Odisha CM Majhi to function from state guest house for now

BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Mohan Charan Majhi government has taken the saddle, the chief minister’s office (CMO) is poised to function from the state guest house for the next few days till his office in the third floor of the Lok Seva Bhawan is ready.

Official sources said, the CMO is being properly renovated and refurbished after which chief minister Majhi will move in. The walls of the chamber in which the chief minister holds office were freshly painted after the election results were declared. But a source pointed out that the chamber and its allied offices need more renovation.

On his second day in office, chief minister Majhi went to the state guest house after returning from his visit to Puri. The first floor of the state guest house has been temporarily converted into CMO. Two senior officials from the CMO, additional secretaries Subhransu Mishra and Lala Manoj Ray assisted the chief minister in his official works on Thursday.

After taking oath on Wednesday, Majhi had presided over the first cabinet meeting in Lok Seva Bhawan. But he had not visited the chamber earmarked for the chief minister on third floor. After beginning work from the guest house, the chief minister called several senior officials and issued directions for immediate completion of the CMO. He also held separate discussions with officials of the Housing and Urban Development department. 

Meanwhile, the official residence of the chief minister has also been finalised. The residential quarter used by former chief ministers JB Patnaik and Giridhar Gamang will house Majhi. But the building has been used as the CM’s grievance cell for the last 24 years as former chief minister Naveen Patnaik resided in Naveen Niwas. The quarter is also being renovated and spruced up. Till, Majhi will stay in his existing MLA quarter at Unit 2 area of the city.

Official sources said that both the CMO and the chief minister’s residence will be ready by next week.

Senior most member of the Assembly and Athagarh MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain will be the Pro-tem speaker of the new Odisha Legislative Assembly (OLA). Governor Raghubar Das will administer him the oath of office at 11 am on Friday. Swain will administer the oath to the newly elected members on June 18 and 19. Members of the House will elect the Speaker on June 20, said a notification from Assembly secretariat.