Thiruvananthapuram: Just two years ago, he was a role model to youngsters
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The visuals of angry CPM workers physically blocking the then Devikulam Sub Collector Sriram Venkitarman from removing encroachment on ten cents of land near his office in April was one of the most defining moments of 2017.
In the same year, revenue officials pulled down an iron cross on a land allegedly encroached by a Christian evangelical group in Pappathichola. Idukki’s powerful minister crossed all limits saying the sub collector needs to be packed off to mental asylum.
Venkitaraman invited the wrath of powerful politicians as he tried to enforce land assignment rules. One of the major problems he faced in his tenure was during the crosschecking of titles (thandaper) of land allotted to people residing in areas coming within the jurisdiction of Kantha-loor and Marayoor village offices.
Administrative Reforms Commission vice chairman V.S. Achuthanandan while handing over Um-masseri Madhavan mem-orial charity award to Dr Sriram Venkitaraman two years ago, heaped praises on the officer.
The media too had gone to town giving extensive coverage to Sriram Venkitaraman even though there was no significant eviction of encroachments from government land. There was a parallel campaign on the social media particularly on the Facebook by various groups, hailing the officer an upright officer.
Interestingly in terms of recovery of government land and removal of unauthorised structures, the Munnar Mission led by Special Task Force headed by K. Suresh Kumar had achieved huge success.
Over a period of twenty nine days 92 unauthorized buildings, almost all of them illegal resorts and hotels, were razed to the ground and 16,000 acres of encroached government land recovered.
Though he was publicly criticized by CPM leaders for his actions in Munnar, barring transfer to Thiruvananthpuram as Survey Director, he was spared of any other disciplinary action. In the meantime he was projected as the role model for youngsters.
He was invited by community organisations, schools colleges and IT companies to deliver lecture on honesty, integrity and uprightness. Sriram Venkitaraman even inaugurated traffic awareness programmes speaking against drunk and rash driving.
Many say after the Friday midnight accident, his other side came before the public. He acted likely any other criminal trying to mislead police, fudge evidence and give false statements.
