Secretary letter to chief secy puts Nabanna in a fix

Kolkata: Governor Kesari Nath Tripathi’s secretary S.C. Tewari had send a letter to chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee seeking information about the progress of some Central schemes that are running in the state. The letter from Mr Tewari further states that President Pranab Mukherjee will hold a video conference with governors of the states on January 5 for which the Mr Tripathi has sought the information.

The letter, a copy of which is with The Asian Age, shows that the Governor has sought information regarding nine departments of the state viz backward classes welfare including SC/ST, higher education, school education, agriculture, water resources, rural development, urban development, energy and public works including highways. The letter has also been forwarded to the respective secretaries of the above mentioned departments.

The letter that was sent on December 28 states that the information should be sent by Saturday and a request has been made to share it in the email of Mr Tewari at secy-gov-wb@nic.in.

Chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee has already informed chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Nabanna sources said. “The governor of a state often seeks information from the chief secretary but sending letters through his secretary is unprecedented,” a top official said. A section of officials expressed surprise on the move from Raj Bhavan keeping CM Mamata Banerjee in the dark. However, they remained tight-lipped about when the reply would be sent.