Jyoti Prakash Das joined as district Collector of Puri on Wednesday with outgoing Collector Arvind Agarwal departing for Cuttack. Das assumed office at 5 pm after Agarwal was given a farewell by the district officials.
The new incumbent Das before his new stint in Puri was the Additional Secretary (Irrigation). Hailing from Jagatsinghpur, Das, a senior OAS, is known for his skill in crisis management. As Collector, he has bigger challenges in Puri.
As his predecessor Agarwal has left behind lots of issues, so the new incumbent will have to face those and resolve amicably applying his best ever wit with a view to upkeep his image.
The challenges left for him include the missing keys of Sreemandira Ratna Bhandar, faceoff between sevayats and the administration over Supreme Court verdict and financial irregularities in 2015 Nabakalebar Yatra, etc.
Mistreatment to President Kovind during his temple visit and tussle between Puri Bar Association and administration are also most contentious issues.
Apart from those, illegal encroachment of Government lands in the city and periphery under political patronage, open violation of CRZ norms by beach hoteliers, abysmal rise in crime in the city and political interference in every matter of interests are some of the bigger problems.
Since Puri is much sensitive politically and elections are approaching fast, he has to face those greater responsibilities.
Being the Deputy Chief Administrator of the Jagannath Temple, he is one to confront first the fumed servitors over SC verdict and come out clean over the missing of the Ratna Bhandar keys and their mysterious finding from record room in which a Commission’s inquiry is underway by a former Judge of the Orissa High Court.