Correct answer: (d) B C D A
Explanation
- A
C D A B
(a) C D A B. Shimla first is wrong: the meteorological office began at Calcutta, not Shimla.
- B
B A D C
(b) B A D C. Kolkata then New Delhi skips the Shimla and Pune seats that came in between.
- C
D B C A
(c) D B C A. Pune first inverts the nineteenth-century start at Calcutta.
- D
B C D A
(d) B C D A. Indian Meteorological Headquarters began at Calcutta/Kolkata (1875), moved to Shimla (1905), then Pune (1928), then New Delhi (1944). That stored order is the official key.
Summary. Official key is (d) B C D A. IMD headquarters chronology is Kolkata, Shimla, Pune, New Delhi. Codes that start with Shimla or Pune, or jump to Delhi after Kolkata, fail. Neighbouring facts are H. F. Blanford and the 1875 founding. Honour this four-city walk.