Centre issues Alapan notice under disaster law, mulling criminal action

The troubles of the now-retired Chief Secretary of West Bengal Alapan Bandyopadhyay seem to have compounded, with the Centre serving a show-cause notice under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, for refusal to comply with a direction given by the Central government.

Under the Act, the Centre could initiate criminal proceedings, including a jail term and a fine, against Bandyopadhyay for not attending the Prime Minister’s review meeting in Kalaikunda last week. The Centre sent a letter on Monday to Bandyopadhyay, asking him to explain the reason for not attending the meeting. He has been asked to respond within three days, failing which action will be taken under the Disaster Management Act. Earlier, a letter was sent to Bandyopadhyay asking him to appear in North Block in Delhi. But he decided to retire without attending.

Bandyopadhyay has been accused of violating the Disaster Management Act by not attending the meeting of the Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority Narendra Modi. He had come to the meeting place with the Chief Minister and went back with the Chief Minister, without attending the meeting. He has been asked to explain why no action should be taken against him for violating the Disaster Management Act.

Officials in the West Bengal government, however, said that such action will be fought legally in courts. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already said that she had left the meeting after taking permission from the Prime Minister. Banerjee allegedly chose to “boycott” the review meeting because the Leader of Opposition of West Bengal and MLA from Nandigram Suvendu Adhikari was also present. No issue was created by the Government of India on this because “what mattered was cyclone relief activities. It was suggested to her that the PM will meet her immediately after the review meeting as that was the reason for which he travelled to the state”.

However, Central government officials said no permission was granted by the PM to the CM to leave the meeting, and so the Chief Secretary’s action violated the Disaster Management Act.

West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar has claimed that Chief Minister Banerjee had called him on 27 May and indicated boycotting the meeting led by PM Modi to review Cyclone Yaas, if Leader of Opposition Suvendhu Adhikari attended the meeting.

At midnight on Monday, the Governor tweeted that the Chief Minister had already planned to boycott the PM›s review meeting on Cyclone Yaas. The Governor claimed on Twitter that Mamata Banerjee had informed him on Thursday night that she would not be able to attend PM Modi’s administrative review meeting if Adhikari is present there. In the end of the tweet, Dhankhar wrote, “Ego won, citizen service lost”. The alleged “personal message” sent to him by CM Banerjee from her mobile phone was “made public” by Governor Dhankhar.