By Anurjay Dhal
RAJKANIKA/KENDRAPARA: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who also heads the State Home Department, was on Thursday decided to open a Control Room to supervise the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
The State Home Department Control Room will be headed by Chief Minister Patnaik’s one of the trusted IPS officer of 1998 batch, and IGP(Operations), Amitabh Thakur, a flamboyant top cop from Bihar’s Dharbhanga.
“In view of the COVID-19, it has been decided that a control room (0674-2392115/9438915986), shall function in the Home Department round the clock w.e.f 26.03.2020. The Control Room will monitor issues with regard to the implementation of lockdown. Issues pertaining to Odias elsewhere in the Country can also be raised with the Control Room,” Principal Secretary, Home, in a order bearing no-743/C&HR dated 26-03-2020 said on Thursday.
“IGP (Operations) Amitabh Thakur shall supervise the overall functioning of the Control Room,” the Order said, copy of which is available with the www.indianewsdiary.com.
It may be mentioned here that IPS officer Amitabh Thakur shared a close bonding with Chief Minister Patnaik because of former Odisha Governor, Rameshswar Thakur, who was family relative of the Bihar born Odisha cadre IPS officer.
Amithbh was earlier served as Khurda SP and first DCP of Bhubaneswar and before being served as DIG, IGP(Southern Range) headquarters ,Berhampur, the home turf of Chief Minister Patnaik and IGP(Operations), which functions in Bhubaneswar, he too served in CBI during his Central deputation and worked with CBI’s New Delhi headquarters and as well as the Agency’s Economic Offence Wing at Mumbai in Maharashtra.
Interestingly, very few people, knew, this Odisha cadre IPS officer Thakur, was one of the key Investigating Officer in Shhorabuddin Encounter case, in which present Union Home Minister Amit Shah was one of the accused and facing CBI cases in Gujarat.
