Bhubaneswar witnessed a troubling contradiction in 2025 as significant conservation achievements by the Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department were overshadowed by a series of corruption cases involving forest officials across ranks. From foresters and deputy rangers to divisional forest officers, multiple arrests and vigilance raids exposed what officials described as deep-rooted corruption within a department otherwise credited with notable wildlife protection successes.
The most recent case emerged on December 27, when forester Niranjan Satpathy, aged 59, was arrested just five months before his retirement. Satpathy, who began his career in 1988 with a modest salary, was posted in Koraput at the time of his arrest. Vigilance officials alleged that he had amassed assets far beyond his known sources of income. During searches, authorities reportedly recovered one kilogram of gold, two three-storey buildings in Bhubaneswar, another residential house in Semiliguda, and seven high-value land plots spread across different districts. Cash amounting to around Rs 9 lakh, bank deposits and insurance investments worth Rs 67 lakh, and investments in cryptocurrency and foreign currencies were also seized.
Officials said Satpathy’s case was not an exception but part of a larger pattern that came to light over the course of the year. Even as the department recorded major milestones in wildlife conservation, a steady stream of vigilance cases dented its credibility and raised serious questions about governance and accountability.
Among the department’s most visible conservation successes was the reintroduction of Tigress Zeenat to the Similipal Tiger Reserve. The tigress had strayed out of the reserve shortly after her release in November 2024 as part of a big cat supplementation programme. After a complex, multi-state tracking operation lasting nearly two weeks, she was located in West Bengal, captured and safely brought back to Similipal, where she resumed her life in the wild from January 1, 2025.
Just two months later, Odisha recorded a historic conservation moment when more than 15 lakh Olive Ridley turtles nested en masse at the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and Rushikulya rookery, two of the most important arribada sites in the country. In addition, gharial breeding in the Mahanadi river was recorded for the fifth consecutive year, reflecting sustained efforts in species recovery, even as the state continued to grapple with rising forest fires and increasing incidents of human-wildlife conflict.
Despite these achievements, corruption cases kept surfacing. In May, vigilance authorities arrested five forest officials, including a deputy ranger, in Kalahandi south division for allegedly misappropriating around Rs 80 lakh under the compensatory afforestation scheme. Investigators alleged that plantation funds were diverted to bank accounts opened in the names of non-existent labourers and later withdrawn fraudulently.
Midway through the year, the arrest of divisional forest officer Nityananda Nayak sent shockwaves across the state. Vigilance officials claimed that Nayak had accumulated assets exceeding 300 per cent of his known income. The seized properties reportedly included 115 land plots, a 1.5-acre farmhouse, a multi-storey building spanning about 9,000 square feet, two cars, 200 grams of gold, Rs 10 lakh in cash, and bank deposits exceeding Rs 50 lakh.
Another high-profile case followed in July with the arrest of deputy ranger Rama Chandra Nepak in Jeypore. He was accused of amassing assets more than 500 per cent above his known sources of income. During searches, officials reportedly recovered about 1.5 kilograms of gold and Rs 1.43 crore in cash concealed in a secret chamber inside his house, along with other valuables.
Throughout the year, several other forest officials and staff members were arrested on charges of bribery and corruption, with some cases involving retired employees who were later convicted. Towards the end of 2025, the state government also ordered a probe into alleged irregularities in the procurement and modification of vehicles for forest field officers. The inquiry followed revelations that 51 Mahindra Thar vehicles were purchased during the 2024–25 financial year at a cost of approximately Rs 7.14 crore, with an additional Rs 5.25 crore reportedly spent on their customisation.
As Odisha closed the year reflecting on its conservation gains, the mounting corruption cases within the forest department cast a long shadow, highlighting the urgent need for systemic reforms to ensure transparency, accountability and integrity in safeguarding the state’s natural heritage.