In a major IAS-cadre reshuffle effected by the Bengal government, Poonambalam S, who was the district magistrate (DM) of Darjeeling, has been made the new joint secretary in the land and land reforms department and Shashank Sethi succeeded him, a notification said.

Sethi was earlier the managing director of Paschim Banga Agri Marketing Corporation and a project director in the Public Health Engineering department.

Incidentally, the Darjeeling DM was transferred hours after he met Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is presently on a month-long visit to the Hills.

Government sources said it was a routine transfer.

The administrative rejig was effected for those who have been holding a post for nearly or more than three years, in accordance with Election Commission (EC) norms, they said.

It came just a week before the EC holds an all-party meeting to discuss matter regarding the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

Sumit Gupta, who was the executive director of West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), has been appointed as the DM of North 24 Parganas, and Mohammed Enaur Rahman will be taking over as the district magistrate of Purba Bardhaman. Abhijit Mukhopadhyay has been made the new DM of Purulia, the notification issued on Monday said.

Similarly, Partha Ghosh has been posted as the new DM of Nadia, while Moumita Godara Basu named as Jalpaiguri district magistrate. Vijay Bharti, the Purba Bardhaman DM, replaced Basu while Vibhu Goel, the former Nadia DM, stepped into the shoes of Ghosh in Purba Medinipur.

Abhishek Kumar Tiwary, who was the DM of Jalpaiguri, was named as the joint secretary of the state higher education department. Chaitali Chakrabarti, who held the post of district magistrate of North 24 Parganas, has been shifted to the state home department as a special secretary.

A Subbiah, the principal secretary of the backward classes welfare department and MD of the West Bengal Essential Commodities Supply Corporation, was given the additional charge of commissioner in the Medinipore Division.

According to the notification, Vandana Yadav, a secretary of the Industry, Commerce and Enterprises department and director of the WBIDC, has been given additional charge as the secretary of the Public Enterprise and Industrial Reconstruction department.

Pritha Sarkar, who was also a secretary in Industry, Commerce and Enterprises department, has been made the commissioner of the Presidency Division, the notification added.