Odisha govt finally relents, allows former DGP to go on Central deputation

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Aug 6:

Former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra has finally been allowed to go on deputation to the Centre by the state government, reports said.

Mishra wll join the coveted post of Special Secretary, Internal Security in the Union Home Ministry.

The Odisha government, which had allowed the 1977 batch IPS officer to go on Central deputation in December 2013, took a u-turn after the results of the general elections were over and withdrew its earlier letter of approval in May 2014. However, the Union Home Ministry set it aside and decided to post Mishra as the Special Secretary, Internal Security and the Union Home minister Rajnath Singh called up the chief minister on July 4 to inform him of Mishra’s new appointment in New Delhi.

However, the next day, July 5, the state government chose to shift Mishra from the position of the DGP and shunted him to a non-police post as CMD, OSRTC. According to sources, the state government even went to the extent of writing to the Centre saying the former Odisha DGP should not be considered for any Central post because there are inquiries pending against him.

The situation changed after the Union cabinet committee on appointment approved of Mishra’s aappointment as the Special Secretary (Internal Security), a move that left the state government with little option than to relieve him of his Odisha posting and allow him to move to Delhi.

According to sources in the Home department, the order to relieve the former DGP from his current post of CMD, Odisha SZtate Raod Transport Corporation (OSRTC) got the nod from chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday.

Mishra is likely to join his new assignment on Thursday or Friday, sources said.

The former DGP, however, was not available for his comments.