The Suvendu Adhikari government has formed a committee headed by chief secretary Manoj Agarwal to review all the policy decisions, new schemes, big projects and fund allocations initiated during the last six months of the previous administration.

The new BJP government suspects large-scale irregularities to have taken place during this period, sources said.

“A committee is hereby formed to review the policy decisions, new schemes launched, initiation of big projects, fund allocations, issuance of different orders during the last six months prior to notification of Model Code of Conduct by Election Commission of India i.e. 15th September, 2025 to 15th March, 2026 from the perspective of observance of proper procedure, proprietary and jurisdiction,” says an order issued by the additional chief secretary, personnel and administrative reforms, on Friday.

While the chief secretary will chair the committee, secretaries from the finance, personnel and administrative reforms, home, land and land reforms, law and judicial departments are among the members.

Sources in the state administration said that one reason for deciding on the review was preliminary findings that suggested possible irregularities in two big projects: the Durga Angan in New Town and the Mahakal Mahatirtha in Siliguri.

“It was found that the two projects had not been awarded to the lowest bidder,” a senior official said.

The official said: “Besides, funds were released for work that is yet to be completed. So, these two projects need a proper verification before a final call on them is taken.”

The official added that the “irregularities noticed in the initial findings” would likely deter the government from going ahead with these projects.

“If the projects are scrapped, land worth about ₹2,000 crore can be saved,” he said.

Cancelling the projects will be in keeping with the stance Suvendu had taken as the erstwhile leader of the Opposition, objecting to the Mamata Banerjee government’s use of public funds to build the Jagannath temple in Digha.

“According to the Constitution, the government cannot use money from the exchequer for constructing any institution of a particular religion,” Suvendu had told reporters outside the Assembly in December 2024.

Despite Suvendu’s public stand, senior BJP leaderDilip Ghosh had stirred a controversy by accepting an invitation from Mamata and visiting the temple with his wife during its inauguration on April 30, 2025.

The state government will look into several other decisions by its predecessor, including land deals and key appointments.

“Some land deals the previous government executed in its last six months are suspected to be mired in irregularities,” a source said.

“What raises suspicion is the way the control of thika land was taken away from the land and land reforms department and handed over to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It has to be verified whether the ownership of any of the thika plots was changed in violation of the rules.”

Thika land – officially termed “thika tenancy plots” – is land that the state government acquired from zamindars after Independence and leased out to tenants. Several big slums in north and south Calcutta and Howrah stand on thika land.

“As the tenants’ rights on the thika plots – many of them located in prime areas of the city – cannot be legally changed, land sharks often try to manipulate the administration to get hold of them,” an official said.

“It has to be ascertained whether there were any shady deals relating to thika land after their control was given to the KMC.”

The Mamata government’s appointments in its last six months, too, will be under the scanner.

“The way more than 6,000 people were appointed to the Bangla Sahayata Kendras a few years ago, violating all norms, there is every possibility that people were appointed illegally in other areas too,” an official said.

A thorough check of all the decisions its predecessor had taken in its last months will help the new government avoid legal hassles in the future, he added.