Kolkata, May 14: Nandini Chakraborty, the former Chief Secretary of West Bengal, has been assigned a significant role in the state government led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP. Chakraborty was removed from her position by the Election Commission shortly after the announcement of the dates for the recently concluded state assembly elections.
According to a source at the Nabanna state secretariat, Chakraborty will continue in her current role as the “Chief Coordinator of Development Works.” This position is directly under the Chief Minister’s office, but she has been entrusted with specific and separate responsibilities.
As the Chief Coordinator of Development Works, Chakraborty’s first task will be to facilitate the land transfer process to the Border Security Force (BSF) for erecting barbed wire fencing along the international border with Bangladesh.
Notably, during the first cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on May 11, a proposal was passed to complete the land transfer process to the BSF within the next 45 days.
The source stated, “Considering Chakraborty’s administrative experience in key departments of the state government, especially the Home Department, the new state cabinet deemed her the most suitable person for this critical responsibility. As the Chief Coordinator of Development Works, she will also oversee the implementation of centrally sponsored development projects in the state.”
Chakraborty, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) from the West Bengal cadre, was a close confidante of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and was the state’s first female Chief Secretary.
However, her tenure in this position was notably brief, lasting only two months, as she was removed shortly after the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar announced the election dates on March 15.
A graduate in Political Science from the prestigious Lady Brabourne College in Kolkata and a postgraduate from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Chakraborty has held several key positions within the state government, including Secretary of Home, Secretary of Information and Cultural Affairs, and Secretary to former West Bengal Governor C.V. Anand Bose.
In January, her appointment as Chief Secretary sparked controversy as it bypassed the seniority of several senior IAS officers.
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