Naveen Patnaik’s 24-Year WFH A Headache For New Odisha Government

Bhubaneswar: 

A search is on in Odisha not just for the next Chief Minister but also for a new official residence. Outgoing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in his 24-year tenure, operated from his personal home, Naveen Niwas, which effectively served as the Chief Minister’s residence.

Mr Patnaik, after being sworn in as chief minister in 2000, opted to work from his own home rather than a government-allocated house. This decision set a unique precedent in the state’s political history. For nearly a quarter-century, all official and administrative work was conducted from Naveen Niwas – a palatial mansion built by his father and former chief minister Biju Patnaik.

Just a month short of a longest-serving chief minister record, Mr Patnaik lost recent state elections to the BJP.

With the impending announcement of a new Chief Minister by the BJP, the state’s administration has intensified its efforts to locate a suitable official residence. A senior government official stated that several vacant quarters, including the current Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell, have been shortlisted. However, the transition will not be immediate. Once a space is selected, it will undergo necessary renovations and installation of facilities.

In the interim, the state administration is planning to prepare a suite in the State Guest House as a temporary accommodation for the new Chief Minister.

Earlier, former chief ministers including Hemananda Biswal and Janaki Ballabh Patnaik, operated from a single-storeyed building near Bhubaneswar Club on a road connecting Capital Hospital with AG Square. After JB Patnaik was reelected in 1995, the Chief Minister’s Office was shifted to a two-storeyed building which is the current Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell. This structure was also used as the official residence of Giridhar Gamang.