Yet, the strain of running a problem-ridden, sloth-affected administration is becoming increasingly apparent in the new Chief Minister. She made a promising beginning in the first month of her tenure. Her unscheduled visits to state hospitals and government offices shook up a notoriously sluggish Babudom, although the change has been primarily cosmetic.

Even neutral observers feel that Ms Banerjee has overburdened herself by retaining ten portfolios, among them the extremely difficult Health and Power Ministries.

Within the first six weeks of her tenure, two broad features of her role as an administrator are apparent. First, she is reactive, given more to “chasing” incidents, visiting affected areas, trying to make a personal appearance to assure the people that she remains in control. Second, she is extremely keen on conducting post-mortems, usually through hastily constituted committees announced on the spur of the moment. The cause of such action is not important, the fact that usually committees add to bureaucratic delays and do not lead to solutions, is no deterrent either.

This is as surprising as it is disappointing, considering the high quality of eminent former administrators and officers who act as her advisers — indeed some are in the process of becoming power centres in their own right! Observers can only marvel at the kind of advice she receives from them.

To give only one example of her problems, the never-ending woes of the Health department currently dominate many of her waking hours. Authorities of some state-run hospitals have been attacked by angry people whose relatives apparently did not receive proper treatment, it has been alleged. Hospital premises have been vandalised repeatedly by protestors. The head of Bangur Institute of Neuorology has been suspended by Ms Banerjee’s orders without benefit of a show-cause notice, for his alleged “non-co-operation” during her surprise visit. The man had the temerity to point out that officers could not work effectively, or answer her properly in full glare of a dozen running TV cameras covering her visit.

Two top officials of the NRS hospital and the B.C. Roy hospital for children have already offered to resign after they were gheoraoed and heckled by angry relatives of patients. Doctors, Nurses and other staff were abused and some official property destroyed during the incidents. Worse, a Trinamool Congress leader had instigated the violence at NRS and remained unrepentant.

Elsewhere, too, there have been reports of Trinamool Congress leaders abusing government officers and policemen, in the wake of their party’s election victory. One even slapped the OC of a thana, causing some resentment within the force. Curiously, the involved TMC leader was not pulled up, but on his complaint, an inquiry has begun against the assaulted officer!

“This seems strange, considering that Ms Banerjee is the Home Minister. Such incidents can only demoralise the police force and create problems of discipline,” said a senior police officer.

What further feeds such concerns is Ms Banerjee’s barely concealed addiction to a “follow the mob” mentality. For instance, even while dealing with problems faced by state hospitals, hamstrung by lack of finance and equipment, but swamped daily by hundreds of desperate people, she remarked, “Hospitals are run by vested interests. This is the position after 34 years of left rule. I will not spare anyone if they fail in their duty.” This hardly helped staff morale among hospital staff and doctors.

Ironically, commenting on the incident at B.C. Roy hospital, where some children died last week, she said that “They (the children) have been brought in a critical condition…. I would have visited the hospital myself, but it would not have helped, the mediapersons would have followed me and hampered everyone’s work.” Correct, but then, the suspended Chief of Burgur Institute had said exactly the same thing — and got suspended in the bargain!

In a recent memorandum to the state Government, the Association of Health Service Doctors has referred to mob attacks on five hospitals during the past two weeks. At Chakdah state general hospital, some people entered into the operation theatre and beat up doctors and staff. At Rampurhat hospital, people forced doctors and nurses to stand through the night under a tree, because of certain grievances. At Serampore hospital, angry demonstrators force-fed doctors and staff to eat allegedly sub standard food that was being served to patients. The administration dos not seem to have clue as to how to deal with the recurrent pattern of mob violence. Unless effectively checked, this may end up disrupting official health service.

Given her known reliance on the support of the mob, an old habit perhaps picked up during her long stint as the opposition leader for two decades and more, Ms Banerjee may be loath to initiate any disciplinary action by the administration. “It is the mob that has brought her to power, she knows it all too well. That is why she will never discipline errant auto drivers who violate traffic rules, hawkers encroaching road space, squatters who encroach on vacant land and hold up development projects,” says a senior journalist. The observation is borne out by Ms Banerjee’s recent comments to mediapersons and industrialists on separate occasions.

To the first group, she said, ”I cannot control hawkers who are trying to earn a living. What is your problem, anyway?” And when an industrialist asked that often only a handful of squatters held up a major project (a veiled reference to Singur developments?), her reply was, “Then carry out your project on the remaining land”. It is surprising that her advisers have not reminded her of the limitations of her policy of going with the mob - it was the mob that had brought the Left parties to power in the state in the first place. (IPA Service)