Cuttack/Bhubaneswar: Salaries of 91 senior officers of Odisha’s Cuttack district, including that of the SP (Rural), were withheld for allegedly failing to resolve public grievances lodged with the CM’s Grievance Cell (CMGC), according to official documents.
The additional district magistrate sent a letter to the district treasury, directing it to withhold the salary of these officers.
The letter said grievances lodged through the ‘Janasunani’ portal were left unresolved despite multiple reminders, persuasion, and review meetings.
The CMGC, which monitors grievance disposal weekly, expressed “utter displeasure” over Cuttack’s declining performance, noting that the district’s ranking in grievance resolution had worsened across the state, it said.
“You are therefore requested to withhold the salary of the defaulting officers as per the list enclosed herewith for November 2025 until further instructions from the Collector,” it added.
Apart from the SP (Rural), officers whose salaries were withheld include sub-collectors, BDOs, tehsildars, the chief district medical officer, and the vice chairman of the Cuttack Development Authority.
The action is intended to enforce accountability and expedite pending grievance disposal, particularly those reviewed every Monday by the CMGC, an official said.
The opposition BJD alleged that the action showed the public grievance redressal system in the state has become completely stagnant.
“The BJP’s claim that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is directly resolving the grievances of the people by hearing the grievances himself is far from the truth,” said BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty.
PTI
