The Chief Electoral Officer’s office in West Bengal has instructed district magistrates, who also serve as district electoral officers and have been removed by the Election Commission of India, to vacate their official bungalows immediately for their successors. Following the removal of 13 DM-rank officials who are also DEOs, complaints arose that some former DMs had not yet vacated their bungalows in districts like Cooch Behar, Malda, and Jalpaiguri.
The CEO’s office emphasized that these bungalows are not just residential spaces but also serve as secondary workplaces for the officials. Failure to vacate them would hinder the incoming officials who must manage both administrative functions and election-related duties in the lead-up to the West Bengal polls. Therefore, a deadline of March 22 has been set for the ousted DMs/DEOs to clear out for their successors.
A retired state government bureaucrat, speaking anonymously, mentioned that delaying the vacation of official bungalows post-transfer or retirement has been a common practice. While some officials vacate immediately, others request additional time. However, during the election period, such delays could burden the incoming officials with the demands of dual roles, particularly for DMs/DEOs.
