By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Department of Water Resources of Odisha Government vide No-WR-FEI-HR-0025-2020-34467/WR, Bhubaneswar dated 9 -12-2025 said “ In Partial modification to this Department notification No-17920/WR dated 03-07-2025, Sri Chandra Sekhar Padhi , Retired EIC, WR is hereby ‘Re-Employed instead of ‘Re-Engaged as OSD –cum-EIC WR, as per provision contained in GA& PG Department Resolution No-26993/Gen dated 12-09-2024 for a period of 6 months with effect from the date of his joining from 03-07-2025(A.N).
“Consequent upon re-employment of Sri Padhi, his pay will be fixed as per rules 89 of OCS (Pension) Rules 1992, it said. CM Majhi, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, had extended service of Padhi for 6 months soon after his retirement in June this year. High Court had also already criticised the Government on this issue and issued direction in this regard. His Service now being modified and ‘Re-Engaged now modified to Re-Employed,’.
It may be noted here that Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Government’s target to complete Kanpur Irrigation Project in Keonjhar in July this year went in vain but Water Resources Department OSD-cum EIC Chandra Sekhar Padhi continues to enjoy Patronage despite Odisha High Court blow .
The failure to complete the project attributed to gross failure of EIC Padhi , who designed this Earth Dam and Er Mahendra Bhuyan who is responsible major Dam Constructions .
The order of Government in Re-engaged, which now modified to re-employed of Padhi as OSD-cum-EIC ,Water Resources for six months after retirement had been slammed by High Court in its order dtd 08.07.2025 in WP(C) no 18537/2025 . The High Court then reiterated that no retired employee shall get in regular vacant post . Now such move of Government invited severe criticism.
The Odisha Engineers’ Service Association (OESA) earlier had in a letter to Er. Chandrasekhar Padhi, OSD-Cum-Engineer-In-Chief, requested to decline his recent post-retirement re-engagement as the Engineer-In-Chief (EIC) of Water Resources, Odisha.
‘Your re-engagement Vide -DoWR Notification PT-1WR-FEI-HR0012-2021, 17920/WR dated July 3, 2025 in the cadre post of EIC, WR has given immense pain to the members of OESA, While condemning such appointment OESA has denounced this act of Government and has moved to the Chief Minister for review and reconsideration of the decision in the larger interest of serving engineers of State, OESA had written to Er. Chandrasekhar Padhi, OSD-Cum-Engineer-In-Chief. Downplaying all appeals and HC directives, CM Majhi led Government blindly giving favour to an Engineer who also figured in Vigilance list.
The Department as reported in media , had written to the Director Vigilance to investigate serious corruption charges against him on 12/05/2025. Allegation against him was that he had approved and recommended tender of worth Rs, 1000 crore violating tender rules of the government. Prima facie evidences show it were for Parties named LCC Projects Ltd , which involved in various infrastructure development projects in Odisha, including irrigation, water supply, and road construction and LC Infra, formerly known as Laxmi Construction.
The re-engaged ( now re-employed dated December 9, 2025), confirmed by a notification from the Department of Water Resources on July 3, 2025, had sparked outrage among serving engineers who viewed it as a setback to their promotional prospects. There are 6 EICs in the department of Water Resources. Out of them the Principal EIC Er Chandrasekhar Padhi mysteriously got an extension on 3rd July,2025 after he got retired only on June 30 this year in 2025.
