A verbal exchange broke out between Puri Collector-cum-District Magistrate Arabinda Agarwal and District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) lalatendu Mohapatra over formation of a district-level media sub-committee.
The incident took place on Tuesday at a meeting also attended by Puri MlA Maheswar Mohanty when the Collector named the Puri Sub-Collector Madhusudan Das as head the committee.
Sources said after the Collector announced the name of Das, DIPRO Mohapatra who was present went to the Sub-Collector and started a discussion. The Collector opposed it and asked Mohapatra to refrain from making any further statements on the formation of the media sub-committee.
Though Mohapatra pleaded that he was not holding a discussion with the Sub-Collector over the media sub-committee issue, the Collector asked him to resume his seat.
Upset over the development, Mohapatra dared the Collector that no sub-division-level officer can head a district-level committee.
As the spat intensified between them in the presence of MlA Mohanty, some officials took Mohapatra out from the meeting venue.