Tough step: Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, July 24: The Council of Higher Secondary Education is set for a major revamp with sources confirming that five key officers, including the chairman, will be transferred by July-end.

The state government’s attempt aims to win back people’s trust in the wake of the Plus Two question leak incident earlier this year.

Sources said chief minister Naveen Patnaik had already given the nod for the transfer of chairman, vice-chairman, controller, deputy controller of examinations and deputy secretary.

The file is lying with the development commissioner and the transfer orders are likely to be made public within a couple of days.

However, secretary Tusharkanti Tripathy, who has been associated with the council for close to a decade, has been spared.

“This is not a routine shuffle that happens every three or fours years. Chairman G.S. Ray had assumed charge as the council chief seven months ago and will retire on August 31. He is being shifted as the principal of BJB Autonomous College for just one month,” said sources in the department of higher education, adding that principal of DD Autonomous College in Keonjhar Basudev Chhatoi would replace Ray.

Though it did not prove Ray’s culpability or that of other office-bearers in the Plus Two exam irregularities, the transfer orders will be a face-saving exercise by the government, said sources.

Controller of examinations Jasobanta Behera, who has conducted three Plus Two board exams, was being transferred as a reader in zoology at SCS College, Puri.

Biranchi Narayan Mishra from the Government Autonomous College, Bhawanipatna, will replace him.

Council vice-chairman G.S. Acharya will be posted at Government Science College, Chhatrapur in Ganjam.

Deputy controller of examinations Mihir Ranjan Sethi is being shifted to SCS College as political science reader and deputy secretary P.K. Barik will be transferred to Sashi Bhusan Rath Government Women’s College, Berhampur as a reader in Odia.

An official said the government had decided not to make fresh appointments to the posts of vice-chairman and deputy secretary considering the dearth of teaching employees in colleges.

This year, the physics and chemistry papers had been rescheduled for over 77,000 examinees following reports of question leak. Crime branch arrested five persons, all officials of various residential colleges and a council employee of Sambalpur zone, in this connection.