Odisha bureaucracy is likely to welcome the new year with new faces on top two posts. Odisha chief secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena is likely to retire on December 31, 2023 while top cop director general of police Sunil Kumar Bansal is also set to retire by the year end.
It has been officially confirmed that there will be no extension for Bansal and the state will get a new DGP at herald of new year. For Jena, though there is no official word for in his extension, he is unlikely to get extra period. His predecessor Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, who was scheduled to retire in February 2022, had got two extensions of six months each, delaying appointment of Jena by a year.
Pradeep Kumar Jena, a 1989 batch IAS officer was made chief secretary on March 1, 2023. Due to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, speculations are there that the government may give him extension.
Anu Garg
Anu Garg, a 1991 batch IAS, who is likely to replace him, has a long way to go. She is scheduled to retire in 2029 – a good five-year service is left. Currently she is development commissioner cum additional chief secretary water resources. She is considered among result oriented bright officers and is currently unannounced number two officer in state.
Her husband and batch mate Saurabh Garg is working in centre as secretary social justice and empowerment.
The DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal will complete his stipulated two years term on December 31. The state government has already issued notification of his retirement.
Had he not been appointed DGP, which has a fixed tenure of minimum two years, he would have been retired in June 2022. He served a year and half more than stipulated period on virtue of being DGP.
A native of Jaipur
Bansal is a native of Jaipur, Rajasthan. He has had more than 36 years of service. Out of which he spent 27 years on central deputation, mostly in Intelligence Bureau where he served as special director. He left Odisha on central deputation in 1994 and repatriated in 2021 only to become DGP.
A commerce graduate, Bansal, was a Chartered Accountant before he opted for a career in law enforcement. He also holds a degree in law and post graduate degree in Philosophy.
Who will be the new chief?
Following the retirement notification, race began among senior IPS officers to get the topmost post in the police department.
Senior police officers including Arun Ray (1988 batch), A M Prasad (1989 batch) Y. B. Khurania (1990 batch) B Radhika (1989 batch), Sudhanshu Sarangi (1990 batch) and Arun Sarangi (1990 batch) are in the race for the post.
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