Reshuffle in Odisha fire services department

A day after appointing Sunil Ray as the Director General of Fire Service and Home Guards, Odisha government on Thursday withdrew the additional charge given to Maheswar Swain as Chief Fire Officer of the Fire Prevention Wing of the Directorate of Fire Services, Cuttack.

A notification issued by the home department also said that Swain will continue to hold the post of Director, Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy, Bhubaneswar.

Sukanta Sethy, who is the Chief Fire Officer in the Directorate of Fire Safety Services, Cuttack, has been given the additional charge of the Fire Prevention Wing of the Directorate with immediate effect, the notification said.

Arun Kumar Sarangi, Deputy Fire Officer of the Fire Prevention Wing of the Directorate of Fire Services, Cuttack, has been transferred and posted in the Bhawanipatna Circle in the same rank.

He will replace Salil Praksha Kindo, who will come to the Cuttack directorate.

The reshuffle came a day after the government removed IPS officer B K Sharma from the post of DG, Fire Service and Home Guard, along with the in-charge of the DGP.

The state government has meanwhile set up a three- member committee headed by chief secretary A K Tripathy to probe into the alleged irregularities in the fire service, particularly in giving fire safety clearance to business establishments.