by Bandyopadhyay soon,” said a source.

Earlier, the Centre had issued a showcause to Bandyopadhyay, asking him to reply why charges would not be framed against him for not attending a review meeting of the Prime Minister at Kalaikunda on May 28, which was considered as violation of the service rules of all India service officers.

Modi had come to Bengal to assess the destruction caused by Cyclone Yaas.

Bandyopadhyay, who was the chief secretary then, had reached the meeting with chief minister Mamata Banerjee and he had left along with her to visit Digha to attend a review meeting after the cyclone had hit three coastal districts.

“In a reply to the showcause, Bandyopadhyay had said he had attended the meeting along with the chief minister but he had to leave the meeting with the CM after taking permission of the PM. But the Centre is clearly not happy with the reply,” said a source.

Mamata had said the state government had asked for two packages of Rs 10,000 crore each, for the development of Digha and the Sundarbans, two areas that were devastated extensively by the cyclone.