Bengal govt tells EC that IAS officers involved in SIR work transferred due to 'excessive workload'

The West Bengal government on Thursday informed the Election Commission that the transfer of three IAS officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision SIR of electoral rolls in the state was carried out due to excessive workload and to ensure smooth functioning of administration, an official said.

The West Bengal government on Thursday informed the Election Commission that the transfer of three IAS officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state was carried out due to ''excessive workload'' and to ensure smooth functioning of administration, an official said. In a letter addressed to West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal, the state government sought the Commission's approval for the transfers, stating that the decision was taken to ease the pressure on the officers concerned, he said. ''The officers were handling an exceptionally heavy workload. The transfers were effected to reduce that burden and ensure efficient discharge of duties,'' the bureaucrat said, citing the state government's response. The clarification came after the Election Commission sought an explanation from the West Bengal government for transferring the IAS officers without prior approval, despite a clear directive that no official associated with the SIR exercise should be moved without the Commission's consent. The three IAS officers transferred are Ashwini Kumar Yadav, who was overseeing Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur districts, Randhir Kumar, in charge of North 24 Parganas district and Kolkata North, and Smita Pandey, responsible for East and West Burdwan districts and Birbhum. All three were serving as Electoral Roll Observers at the time of their transfer. The Commission had earlier alleged that the state government violated its instructions by issuing the transfer orders in December and January without seeking permission. It had also asked the state to withdraw the transfer notifications. ''The matter was taken up to ensure that the SIR process proceeds smoothly and without administrative disruption,'' a poll body official said. The state government, however, maintained that the transfers were administrative in nature and requested the Commission to accord approval to its decision, sources said.

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