Bhubaneswar/Kendrapara: Within 24 hours of the Odisha government-effected administrative reshuffle, there have been sharp reactions from various quarters in the state. Particularly the frequent transfer of Collectors in Kendrapara has drawn lot of criticism.
The district has had 12 collectors taking charge one after another in a span of eight years. The latest transfer of collector Muralidhar Mallik only after five months in office yesterday has come as a surprise again. Mallik's predecessor Debendra Dash had to leave the district only after 51 days of joining the coastal district. Similarly, Debaraj Senapati had worked for 17 months only.
Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda reacting to the recent reshuffle stated "Kendrapada gets its 12th Collector in the 8 yrs since 2009 when i became MP, avg tenure 8 months, half the (already dismal) nat'l avg!", In a tweet.
Similarly, senior Congress leader Ganeswar Behera mentioned on his Facebook page that such changes would send out negative message to the people."Frequent transfer of collectors in Kendrapara has become a regular phenomenon. This does not send out a right message", Behera's FB post read.
Talking to OTV, Behera further stated “Repeated transfer of Collectors is affecting the developmental works in the district. Moreover, the Collectors fail to deliver as they remain insecure about the term they will serve."
Countering the Congress allegations, BJD promptly came out with an answer on the reshuffle.
"Criticising the government for reshuffle is quite normal for Ganeswar Babu as he has been in the Opposition for long period. As far as the tweet of the honourable MP is concerned, I think any of his developmental work has not yet been affected. This is just a change in administrative style of functioning", BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said.
On the other hand, the latest developments have not gone down well with senior administrative officers who stated that the move is against good governance and it would adversely affect the developmental initiatives.
"Repeated change of district heads is not administratively desirable. If it happens, the issues of the people would not be solved in a proper manner. The developmental works will be affected mostly ", said Aravind Behera, a retired IAS officer.
Meanwhile, Kendrapara Bikash Samukhya, a social outfit in the district, has decided to take the matter to the chief minister. "We will draw the attention of chief minister and discuss with home secretary and other officials about the development issues of Kendrapara district", Ajay Samal, head of the outfit, said.