BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday appointed 1986 batch IAS officer Suresh Chandra Mohapatra as the new chief secretary. He will succeed Asit Kumar Tripathy, who will retire on December 31.
The government appointed Tripathy as chairman of Western Odisha Development Council (WODC), a post with rank and status equivalent to that of a minister of state. Apart from WODC chief’s post, Tripathy will also be principal adviser to chief minister on regional development, tourism, agribusiness and industry.
Elevation of Mohapatra, who is currently development commissioner, to the top bureaucratic post was widely anticipated though two other officers of his batch were among possible contenders. Soft-spoken Mohapatra is known as a hard taskmaster.
Pradeep Kumar Jena, special relief commissioner and additional chief secretary (rural development) was appointed the new development commissioner, considered the Number Two post among the bureaucrats after the chief secretary.
Speculation about post-retirement rehabilitation of Tripathy, in WODC was doing the rounds for past many months though several politicians too were among the aspirants. Tripathy is a native of Balangir district in western Odisha. The post was lying vacant after then WODC chief Subash Chauhan died of cancer on May 10.
In the past, mostly politicians have been appointed to the council though serving bureaucrats have held the post as additional charge briefly. Tripathy himself was at the helm for less than a month from July 25 to August 18 last year. Similarly, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, the new chief secretary appointee, too had held the post from August 19 to September 25 last year.
In recent times, the Naveen Patnaik government has appointed many retired bureaucrats and those nearing retirement to crucial posts. Aditya Prasad Padhi, a 1982-batch IAS officer who was chief secretary before Tripathy, opted for voluntary retirement last year and took over as state election commissioner. Then DGP R P Sharma took voluntary retirement last year and was appointed member of Lokayukta.
R. Balakrishnan, a 1984-batch IAS officer who retired as development commissioner in 2018, has been working as chief adviser to the chief minister with the rank of chief secretary.