Following recruitment scams, Mamata orders overhaul of hiring process

In the wake of several reports of irregularities in West Bengal government recruitments, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced measures to regulate hiring in different government departments.

At an administrative review meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna on Wednesday, the chief minister ordered that henceforth no fresh appointment will be made in any department or its affiliate bodies without prior approval of the recruitment committee concerned.

She specially instructed education minister, Bratya Basu to implement this in his department as well as all the affiliated bodies. She said that this new staffing process will be applicable both in case of permanent and contractual employment. She added that the recruitment committee will have to justify why the fresh appointments are necessary.

The meeting was attended by all ministers, department secretaries and top police officials. The district magistrates and district police superintendents also attended the meeting in virtual mode.

The chief minister said that the complaints of administrative lapses reaching her office will have to be resolved within seven days from the day of the receipt of the complaint.

Sources said that the chief minister also expressed displeasure over the negligence in addressing complaints by certain departments.

In the meeting she was especially critical about the police following the negligence of Baguiati Police Station authorities in the murders of Atanu De and Abhishek Naskar. She reportedly said that such incidents often send wrong signals about the state government to the public.

Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Wednesday said that the victims' families should file a public interest litigation demanding an enquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the murders.

--IANS

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