9 more Odisha officials given compulsory retirement for corruption, inefficiency

Several bureaucrats, accused of either corruption or ineptitude, have been shown the door by the Odisha government.

Published on: Jan 30, 2021, 16:02:02 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty | Edited by Abhinav Sahay, Bhubaneswar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Continuing its drive against corrupt and inept state officials, the Odisha government on Friday ordered compulsory retirement of nine officers from mines, forest, health and labour departments, according to a state government release.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik had announced the drive in September 2019 (ANI)

While seven officials have been terminated for corruption cases, the remaining two have been dismissed for their inefficient functioning. The state has so far taken action against 113 officials over graft charges and inefficiency.

Deputy director of mines, Madan Mohan Biswal, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in the multi-crore mining scam in 2009, has been handed out compulsory retirement while mining officer Ramesh Chandra Mahalik was asked to retire over similar charges said the release.

Joint labour commissioner Sarat Choudhary and divisional labour commissioner Namita Dash have been handed out compulsory retirement on grounds of gross inefficiency, it stated.

Assistant conservator of forest, Laxman Pradhan, range officer Bharat Kumar Ghadei, Bolangir, Muribahal range officer Prashant Nayak and Rayagada district labour officer, Pradip Bhoi have been given compulsory retirement over corruption charges against them.

In September 2019, the Naveen Patnaik government had issued a circular saying service records of state government employees, aged 50 years or more, will be reviewed and a premature retirement order will be handed out to those found lacking in integrity.

Since then dozens of government employees have been handed out premature retirement. In December last year, the government recommended the name of Abhay Pathak, senior officer of the Indian Forest Service for compulsory retirement after disproportionate assets worth ₹9.35 crore, the highest ever in Odisha, was found in his possession.

All the departments have been asked to get a committee to review performance and service record of group A, B, C and D employees every 3 months, to identify staff that needs to be retired prematurely.

Employees, who complete 30 years of qualifying service or attain 50 or 55 years of age, would come under the purview of the drive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Check India news real-time updates, latest news on Hindustan Times and more across India.