Kolkata: The newly formed Suvendu Adhikari-led government in West Bengal under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has carried out a major bureaucratic reshuffle, transferring 17 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers across the state.
According to an official notification issued by the state Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department, the reshuffle includes senior officers serving as departmental secretaries, municipal commissioners, chief executives and additional district magistrates (ADMs).
Sources at the state secretariat Nabanna said the move aims to accelerate administrative functioning and strengthen governance at the district level.
Ravi Agarwal Appointed Bidhannagar Municipal Commissioner
One of the key appointments in the reshuffle is that of Ravi Agarwal (IAS:2017:WB), who has been appointed Commissioner of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.
Agarwal was earlier serving as Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Purulia district.
He replaces Sujoy Sarkar (IAS:2010:WB), who has now been transferred as Commissioner of the state Textiles & Sericulture Department and Managing Director of state-run textile entity Tantuja.
Hindole Dutta Posted to Asansol Municipal Corporation
Hindole Dutta (IAS:2014:WB), who was serving as Associate Professor at the Netaji Subhash Administrative Training Institute, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Asansol Municipal Corporation.
Nitin Singhania Given Key Additional Responsibilities
Nitin Singhania (IAS:2013:WB), who was serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), has been transferred as Senior Special Secretary in the Home and Hill Affairs Department.
In addition, he has also been given extra responsibilities as:
- Member Secretary of the Centre of Excellence in Public Management
- Course Director of the Satyendranath Tagore Civil Services Study Centre
- Ansar Shaikh Shifted from Malda to West Midnapore
Shaikh Ansar Ahmad (IAS:2016:WB), who was serving as ADM in Malda, has been transferred as Additional District Magistrate of West Midnapore.
The transfer comes amid growing public attention on the officer following recent developments linked to an Enforcement Directorate probe in West Bengal.
Multiple ADM-Level Transfers Across Districts
The reshuffle also saw large-scale movement of ADM-rank officers across districts:
- Dhiman Barai (IAS:2016:WB) transferred from East Burdwan as Special Secretary, Technical Education, Training & Skill Development Department
- Priyadarshini S. (IAS:2017:WB) shifted from ADM Howrah to Special Secretary, Consumer Affairs Department
- Prashant Raj Shukla (IAS:2017:WB) moved from South 24 Parganas to Bankura as ADM
- Suman Saurabh Mohanti (IAS:2017:WB) transferred from North Dinajpur to West Burdwan
- Rajesh (IAS:2017:WB) shifted from South Dinajpur to Jalpaiguri as ADM
- Lakshmana Perumal R. (IAS:2018:WB) transferred from Bankura to Jhargram as ADM
- Sinjan Shekhar (IAS:2018:WB) moved from Jalpaiguri to Howrah
- Archana P. Wankhede (IAS:2019:WB) shifted from Nadia to East Midnapore
- Manjeet Kumar Yadav (IAS:2020:WB) moved from Bankura to South 24 Parganas
- Saurav Pandey (IAS:2020:WB) transferred from North Dinajpur to West Midnapore
- Ekam J. Singh (IAS:2020:WB) shifted from West Midnapore to Bankura
- Rajat Nanda Gets Additional Charges
Rajat Nanda (IAS:2013:WB) has been given additional charge as Joint Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat and Director of the Information & Cultural Affairs Department alongside his current responsibilities in the Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department.
Major Administrative Reset Under New BJP Government
Officials described the reshuffle as one of the first major administrative exercises undertaken by the new BJP government in West Bengal after assuming office.
The transfers are being viewed as part of a broader strategy to strengthen administrative efficiency, improve coordination and align governance priorities under the new political leadership.
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