Zero Tolerance: Odisha Government Gives Compulsory Retirement to Forest Officer on Corruption Charges

Bhubaneswar: Acting tough on corrupt officials, the Naveen Patnaik led Odisha Government has once again showed that, there is no place for corruption and stern action will be taken against anybody who is found to be guilty.

The state government today gave compulsory retirement to Odisha Forest Service Officer Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra on charges of corruption. Sudhanshu was posted as the Divisional Forest Officer at Athagarhin 2016. He was booked by the state vigilance in a disproportionate assets case for acquiring assets in his name and in the name of his family members.

Assets to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore were recovered from him during raids and subsequent investigations. During search, more than Rs One crore of cash was seized from his house which is the highest ever cash seizure from any Odisha government official. Also, he had deposited Rs 3.46 Crore bank accounts, shares etc. He is one of the most corrupted officials of the Forest Department and was arrested by the vigilance in 2016. The government had suspended him in after his arrest.Earlier the state government had given compulsory retirement to five officials on similar grounds.