Bhubaneswar: The state government today transferred collectors of two districts ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in Odisha.

The state government transferred Cuttack Collector Vineet Bhardwaj and Jagatsinghpur Collector Parul Patawari as per the direction of the Election Commission of India (ECI) ahead of the 2024 polls.

Bhardwaj, a 2012-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the Director-cum-Additional Secretary to Drinking Water & Sanitation and Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water department, said a notification issued by the General Administration today.

Patawari, a 2015-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the State Project Director, Odisha Education Programme Authority, Bhubaneswar, added the notification.

Puri Jagannath temple Additional Chief Administrator Samartha Verma, a 2011-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Additional Secretary to Works department.

Similarly, Subhankar Mohapatra, a 2018-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Director, Rural Development, said the notification.

The state government has appointed IAS officers Arindam Dakua and Anupam Saha as the Collectors of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur respectively.

Dakua (2011 batch) was earlier working as Director-cum-Additional Secretary, Drinking Water and Sanitation, with additional charge of State Mission Director, Odisha Livelihoods Mission.

Saha (2012 batch) was serving as State Project Director, OSEPA, with additional charge of Member Secretary, Mo School and Labour Commissioner, Odisha.

The ECI had earlier asked the state government to transfer the collectors of Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur and six senior police officials ahead of the twin polls in Odisha.

In a letter to Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, the ECI had asked the state government to transfer the eight officials non-election related posts.