Transferred OAS officers not participating in duties, losing salary: Odisha govt

The Odisha government has taken action against Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers who failed to comply with transfer orders by leaving their posts. The criminals will lose their salary, indicates a notification published on Saturday on this subject.

According to sources, letters have been sent by the Finance Ministry to all district collectors, ordering them to withhold salaries of OAS officers who do not take up duty in their new posts, the official statement pointed out.

The missives explicitly warn that officers who neglect transfer instructions will be subject to disciplinary action. Despite the first round of transfer orders issued on August 17 and September 10, some OAS members are not sufficiently compliant.

Therefore, the state government has implemented penal measures to ensure compliance with procedures.

“Several officers are busy with election-related work in different constituencies. Permissions have already been obtained from the Election Officer regarding the transfer of these OAS officers,” Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari told the media.

“Many transferred OAS officers are pushing to rescind their transfer orders and I am aware of this. The concerned district collectors should have relieved these OAS officers. The tax collectors had not recorded them in different places under the pretext of some small outstanding works,” expressed the Minister of Revenue.

“However, on behalf of the government, we had relieved the OAS agents centrally. Those who wait for another relief order will have their services interrupted and they will not receive their wages. In the event that the civil servants do not return to their new workplaces by this evening, the OAS agents will be treated as ‘suspended’,” warned Revenue Minister Pujari.