Bengal Chief Secy gets six months' extension

Kolkata, June 30 West Bengal Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Dwivedi on Friday got an extension in service for six months as desired by the state government.

The Centre's approval on the proposal reached the state secretariat of Nabanna just hours before his official retirement.

Dwivedi was supposed to retire from bureaucratic services on Friday only.

State government sources said that the letter of approval from the Union ministry of personnel, public grievances and pension reached the office of the additional chief secretary to the state personnel & administrative reforms department at around 12.15 p.m. when the speculations had already started in the corridors of power on Dwivedi’s successor.

The issue of Dwivedi’s extension had been going through lots of speculations for quite some time as the Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari had been opposing the proposal tooth and nail.

It is learnt that the Adhikari had personally interacted with his party’s central leadership so that extension proposal does not get clearance.

Dwivedi, a 1988- batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, took over as state’s chief secretary in June 2011 from his predecessor Alapan Bandopadhyay, who is currently the chief advisor to the chief minister’s office.

Like Bandopadhyay, Dwivedi had always been an extremely close confidant of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

He had served in a number of important bureaucratic positions in the state, with his longest stint being with the state finance department first as a principal secretary and then as an additional chief secretary for nine years.

Before taking charge as the state chief secretary, Dwivedi had also served as the additional chief secretary to the state home department.

State government sources said that following the Centre's approval, the state administration has heaved a sigh of relief since the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state will be conducted with the existing bureaucratic setup.