Kolkata: The West Bengal Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department on Tuesday issued an order for the transfer of as many as 99 block development officers (BDOs) in order to reorganise the administrative setup at the block or grassroots level.
Since the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under the leadership of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari took charge in May after the West Bengal Assembly polls, there have been various reshuffles at the top levels of the state administration.
There had also been major changes in the police administration. This time, the state government has started changes at the BDO level, who constitute the foundation of rural administration in any state.
The mass reshuffle at the BDO level comes amid recent developments where the existing Trinamool Congress heads and deputy heads of the three-tier panchayat bodies have stopped coming to their offices since the results of the state Assembly elections were announced on May 4, which marked a landslide defeat for the state’s previous ruling party.
Following their prolonged absence from office, the process of providing rural civic services has been hampered in different districts of the state.
It is learnt that in the mass BDO reshuffle, the younger batches of West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) officers of batches between 2018 and 2025 have been given preference in the new postings as the BDOs. “The state government is hopeful that with the posting of the young batch of administrators, the rural development activities in the state will surely gain momentum,” said a state secretariat official.
Last week, the West Bengal Panchayat (Second Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed in the Assembly on the floor of the Assembly aiming to bring transparency, efficiency and momentum in the rural administrative service.
The legislation seeks to amend several provisions of the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973, particularly to substantially curtail the bill amount sanction and signing authority of elected heads of the three tiers in the Panchayat system. The aim is to ensure administrative stability, uninterrupted public service delivery and smoother functioning of rural civic bodies.
Participating in the discussion, Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh said the Bill does not intend to curtail the constitutional powers of elected panchayat heads.
“Rather, it is aiming at curtailing the authority for corruption and commission against rural civic services. Henceforth, the elected panchayat heads will only approve any proposal. But the bill amounts will be cleared and sanctioned by the bureaucrats,” he said.
(IANS)
