After resignation of Odisha Ministers, offices of advisers, corporation heads cease to exist

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the Ministers to step down for a complete revamp

After all Odisha Ministers resigned en masse on Saturday before a Cabinet reshuffle, the offices of advisers and chairpersons of different departments, corporations and boards ceased to exist from Sunday.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the Ministers to step down for a complete revamp. Offices of as many as 23 Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders holding posts of chairpersons and advisers of different corporations and departments will cease to exist, says a notification of the Planning and Convergence Department.

Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, who was Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board, is likely to be roped in to strengthen the party organisation. Many of these BJD leaders were rehabilitated as corporation heads after the 2019 State elections as they could not be accommodated as Ministers.

Important BJD leaders, who lost their position by the government notifications, include Sanjay Das Burma, Krutibas Patra, Adviser Agriculture and Farmer Department, Priyadarshi Mishra, Chairperson of Odisha State Housing Board, Puspendra Singh Deo, Member of Western Odisha Development Council, Lopamudra Buxipatra, Adviser to Mission Shakti, Ramachandra Panda, Adviser to Odisha State Agriculture Marketing Board, Utkal Keshari Parida, Adviser to Chilika Development Authority, Satyabrat Tripathy, Chairperson of Odisha State Film Development Corporation and Srimayee Mishra, Chairperson of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation.

Party sources said the government would soon fill the posts by accommodating more party leaders in the corporation for the two years remaining in the fifth term of the Odisha Chief Minister. Some of them will be asked to work for the party.