THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was quite a stormy one year stint for young IAS officer Sriram Venkataraman as Devikulam sub-collector. After serving as Pathanamthitta assistant collector and Thiruvalla RDO, the 2013 batch IAS officer was posted at Devikulam which is considered as hotbed of encroachments. As the officer went strictly by the rule book and land assignment rules, he was bound to come into direct confrontation with the local politicians.
With the officer taking strict measures against encroachments, things reached a flash point on several occasions especially during the past six months. Controversy began when he started crosschecking the titles (thandaper ) of land allotted to people in areas coming within the Kanthalloor and Marayoor village offices. The local politicians came out in protest against the sub-collector’s move. While the officer acted on the government direction to examine title deeds, vested interests, especially those having illegal possession, had sponsored the protests.
On April 12, the officer led an operation to remove encroachment on ten cents of land near sub collector’s office only to be confronted by angry CPM workers. The police refused to arrest the CPM workers who assaulted members of Public Land Protection Force (PLPF) which led to a major controversy. Another major controversy erupted on April 17 when the revenue officials pulled down a iron cross at Pappathichola. The land had been allegedly encroached by a Christian evangelical group.
His firm stand against encroachments came in for sharp criticism from the ruling party with power minister M M Mani saying the sub collector should be banished to mental asylum. With open threats being issued from various quarters, the official’s security was tightened. There were frequent demands especially from local leaders of CPM, a section of CPI and Congress for his resignation. Though the government and the ruling party had maintained that there was no move to shift him, the Cabinet decision on Wednesday came as a surprise.
By promoting him as director of employment and training, the government has in fact given him a respectable exit. Moreover, he could have continued in Devikulam maximum till September this year as all his batch mates had been promoted. A section of environmentalists believe that in his short span Sriram Venkataraman has executed his job successfully besides setting a benchmark for his successor.
HC verdict a warning to CM: Janayugom
CPI mouthpiece “Janayugam” has said that the High Court verdict directing the revenue department recover 22 cents of encroached government land in Munnar was a strong warning to chief minister and others. In an editorial, CPI mouthpiece said the verdict had ratified the revenue department’s drive against encroachment. A section of political leaders had supported the encroachers knowingly or unknowingly. It said those who demanded the resignation of revenue minister should now relinquish their posts in view of the High Court verdict.
Premkumar has a surprise shift:
Devikulam sub-collector Sriram Venkataraman may have got his marching orders the day after the High Court upheld a move he initiated against a land encroacher but the officer is likely to have a worthy successor in V.R. Premkumar who took up cudgels against violators of law in his short, seven- month tenure as Wayanad sub-collector. The plot will be thickening, given that Mr Premkumar had fought battles with the local CPI leadership whereas Mr Venkataraman had earned the wrath of the CPM in Munnar.
While Mr Venkataraman had a bitter-sweet experience in Munnar, Mr Premkumar was not all that successful. His attempts to prevent the opening of an amusement park that violated various land-related laws proved futile. The CPI district leadership had reportedly threatened to pack him off a couple of times when he defied its diktats.
While a section of senior revenue officials are under the impression that he is undiplomatic in dealing with politicians, his junior colleagues rate him a ‘brave officer’ who is ready to go to any extent to ensure justice. “He was removed at a time when he started delivering the goods after acquainting himself with the new atmosphere,” said one who preferred anonymity.
