**Bhubaneswar: ** In view of the attacks mounting day by day on the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS), Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) and other Revenue officers on duty, Revenue & Disaster Management Department Secretary has sought police protection for them and action against the anti-social elements involved in the attacks.
In his letter written to the Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) on January 27, Revenue & Disaster Management Department Secretary Chandra Sekhar Kumar has requested “to kindly issue appropriate instructions and advisory to the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all districts to provide adequate force with the squads during raids on minor mineral sources and to arrest the miscreants and to take all legal actions against them to resolve public order.”
“This issue pertaining to increasing attack on Tahasildars/Addl. Tahasildars and other Revenue Officials by miscreants during raids on illegal lifting/theft of minor minerals was also brought to the notice of ACS. Home Department and DGP, Odisha earlier vide this Department memo No. 37037 dated 03.11.2017 for taking prompt action in the matter. Such increasing incidence of mishandling of OAS, ORS and other Revenue officials has a demoralizing effect on the functioning of Revenue Administration,” the Revenue Secretary has drawn attention of the DGP.
The Revenue Secretary has cited such occurrences in Kanas and Gop Tahasils in Puri district in recent past. Also of Bolagarh in Khurda district, Balasore and Jaleswar in Balasore district.
Citing further instances, he has mentioned in his letter, “Sri Aswini Kumar Patra, Hon’ble MLA, Jaleswar during with me has raised illegal lifting of minor minerals by sand mafias of West Bengal in Balasore district. Sri Naba Kishore Das, Hon’ble MLA, Jharsuguda has also raised the issue of illegal lifting of sands in Jharsuguda. Similar instance has also been reported by Hon’ble MLA Khandapara in Nayagarh district. Hon’ble Minister, Revenue and DM Department during review meetings and video conferences with ADMs have instructed time and again to conduct raids and stop illegal lifting of minor minerals.”