37 Odisha Officers Defying Transfer Orders; Govt Warns Of Action

Bhubaneswar: Months after being transferred by the Odisha government for administrative needs, many officers are not following the orders.

While the transferred officers are not being relieved in many cases, several of them are resorting to different means to stick to their posts.

As a result, a total of 37 transfer orders have not been fully implemented between July 2, 2024 and January this year, official sources said.

In view of such an administrative crisis, the state government has adopted a strict approach. And if the transferred officers are not relieved immediately, it will be considered as disobedience of the government’s orders and necessary action will be taken against the authorities concerned, it has been warned.

Sources said Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department Surendra Kumar has written a letter to all the divisional secretaries, divisional heads and district collectors, directing them to relieve OAS officers on the basis of the transfer orders. He has stated in his letter that despite repeated reminders, the transfer of senior officers is not being implemented by their superior authorities. Most of the transferred officers have not been relieved from their current posts or have not taken up new responsibilities.

The implementation of this transfer order has created serious administrative problems in the implementation of various welfare schemes of the government and in providing services to the people within the stipulated time frame.

Moreover, the real purpose of the transfer cannot be fulfilled as the officers are not being relieved for a long time despite the transfer order. This is a blatant disregard for the government order, which requires appropriate action against the authorities concerned, the letter said.