The Bengal government on Saturday transferred two block-level officials of land and land reforms department in Purulia district after they had been pulled up by chief minister Mamata Banerjee at an administrative review meeting on May 31 over a corruption racket.
Three days ago, district magistrate Rahul Majumdar had also been shifted from Purulia. At the review meeting, Mamata had pulled up Majumdar as well.
Sources said the block land and land reforms official of Hura, Anupam Bhattacharya, had been replaced with Debasish Pan. He has been brought in from Kalimpong. Bhattacharya’s counterpart in Balarampur Sajal Malakar was replaced with Arun Kumar Roy, who was earlier in South 24-Parganas.
Senior officials said the transfer of the two lower-rung officials was very significant in the backdrop of the chief minister’s remark that her government would not tolerate corruption.
“It is a message to all government officials on the ground. It is like telling corrupt officials that they would not be spared if found guilty,” said a senior state government official.
Mamata had visited Purulia and Bankura for three days from May 31 to conduct administrative review and public meetings.
At the Purulia review meeting, she presented three tribal people on the dais to share their experience of having to pay money to a local shop near the block land office in Balarampur on directions of the land office staff. Another tribal person from Hura also levelled a similar allegation.
After the tribal villagers alleged that they had to pay bribes to get work done, a visibly angry Mamata said: “There are two shops adjacent to BL and LRO (block land and land reforms office). The officials had been sending poor people, mainly tribal people, to those shops to deposit money.… I have got several complaints on how these officials have taken money...”
Mamata also told senior officials that the block land officials should be reshuffled to provide better services.