Bhubaneswar, Oct 1 (IANS): Odisha cadre IAS officer R.S. Gopalan, currently serving as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha, has applied for voluntary retirement from government service, triggering a row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) held in the state.
Gopalan, a 2001-batch IAS officer, who applied for VRS on Wednesday around 21 months before his superannuation, said on Thursday that his decision was a personal one and has nothing to do with the just-completed Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state or the controversy regarding the whole exercise in the country.
“I have already completed 25 years of service and am now eligible for the pension. I have only about two years of service left. The Odisha administration has taken very good care of me,” Gopalan said to IANS.
Referring to the SIR exercise, he said the process had remained smooth in Odisha and that notices had been issued to around 58 lakh voters as part of the exercise. “We have completed the process smoothly in the state. There is nothing behind my decision as is being speculated in the media,” he said.
CEO Gopalan said he may pursue opportunities in the professional field after leaving government service. “In future, I will pursue something in the professional field. I think this is the right time for me. I have done my duty,” he said.
It is worth noting that recently, the 2013-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer Jagmohan Meena, who was holding the position of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Bhubaneswar, took voluntary retirement citing personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Odisha Assembly Deputy Leader of Opposition and Senior BJD Leader Prasanna Acharya on Thursday questioned the timing of Chief Electoral Officer R.S. Gopalan’s decision to seek voluntary retirement.
“The important question is that many bureaucrats in the country are resigning prematurely, and that too in the midst of the SIR work. It is but natural that suspicion is there in the minds of the people as to why so many bureaucrats are resigning, particularly those related to this SIR work,” Acharya said.
