Centre approves three-month service extension for Bengal Chief Secretary

Kolkata: The Union government on Monday accepted the West Bengal government's plea for the extension of service of Chief Secretary B.P. Gopalika for another three months.

A communique from the Department of Personnel & Training, under the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, reached state Secretariat Nabanna on Monday afternoon, apprising the state about the approval for the extension.

Gopalika was supposed to retire on May 31 and the state government sought an extension of service on the ground that his scheduled date of retirement would be before the seventh, and final, phase of ongoing Lok Sabha polls on June 1 and the counting day on June 4. Now after the extension, Gopalika will be retiring on August 31.

A state Secretariat source said that before receipt of the central communique, the state government was not quite sure whether the plea for extension would be granted or not.

"In normal times, such extension pleas by the state government are granted. But this time, the matter was different with the model code of conduct being in force and the extension would not be possible without the concurrence of the Election Commission of India (ECI). However, after it is being granted, there is a sigh of relief in the state administration," the source said.

The issue of Gopalika’s extension became complicated for another reason as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, requested the ECI to replace Gopalika, who was supposed to retire before the election and counting process was completed.