The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has come under scanner for giving two promotions to a senior scientist, one after his return from a private firm and another after a Vigilance case lodged against him, in last five years. The OSPCB, a statutory body that monitors pollution aspects in all fields, is required to have member secretaries with qualification and experiences on scientific, engineering and management aspects of the pollution control as per the Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974. But its member secretaries are being usually appointed from among officers of the Forest Department over the years, which indicate malafide intention of successive Governments.
A serious irregularity has come to the fore recently after an investigation in which Dr Dillip Kumar Behera, a Senior Scientist, had reportedly been promoted twice illegally. Dr Behera had joined Pollution Control Board on May 31, 1985. In 1992, he went to UK for training for one year which was funded by the OSPCB. After his return, he worked in key positions in various regional offices till May 2010. Surprisingly, he was allowed to go to the Tisco, a private company at Jamshedpur, on deputation on June 1, 2010 even though the service rule restricts that no State Government employee can go to any private organisation on deputation.
“The deputation is an unprecedented case, which indicates Dr Behara’s influence on the board.” “More surprisingly, he was inducted again in the OSPCB with a promotion on his return on April 3, 2012,” said an insider. According to sources, the officer had sold out his invaluable personal property at Rs 73.5 lakh to the State Government showing the same as a homestead land actual cost of which was only Rs 7 lakh. Hence, a Vigilance case had been initiated against him in 2012, which is still under investigation.
After this, Dr Behera was also given another promotion to a most Senior Scientist of l-1 cadre post in October 2013. Prior to this promotion, the internal Vigilance Officer of the Board had given clean chit to him on September 24, 2013. Again, the OSPCB authorities recently recommended his name to the State Government for a foreign visit. But this time, the State Government denied Dr Behera to go abroad as he has a Vigilance case pending against him.