Ethics panel puts arrogant collector' A Shainamol in place

Thiruvananthapuram: The Assembly Privileges and Ethics Committee has ruled that it was ‘improper’ for Malappuram district collector A Shainamol to enter into an altercation with Tanur MLA V Abdurahiman. Nonetheless, the committee did not take action against the IAS officer considering her ‘relative young age’. The Committee, headed by CPM MLA A Pradeep Kumar, was constituted by the Speaker on the basis of a complaint filed by Mr Abdurahiman on October 24, 2016, alleging that Ms Shainamol, then then Malappuram collector, had spoken to him in an arrogant manner when he had gone to her chamber.

Abdurahiman’s compliant said that he had gone to the Collector’s chamber to discuss ways to remove the hurdles in the construction of a fishing harbour in Tanur. Towards the end of the discussion, the MLA said that he had asked the Tanur sub-collector (Ms Adeela Abdulla who enterd the chamber to collect her transfer order to Fort Kochi)) why a peace meet related to violence in the Tanur coastal areas was convened without his knowledge. “At this point the Collector intervened and spoke to me in a very arrogant tone,” the complaint said. After considering the MLA’s complaint, the committee sought an explanation from Ms Shainamol.

The Collector said the MLA wanted her to sanction the dredging of sand as part of the construction of the harbour even if it meant violating rules. (The MLA denied the charge.) Ms Shainamol further said that the MLA was provoked the moment Ms Adeela Abdulla came into the chamber. “No meeting is held in my territory without my knowledge,” Ms Shainamol quoted the MLA as saying. The sub-collector replied that the MLA was not informed because it was only a small intervention in a local area involving only lower primary teachers, ward members, anganwadi and ASHA workers, Finding that the sub-collector was in evident discomfort, the Collector intervened.

“I thought it was my duty to bring the situation under control after witnessing a very junior officer under my command being subjected to such a harsh treatment in my chamber,” Shainamol said. Though she considered filing a complaint against the MLA, Ms Shainamol said she eventually decided not to as she felt it would be “damaging to the MLA”. But she said she had informed the local self government minister, Dr K T Jaleel, about what happened.

Further, Ms Shainamol said that the MLA might have raised this “baseless charge” fearing that a complaint could be registered against him for harassing two women officers. Ms Adeela Abdulla, in her testimony, said that the Collector stepped in only when the MLA began to speak to her in a very nasty tone. Ms Abdulla said that the MLA told the collector that she should not hope to repeat her Kollam tricks here (Shainamol was Kollam collector before). The slanging match turned worse when the Collector shot back: “So you know what I had done in Kollam.”