Kolkata, May 11 (IANS) In his first meeting with departmental secretaries of the West Bengal government, the new Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday directed the top bureaucrats in the state to focus strictly on eliminating wasteful expenditure to ease pressure on the cash-strapped exchequer inherited by the new government.

He also instructed departmental secretaries not to use the tagline “inspired by the Chief Minister” in any state government hoarding, advertisement or plaque, which had been a signature phrase during the previous Trinamool Congress-ruled Mamata Banerjee-led government.

“I request all of you to operate freely without thinking of pleasing me. There is no need to write ‘inspired by the Chief Minister’ anywhere just to please me. We must ensure that government money, which is public money, is not wasted. We must spend it where it is needed. But we must prevent unnecessary and wasteful expenditure. At the same time, start working to implement the centrally-sponsored schemes in the state, which had not been implemented so far,” said a bureaucrat present at the meeting, quoting the Chief Minister.

At the same time, the bureaucrat added that CM Adhikari also assured departmental secretaries that the new ruling dispensation would not unnecessarily interfere in or attempt to influence the functioning of the government machinery, unlike the previous regime.

“So, there is nothing to worry about. Work fearlessly and work for the development of the state,” the bureaucrat quoted Adhikari as saying.

Political observers feel that Adhikari’s instructions, especially regarding the removal of the tagline “inspired by the Chief Minister”, are an extension of his earlier commitment that he would lead the state administration through collective leadership instead of taking all decisions single-handedly and imposing them on the administration.

Earlier in the day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president in West Bengal and the party’s Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya also promised non-interference by the party in the functioning of the state administration.

“The state government will function in its own way. The connection between the state government and the party will ensure the smooth implementation of the promises made in the pre-election Sankalp Patra. The new government will be the ‘West Bengal Government’ and not a ‘BJP government’. That is our promise,” Bhattacharya told media persons earlier in the day.

–IANS

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