In a significant administrative move ahead of the upcoming state elections, the West Bengal government has deployed a team of 23 senior IAS officers as special observers to fast-track development and welfare projects across all districts. This initiative comes directly from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has called for stringent monitoring to ensure projects are completed ahead of schedule.
Election-Driven Push for Project Completion
The directive, officially notified by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant on Thursday, is seen as a major push to showcase the government's developmental work before the model code of conduct comes into force. With the Bengal assembly election dates likely to be announced in early March, the Chief Minister has emphasized the need for visible progress on the ground. A senior state government official confirmed that secretary-rank IAS officers have been specifically tasked with ensuring projects are not just on time, but finished ahead of their deadlines.
Officers Assigned to Key Schemes and Districts
The deputed officers will have a wide-ranging mandate. Their primary responsibility will be to supervise the implementation of various flagship schemes, including:
- Banglar Bari (housing scheme)
- Pathashree and Rastashree (road infrastructure projects)
- Amader Para Amader Samadhan (local area development program)
Beyond monitoring physical progress, these observers will also address public complaints submitted to government helpdesks, ensuring a direct grievance redressal mechanism.
According to the official notification, the officers will work in close coordination with District Magistrates (DMs) to provide guidance and remove bottlenecks. They have also been empowered to monitor the grievance redress system and submit regular reports directly to the state secretariat, along with concrete suggestions to accelerate the pace of work.
Key Officer-District Allocations
The notification includes specific postings for senior bureaucrats. Some notable assignments are:
- Santanu Basu, Information and Cultural Affairs Secretary, will oversee schemes in Kolkata.
- N.S. Nigam, Health Secretary, has been assigned to South 24 Parganas.
- P. Ulganathan, Panchayat Secretary, will monitor Malda.
- Rajesh Pandey, MSME Secretary, is tasked with Nadia district.
- Soumitra Mohan, Transport Secretary, will look after Kalimpong.
A Strategic Move for Governance and Outreach
This large-scale deployment of top bureaucrats is a clear strategic step by the ruling Trinamool Congress government. By ensuring high-level oversight, the administration aims to not only expedite project delivery but also strengthen its last-mile governance outreach before voters head to the polls. The move underscores the government's focus on presenting a report card of development and efficient welfare scheme implementation as a key poll plank. The success of this observer model will be closely watched, as it directly ties administrative efficiency to political objectives in the high-stakes electoral battle for Bengal.
