Patnaik’s rift with Panda out in open over mines closure
AMID RUMOURS THAT PANDA COULD BE ‘COZYING’ UP TO THE BJP, SUPPORTERS OF A STATE MINISTER CHOSE TO VIOLENTLY OPPOSE HIS PRESENCE AT THE FUNCTION
thrown at Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda during the inauguration of a drinking water project in Odisha’s Mahanga on Tuesday have triggered fresh speculation about his deteriorating ties with party chief and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
The articulate and widely networked MP has increasingly been isolated ever since he called for ‘introspection’ within the party following the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the principal opposition to the ruling BJD in the panchayat elections held in February.
Though the BJD led by Patnaik won 474 of the 853 Zilla Parishad seats, its tally was far lower than in the 2012 elections. The increase in BJP’s tally – from 36 to 297 – led to soul searching within the BJD, with some leaders such as Panda calling for an in-depth review.
Some insiders have alluded that chief minister Patnaik is getting out of touch, ceding ground to certain influential bureaucrats who have come to call the shots in the administration.
Tuesday’s fracas in Mahanga that falls within Panda’s parliamentary constituency followed a ‘war of words’ between Panda and another party MP.
Amid rumours that Panda could be ‘cozying’ up to the BJP, supporters of a state minister chose to violently oppose his presence at the function. Panda had been stripped off the position of BJD’s parliamentary party spokesman three weeks ago.
“Naveen Patnaik is surely but steadily trying to clip his wings,” said Bhubaneswar-based political commentator Rabi Das.
The theory has further gained ground after the state Pollution Control Board (OPCB) revoked the consent for Indian Metal and Ferro Alloys (IMFA) to operate two chromite mines in Sukinda and Mahagiri of Jajpur district. Panda is the vice-chairman of IMFA, the country’s largest fully-integrated producer of ferroalloys.
The revocation on the grounds that IMFA has been found want- ing in maintaining the approach road pockmarked with pot holes and the absence of wheel-washing facility for trucks has triggered allegation of a political witch-hunt.
The Pollution Control Board served the company with the notice on March 24 and ordered the closure of the two mines on April 10.
What has raised eyebrows, however, is the extension granted to state-run Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) for operating its Kaliapani chromite mine despite having failed to build an upgraded effluent treatment plan.
The board issued a show-cause notice to the OMC on March 31, but gave it time till June 30.
OPCB member secretary Debidutta Biswal denied that officials were going after IMFA. “You cannot compare apples and oranges. IMFA officials have admitted their mistakes. They have also gone to High Court and the matter is sub-judice,” he said.
Police officers may have to specialise in at least one domain such as counter-insurgency, anti-terrorism, economic offences or cyber offences before being promoted to senior ranks.
The proposal that will cover the Indian Police Service (IPS) officers has been sent by the home ministry, the administrative authority for the IPS, to the ministry of personnel for final approval.
“Under the proposal, the government will make it mandatory for IPS officers to undergo training before promotion to ranks of deputy inspector general (DIG), inspector general (IG) and additional director general (ADG) to make them domain experts,” a home ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
Most senior police positions in the state and Centre are manned by officers drawn for IPS, an allIndia service for which competition is furious. Hundreds of thousands of Indians sit a test every year and only a handful make the cut after a rigorous three-stage examination process.
The domain subjects, or the area of specialisation, are already listed in the performance appraisal report rules, sources said. It has subjects such as anti-corruption and vigilance, police research and development, criminal investigation (CBI, CID), intelligence, cyber crime, counter-insurgency and antiterrorism.
Before being promoted as a DIG, an officer will have to train in at least one of the domains. “Similarly for the promotion to ranks of the IG and ADG, mandatory training will have to be completed in two and three subjects, respectively,” the ministry official said.
The National Police Academy in Hyderabad and other government institutes will be asked to draw training modules. Private institutes may also be roped in.
The plan was discussed in November during an annual conference of police chiefs in Hyderabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Rajnath Singh also attended the meet.