The West Bengal government on Monday issued a directive to all departments to immediately terminate the tenures of nominated members, directors, and chairpersons serving in non-statutory bodies, boards, organisations, and public sector undertakings functioning under them. This decision comes days after Suvendu Adhikari assumed charge as the chief minister of West Bengal following the Bharatiya Janata Party's landslide victory in the state assembly elections.
Termination of Tenures and Service Extensions
In a separate order, the state government has also instructed departments to discontinue the re-employment and service extensions granted to officers and officials who continued to serve beyond the normal retirement age of 60 years. A senior bureaucrat confirmed, "The government has issued an order to take necessary action to immediately terminate the tenures of the nominated members, directors, or chairpersons of different boards, organisations, non-statutory bodies and public sector undertakings of the state government."
The directive was sent to all additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, and departmental secretaries. It further stated that "the tenure of officers/officials who are on re-employment/ extension of service beyond the normal age of superannuation (60 years) in different departments under the state government may also be terminated immediately."
Approval and Impact
According to the order, the move was taken "with the approval of the competent authority." Officials did not immediately clarify the reason behind the decision or reveal how many appointments and service extensions would be impacted. The order is expected to affect a significant number of positions across various state departments and undertakings.
Political Context
The directive follows the BJP's decisive victory in the West Bengal assembly elections, where the party won 207 seats in the 294-member assembly. The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress secured only 80 seats. The state also recorded a voter turnout of more than 90 percent. The new government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has moved swiftly to reorganise the state administration.
This development signals a major administrative overhaul as the new government seeks to align state bodies with its policy objectives. The termination of nominated members and service extensions is seen as a step to streamline governance and remove appointees from the previous administration.
