State govt will stand beside Alapan: CM

Kolkata: Amidst the row over the show cause issued to the former Chief Secretary for skipping the Prime Minister's Yaas review meeting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stated in this connection that "the case is over now and the chapter is closed".

In the same breath she said that Bandyopadhyay has taken retirement, but the state will continue to stand beside him. After he opted for retirement on May 31, the Chief Minister made Bandyopadhyay her Chief Advisor. It came when the Centre sent a letter to Bandyopadhyay, recalling him to Delhi on his day of retirement.

The Chief Minister had earlier said that the move was a result of political vendetta.

It needs a mention that despite Chief Minister clearly stating in her letter to PM Modi on Monday that she along with the former Chief Secretary had proceeded to attend the Cyclone Yaas review meeting at Digha only after taking his permission, the Centre issued a show cause notice to Bandyopadhyay for abstaining himself from the review meeting taken by the Prime Minister, who is also the Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Directing him to give reply within three days, the notice that was served to him read as "...by this act of abstaining himself from the review meeting taken by the Prime Minister who is also the chairman of National Disaster Management Authority in the aftermath of cyclone Yaas as part of his visit to the cyclone affected areas in the state of West Bengal, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, chief secretary, government of West Bengal, has acted in a manner tantamount to refusing to comply with lawful directives of the central government and is thus violative of section 51 (b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005."