No rule on ‘officers without duty’: Orissa

In its reply to Transparency International India Board member Biswajit Mohanty,who had filed an RTI application with the General Administration department last year,the government said there were no files,note sheets,rules or guidelines to make anyone officer without duty. “No such information is available. However,the state government is competent to place any public servant at any post under its control providing any nomenclature,” said the written submission.

By a conservative estimate,the government has spent more than Rs 1 crore in salaries and other perks of these officers since 2006. The officers who have become OWDs in the last six years are Priyabrat Patnaik (IAS),Santosh Kumar Mishra (IAS),Ramesh Chandra Behera (IAS),Hrusikesh Panda (IAS),Arun Kumar Upadhyay (IPS),Sisir Kumar Acharya (IFS) and Amarendra Jaiswal (IFS).

In May 2006,1979-batch IAS officer Ramesh Chandra Behera and 1983 batch IAS officer Santosh Kumar Mishra were named as OWD after their names cropped up in alleged corruption cases. Behera,who had a gross pay of Rs 85,449 a month,retired in April 2010 while enjoying the salary of a regular officer. Priyabrat Patnaik was stripped off official responsibilities in May 2008 after his name figured in the murder case of judo coach Biranchi Das.

Arun Kumar Upadhyaya said: “Making somebody OWD is a wastage of money and manpower. I have filed a case before the Central Administrative Tribunal. The trial is pending.”

Former finance minister Panchanan Kanungo asked how could the government,which preaches “no work,no pay” principle,pays these officers their salary and perks without any work. “The salaries are spent from Central exchequer. Is that the reason behind state government adopting this principle,”

he asked.