Bhubaneswar, November 7: Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Arabinda Kumar Padhee, on Saturday urged officials to maintain the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability, following the arrest of a woman Revenue Service probationer in a bribery case.

In a letter to department employees, Padhee described the incident as a wake-up call and called for introspection to prevent recurrence of such misconduct.

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Vigilance officials had apprehended Manisha Mishra, Sub-Registrar of Baliapal and an Odisha Revenue Service probationer, while allegedly accepting Rs 7,000 from a land buyer for registering a sale deed involving land recorded as ‘Bajyapti Stithiban’.

Padhee said government service was an opportunity to serve people and that the actions of an individual should not tarnish the image of the entire department. He expressed confidence that most employees continued to perform their duties with sincerity and dedication.

Reaffirming his commitment to ethical administration, he urged officials to promote mutual respect, cooperation and collective responsibility. He said a positive working environment was essential for improving efficiency and ensuring better public service delivery.

Calling for efforts to improve the department's public image, Padhee urged employees to work towards a transparent, accountable and citizen-focused administration.

He emphasised that protecting public confidence and the department's reputation was everyone's responsibility, reminding employees that public trust was their greatest asset.