CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee likes to run a tight ship. Considering her chilly relations with the Centre, Didi does not look kindly upon requests from IAS and IPS officers of the state cadre for a Central deputation. Sources say that the babus are actively discouraged from putting such requests in writing. At best, they can make verbal requests to the chief secretary. Apparently, more than a dozen requests have been pending for over a year despite the department of personnel and training (DoPT) repeatedly asking the state to fill its portion of the Central reserve. At present, against the sanctioned 78, there are just seven West Bengal officers on Central deputation. The “no-deputation” policy seems to stem from the feeling that the Centre can influence state cadre officers in Delhi. Even the visits of state officers to Delhi for meetings have been restricted.

Training programmes outside the state for IAS and IPS probationers are viewed as an attempt to “brainwash” young officers. Not only this, the CM has asked officers not to share any documents with the Centre unless she specifically clears them. The babus seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place.