Executing a moderate reshuffle of her cabinet for the first time since 2016 elections, Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has changed the portfolios of a number of her senior colleagues in an apparent bid to improve the work culture and efficiency of her ministry.
As per her decision taken here on Wednesday night, state Transport minister Subhendhu Adhikari was given the additional charge of Environment department which was held by city Mayor Sovan Chattopadhyay since 2016.
The Mayor who used to hold three ministerial portfolios of Environment, Fire Brigade and Housing,was now stripped of one of his most important departments for reason best known to the Chief minister.
Similarly, Soumen Mahapatra has now become the new Irrigation minister replacing Rajib Bandopadhyuay, who was made the new Backward Classes minister, the portfolio previously held by Mahapatra himself.
In fact both the ministers had just swapped the departments between them for better functioning.
Like Subhendhu Adhikari, Labour and Law minister Malay Ghatak had also been given more importance in the cabinet as he was given the additional charge of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department which was till yesterday held by Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee, another senior colleague of the Chief minister.
As a result Mukherjee was now left with the Panchayat, Rural Development and far less important the Water Resources Investigation departments to head.
Finally, the Chief minister has decided to keep the portfolio of sacked Tribal Development minister James Kujur to herself till further order.
Earlier on Tuesday, in another sudden move three senior ministers of the state cabinet also resigned owning responsibility for the ruling party’s partial debacle in the three tier Panchayat elections in their respective districts last month.
Informing their decision to step down, the Chief minister said State OBC (Other Backward Classes) Welfare minister Churamoni Mahato,Tribal Development Minister James Kujur and the minister without portfolio Abani Joardar submitted their resignations to her in view of their alleged failure to perform during the Panchayat poll.
‘I have accepted their resignations and asked therm to concentrate fully on the party organisations’, the Chief minister said.
Meanwhile, in a simultaneous reshuffle at the Administrative level, eight district magistrates were also transferred to other districts while some other IAS officers were shifted as heads of some other departments to further boost the work culture.
Among the districts where the District Magistrates were changed were Bankura, Purulia, East Midnapore Birbhum, North Dinajpur and Alipurduar, the sources said.
Hindusthan Samachar/Ankur/Shri Ram\
