Bhubaneswar: Senior IAS officer Gagan Dhal, the incumbent agriculture production commissioner, resigned Friday amidst unconfirmed reports of his discontent with the government’s decision to appoint his junior Asit Tripathy as the Chief Secretary of the state.
The 1985 batch officer was among the aspirants for the top bureaucratic position in the state.
It may be mentioned here that the government has appointed IAS Officer Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra as the new Agriculture Production Commissioner – a post Dhal currently holds. Mohapatra will take over August 19.
According to a source, Dhal quit the job ahead of his retirement in January 2020 accusing the government of sidelining him during the reshuffle held August 15. That said, unconfirmed reports also suggest that he might be given the post of state information commissioner – a post that has been lying vacant since long.