‘No Work, No Pay’: Odisha Govt Cracks Down on Revenue Employees’ Mass Leave

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has moved swiftly to curb the ongoing mass leave protest by District Revenue Ministerial Employees, which entered its third day on Wednesday after being called by the Odisha Rajaswa Amala Sangha on August 11.

The strike has severely disrupted official work in districts, delaying essential public services and causing hardship for citizens.

In an urgent directive to all district collectors, Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh described the indefinite strike as “totally unbecoming” of government servants and a violation of service rules.

He instructed collectors to reject leave applications, ensure regular attendance and issue show-cause notices to unauthorised absentees. Salaries for the strike period will be withheld, the absence will be marked as a break in service and entries will be made in the service books.

The order also called for major disciplinary proceedings against employees for deliberate violations of service conditions.

Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari, issuing a stern warning to the protesters, said the government would ensure uninterrupted public services “even without the participation of striking employees.” He reiterated that the ‘no work, no pay’ policy would be strictly enforced.

While appealing to employees to resume duties and resolve issues through dialogue, Pujari clarified that their primary demand, cadre restructuring, is not under his department’s purview. The proposal, he said, has already been forwarded to the relevant department and is under consideration, making the ongoing strike “unacceptable.”