No leave for Odisha officers with Nabakalebara duties

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, June 23:

Odisha government officers vested with responsibilities connected with the Nabakalebara festival cannot avail leave till the Rath Yatra is over.

In case they must avail leave during the period, they have to obtain permission from the chief secretary, said the directive, ordered a directive issued by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Sunday.

The Chief Minister’s directive came in the backdrop of the flak the government received in the last seven days over the gross mismanagement of the Brahma parivartan ritual of the presiding deities of the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri.

The Chief Minister directed secretaries of departments to deploy senior level officers to oversee different development activities/work connected with the Nabakalebara festival.

The chief secretary will be in overall charge of all responsibilities and will make surprise visits to Puri to review progress of different works.

Similarly, no officer of any department in Puri district can go out of station or avail leave till the Nabakalebara process is over, directed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The Chief Minister issued instructions to chief administrator Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Suresh Chandra Mohapatra for smooth conduct of Nabakalebara festival.

Mohapatra has been in the firing line for the inordinate delay and mismanagement of the all important Brahma parivartan ritual of the deities.