SAT issues arrest warrant against Water Resources secy & chief engineer

Bhubaneswar: The State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) issued a bailable arrest warrant against Pradeep Kumar Jena, principal secretary of Water Resources and minor irrigation chief engineer Saroj Pattnaik for violation of the Tribunal’s order.

The SAT has also directed Commissionerate Police to execute the orders for the production of both Jena and Pattnaik before the Tribunal on February 7.

A division bench of SAT chairman, MM Praharaj and member GR Purohit passed the order on the petition filed by one Jaminikanta Das.

In his petition Das, an executive engineer in minor irrigation cadre alleged that despite seniority, he was denied promotion and engineers of irrigation cadre were deputed as superintending engineer and chief engineer of minor irrigation cadre.

In its order, the tribunal had directed to promote the executive engineer if the engineers of irrigation cadre would not have been deputed as superintending engineer and chief engineer of minor irrigation cadre.

Sources said, Saroj Kumar Pattnaik was promoted to the post of chief engineer, minor irrigation, on deputation basis from irrigation (major and medium cadre) in 2018, which is a gross violation to Odisha Administrative Tribunal’s direction.

“The promotion was held up as officials of Irrigation cadre created problems even though promotion rules are different with that of the rules for Minor Irrigation cadres,” said advocate Prasanna Kumar Mishra.