Bhubaneswar: The state government has directed officials to expedite pending disciplinary inquiries against officers of the Odisha Administrative Service (Junior Branch) and the Odisha Revenue Service. The Revenue and Disaster Management department has asked authorities to submit all pending investigation reports by March 31.
In a letter issued to concerned authorities, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, asked officials to prioritise the completion of these inquiries. The communication has been sent to Additional District Magistrates as well as Chief Development-cum-Executive Officers of Zilla Parishads in Puri, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, and Kandhamal, along with the secretaries of the Revenue Divisional Commissioners (RDCs) of Cuttack and Sambalpur.
Earlier, the state government had directed inquiry officers to submit their reports within 90 days of their appointment. However, delays in several cases have slowed disciplinary proceedings against the officials concerned.
To address this, the department has instructed that all pending cases be taken up on priority and completed within a month, ensuring that the reports reach the government before the March 31 deadline.
The government has also warned that if inquiry officers show negligence or fail to comply with the directive, the matter will be brought to its notice and appropriate action will be taken against them.
Additionally, all District Collectors have been advised to regularly review the progress of these cases and ensure strict compliance with the government’s instructions.