It has come to light that the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Officer of 1 Naval Unit, Brahmapur had denied permission to two Clerks to cast their vote in the 2014 general elections even though the right to vote is a Constitutional right.
This time as the elections are round the corner, many officials are apprehensive that they might also face the same fate being deprived of voting.
It has also come to the fore that an RTI activist had brought the aforesaid matter to the notice of the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and other concerned authorities but no action was initiated.
It might be mentioned here that the NCC offices in Odisha function under the aegis of the Higher Education Department and the appointing authority is the Higher Education Director. No State Government officer has been posted in the NCC to look after the State Government staff.
The Clerks and Class IV staff are directly functioning under the Defence officers. It is alleged that these defence officers are engaging the Class IV officials in menial jobs.
It is alleged that the Defence officers are pleasing the State Government officers by providing them with consumer durables and other items from the Defence canteens.
So, while the State Government staff are being harassed, the State Government officers remain mute spectators. The officials have demanded that the concerned authorities look into the matter and take appropriate action against the guilty.