BHUBANESWAR: Facing a huge embarrassment over the Kandhamal mango kernel deaths, the state government on Saturday stripped the additional charge of the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department from principal secretary Vir Vikram Yadav and handed it to principal secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh.
Relieving Yadav from this department of which he has been in charge for over seven years is seen as an expression of annoyance by the state government following the death of two women in Mandipanka village allegedly due to scarcity of food.
However, the decision to shift Yadav and handover the department as additional charge to Singh, who already holds two important departments like Rural Development and Information and Public Relation, has drawn flak from the Opposition.
“The Kandhamal tragedy is the outcome of the department’s inaction in wheat distribution resulting in delay of PDS rice by nearly a month. Singh who is already in charge of two crucial departments will not be able to do justice,” said Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo.
In the minor bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the government, additional chief secretary Revenue & Disaster Management with additional charge of special relief commissioner and managing director of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority was also given additional charge of chairman Odisha Forest Development Corporation (OFDC).
The incumbent OFDC chairman Vishal Kumar Dev, who is also principal Secretary of E&IT with additional charge of chairman OCAC, has been given additional charge of principal secretary Energy department in place of Hemant Sharma.
Principal secretary Sports and Youth Services Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma will be in additional charge of CMD OPTCL. On return of Girish SN from central deputation, he was posted as appointed as commissioner-cum-secretary to Panchayatiraj and Drinking Water (PR&DW) department.
Special secretary PR&DW Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar with additional charge of CEO ORMAS has been appointed as commissioner-cum-secretary Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts department in place of principal secretary Arabinda Padhee. She will also be in additional charge of commissioner-cum-secretary Excise department in place of principal secretary Sushil Kumar Lohani.