14 COs SUSPENDED

14 COs SUSPENDED

28-MAY-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWA

PATNA------------------14 The State Government in Bihar is fully committed to establishing good governance and a corruption-free administration. Furthering Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's policy of 'zero tolerance,' the Department of Revenue and Land Reforms has executed a major administrative crackdown. The Department's Minister, Dilip Jaiswal, has suspended—with immediate effect—14 Circle Officers (COs) who were found to have exercised negligence and irregularities in the discharge of their duties.

According to departmental sources, this punitive action was taken based on several serious complaints. These primarily include negligence in official duties, administrative irregularities, and various instances of corruption. Minister Dilip Jaiswal clarified that resolving the backlog of approximately 3.7 million applications—which had accumulated during a departmental strike—posed a significant challenge, one that the Department has addressed on a priority basis. During the review process, it was discovered that certain officials were indifferent toward their responsibilities, causing ordinary citizens to face severe hardships.

This major administrative action involves a total of 14 officials, including Danapur CO Chandan Kumar, Patliputra CO Anuj Kumar, Raghopur Circle Officer Sanjeev Kumar Trivedi, Patharghat CO Rakesh Kumar, and Siswan CO Pankaj Kumar. Charges regarding the violation of departmental rules and negligence in the performance of duties have been substantiated against all of them.

Speaking to members of the media, Minister Dilip Jaiswal stated in unequivocal terms that corruption and negligence will not be tolerated under any circumstances. He noted that when he assumed charge of the Department, the massive backlog of pending applications presented a formidable challenge. Continuous reviews are being conducted to resolve this issue. The Minister further added that the government's objective is to establish a transparent system. Officials who perform their duties with honesty and integrity will be encouraged and honored; however, those who compromise the public interest will continue to face similar strict action.