The Centre has said that it would soon consider the reply letter of former Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay on whom New Delhi had slapped a show-cause notice for dereliction of duty under Disaster Management Act for allegedly skipping a meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliberate on the post-cyclone situation at Kalaikunda late last month.
According to sources a two-pronged reply had reached the Centre — first one from Bandyopadhyay himself and the second one from present Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi.
Bandyopadhyay the former Chief Secretary who retired on May 31 before being made the Chief Advisor to Chief Minister had sent a –four-page reply to the Centre explaining his conduct.
Sources in the Centre earlier said that “West Bengal former Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay had to brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi and follow up. But when the Prime Minister arrived at the briefing he was not present. And after being contacted by the Prime Minister`s entourage he came for the meeting room and left without attending the review meeting.”
Subsequently a show-cause notice was served to Bandyopadhyay last Monday for failing to report to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) as directed by the Central Government.
The development took place after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee skipped the review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister May 28.
Bandyopadhyay who had accompanied the Chief Secretary too left the meeting along with the Chief Minister who later said that the reason behind her skipping the meeting was the presence at the venue of the State Opposition Leader Suvendu Adhikari.
“This was against the brief as no MLA can be present in the meeting between Prime Minister and Chief Minister,” she said.