Banerjee asks officials to ensure development not hampered by polls

With the assembly polls only months away, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday instructed district magistrates and senior bureaucrats to ensure that development work continued unhindered even after the announcement of the elections.

Pointing out that the Election Commission could announce the dates of the polls next month or in March, she asked the administration to see to it that the benefits of the government projects reached the people.

"The administration and the district magistrates should ensure that development work continues unhindered and benefits reach the people even after the elections are announced," the chief minister said after an administrative review meeting at the Town Hall here.

The polls are likely to be held in April and May.

Banerjee said while no new work could be taken up once the poll dates are announced, the work on projects already sanctioned must go on in full steam.

Assessingthe performance of all the departments, she said many of them spent more than 100 percent of the sanctioned funds.

"This is my 103rd administrative meeting. Such meetings are in held all over the state to take the CMO (chief minister's office) to the BDOs (block development officers) and make a grassroot level assessment of the development schemes."

Banerjee said under the erstwhile Left Front regime, money used to remain unspent. "But this is now a thing of the past. Only three-four departments have spent less than 90 cent of the money."

All ministers, along with departmental secretaries and other senior officers were present at the meeting, besides district magistrates and superintendents of police.