Kochi: Former additional chief secretary T. Balakrishnan, who faces an inquiry for receiving double salaries while in government service, took remuneration from a government-owned company and a government-promoted private company simultaneously on retirement.
According to the documents provided by the public sector Kerala High Speed Rail Corporation (KHSRCL) to Right to Information activist M.T. Thomas, Mr Balakrishnan had a monthly salary of Rs 1,42,400 as chairman and managing director and received Rs 95,200 after deducting his pension from November 2011 to February 2012.
His salary was revised to Rs 1,48,000 in April 2012 to Rs 1,53,600 in October 2012 and to Rs 1.6 lakh in April 2013, and he received it after deducting the pension. Mr Balakrishan continues to hold the position till date.
Mr Balakrishnan received his salary from KHRCL at a time he was drawing Rs 3 lakh a month from Inkel, a government-promoted private company, in his capacity as its managing director.
The state government formed KHRCL in September 2011 when Mr Balakrishnan was additional chief secretary (industries) to set up a high-speed rail line connecting Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram.
Mr Balakrishnan, who retired on October 31, 2011, took charge as the chairman and managing director of the corporation the next day.
A former chief secretary, when contacted, said it was a serious impropriety for an officer to draw salaries from two organisations while holding charge of a government-owned company. “If a person is so capable, he should work as an independent consultant, and work for any number of companies and receive remuneration,” he said.
