Calcutta, Jan. 4: C.M. Bachhawat’s “wish” that he be allowed to step down as finance secretary was granted today.

Bachhawat, a 1983 batch IAS officer, was the finance department principal secretary since November 2009. He will now serve as the food-processing secretary. H.K. Dwivedi replaced Bachhawat in the finance department.

Dwivedi was the excise and commercial taxes commissioner since May 2010. Textile commissioner Binod Kumar replaced him.

Mamata Banerjee had said during an interview with STAR Ananda last year that Bachhawat had sought transfer on “health grounds”. Sources said he had been lobbying for transfer through chief secretary Samar Ghosh.

Several IAS officers said Bachhawat was “better equipped than many” to handle the key finance department.

“Chanchal (Bachhawat) is a chartered accountant, a company secretary and an M.Phil in economic development. He had served in various wings of the finance department, such as the commercial taxes directorate and revenue and excise. Few in this government know finance as well as he does,” a senior official said.