WB govt cautions officers not to issue orders sans cabinet nod

The West Bengal government on Thursday cautioned officers following reports that some departments have issued orders without the approval of the state cabinet or the chief minister.

Prior approval of the chief minister through the chief secretary should invariably be taken in all matters involving any policy decision of a department, a notification said.

"It has recently been seen that in a few instances the individual departments have taken policy decisions on important issues on their own without the approval of the state cabinet or the chief minister. This is a very serious matter," the notification issued by the finance department said.

A highly-placed source at the state secretariat told PTI that a senior official had recently issued a circular asking people to follow National Green Tribunal guidelines during the Chhat Puja celebrations without the approval of the state cabinet or the chief minister.

"Even the minister of the department concerned had no knowledge that such a circular was issued. The chief minister is very annoyed with it," the source said.

"Under the standards laid down norms of governance in the state government, all policy decisions on all matters are taken with the approval of the state cabinet or the chief minister. This policy decisions may either have immediate and future financial implications on legal and administrative implications or both," it read.

Any action to the contrary will be considered as a serious lapse and personal responsibility will be fixed on the departments, the notification said adding that such decisions would be treated as null and void.