Hot seat

ARABINDA PADHEE,
Chief administrator of Jagannath temple, revenue
divisional commissioner (central) and excise commissioner

What measures are you taking to ensure convenience of devotees expected to congregate in Puri for the rath yatra on June 21?

Rath yatra is a mammoth administrative affair. We are trying to ensure a flawless rath yatra. Nearly 10 lakh people are expected to be in Puri on that day. We are making law and order arrangements, ensuring that lanes are free from encroachments and traffic flow is smooth. Healthcare arrangements have also been made.

Every year, there are reports of unauthorised persons entering the cordon without passes. What are you doing to prevent this?

It has come to my notice. Some disguise themselves as servitors to enter the cordon and there are others who take devotees close to the chariots to make money. We had a managing committee meeting and decided to issue cordon passes to a few privileged people. But personally, I am not in favour of the VVIP syndrome.

What about the unsafe buildings on which people get on for a bird’s eye view of the yatra?

We have identified 14 such buildings on Grand Road. I have instructed the district administration to deploy a squad for each building. A squad will consist of a police officer, an executive magistrate, a local municipality officer and a member of the roads and buildings department. They will ensure that no one enters those buildings, and in case of loss of life and property, they will be held responsible.

Is there a threat perception to the rath yatra this year?

There is always a threat. Police have made elaborate arrangements in consultation with the servitors and the temple administration. Plainclothesmen will keep vigil. We have installed CCTVs at strategic points.

lAny word of caution to the servitors? Last year, there was a minor scuffle between servitors and the police since the former helped devotees to climb atop Lord Jagannath’s chariot.

There was an administrative inquiry into the matter, and based on the report, the home department has issued an advisory to the servitors. We have asked the servitors not to stand before the deities and block the devotees’ view.

Haathi seva is an important part of the festivities, but the government has not been able to make arrangements for elephants for the last three years.

We have been trying to arrange for one, but there are hardly any trained elephants available. Besides, there is always a risk factor attached to this since lakhs of people gather for the festival. But from the ritual point of view, we never make a compromise. The elephant is a decorative component, not a part of rituals.

Puri is a major tourist hub, but the rath yatra mess puts off many tourists. What is being done in this regard?

Sanitation continues to be a concern. But, the drainage and road conditions are being improved. We have directed the municipality to take care of other things before rath yatra.

The temple is said to be going through a financial crisis. Do you have a plan to generate revenue?

We have about 56,000 acres of temple land all over the globe. We not only want a sustainable income for the temple, but also want to maximise the revenue income by selling off the landed property as per the government policy. There are mafia and people with vested interests eyeing the temple land and we are being very careful about that.

What are your views on allotting Jagannath land to industrial houses?

It is a policy issue. The government has to take the final call on this.

You are also the excise commissioner, trying to generate revenue through sale of liquor, at a time when you are holding the post of chief administrator of the Puri temple. How do you view the paradox?

That’s the beauty of the services. I am a teetotaller myself. As excise commissioner, my job is not only to increase revenue, but also to curb sale of illicit liquor. I am trying to open liquor shops in vacuum areas. That ensures people don’t go for spurious liquor and prevents loss of life. I am harsh on bootleggers. As the temple administrator, I am implementing the government’s policy of banning paan, gutka and other intoxicants on the office premises. I have been successful in this drive as far as the 500-odd temple employees are concerned. But, I cannot say the same for the servitors.

Your wife Usha Padhee is also in the services. Do you find time for each other?

When you are in public life, you sometimes have to compromise on your personal time. We understand each other’s professional compulsions and that is how the mutual respect grows.

From temple to bureaucracy

• Known as an adept administrator and crisis manager, Arabinda Padhee is the chief administrator of the Jagannath temple and the revenue divisional commissioner of the central division, which consists of 10 coastal districts. The central division (RDC jurisdiction) includes volatile places such as the Kalinga Nagar industrial zone in Jajpur district and the Posco project area in Jagatsinghpur district

• Padhee was also assigned the job of heading the excise department as commissioner after his predecessor, Sudarshan Nayak, was transferred in the wake of the Cuttack-Khurda hooch tragedy in February 2012 which claimed 40 lives

• Padhee, an IAS officer of the 1996 batch, has completed his graduation in agricultural science from Odisha and postgraduation studies from the Benares Hindu University. He holds a PhD degree in the same subject from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi

• Padhee started as a probationer in Kalahandi. He has served as the collector of five districts - Koraput, Nabarangpur, Angul, Jagatsinghpur and Jajpur. He is one of the few officers to hold this distinction. He has also been the additional district magistrate of Rourkela and has the agriculture and food production, and panchayati raj departments

• He took over as the chief temple administrator in March, succeeding Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, an IAS officer of the 1988 batch. His wife Usha Padhee, also an IAS officer, is currently director of the state employment mission and the state health and family welfare

What would you have been had you not been an IAS officer?

I would have been an agricultural scientist since agri-science was my subject of interest. I studied it at the graduation and postgraduation level. I also hold a PhD degree in the subject from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi. I was selected as a scientist to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. But fortunately, prior to my joining, I made it to the IAS in 1996. Otherwise, I would have happily been working as an agricultural scientist, helping the farmers. I am doing my bit for the farmers at present, too, but in a different capacity