Govt transfers Idukki distt collector

Idukki District Collector, Raju Narayanaswamy, who took on political heavyweights during his brief tenure, has been transferred to Pathanamthitta.

The state cabinet that met here yesterday has decided to post Pathanamthitta District Collector Ashok Kumar Sinha in his place.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who had picked up Swamy to assist the special task force constituted to end the encroachments in Idukki district, said he had received several complaints against the IAS topper.

He, however, refused to specify the complaints. He said the government had also felt the need for a strong officer in Idukki, where the evictions came to a standstill after task force chief Suresh Kumar and Inspector General Rishi Raj Singh were eased out following uproar from some of the ruling front constituents. Swamy’s transfer came a day after he ordered a probe into alleged encroachment of land by Kerala Congress (J) leader P.J. Joseph, who is preparing the ground for his return to the cabinet in place of T U Kuruvila, who resigned as Public Works Minister following the collector’s report about various violations in a land deal his children had with a Kuwait-based Non-Resident Keralite.

Interestingly, Joseph has welcomed the transfer and has demanded an inquiry into alleged violations of service rules by Swamy. Joseph said the IAS officer was not matured to hold responsible positions.

Swamy has refused to comment on the cabinet decision, which has evoked strong protests from various quarters. The Bharatiya Janata Party has called a shut down strike in Idukki district to protest against the transfer.

Idukki District Congress Committee president P.T. Thomas viewed it as a move to protect the corrupt and demanded the resignation of the chief minister. He told reporters that the transfer was under pressure from leaders of the LDF constituents, who had grabbed land in the hilly district.

Swamy, who had opted for the civil service leaving plum posts he got after passing out from Indian Institute of Technology saying he owed it to the poor, is an eye sour to parties of all hues because of his uncompromising stand against corrupt practices.

He had made his approach known in his post posting as sub-collector in Kottayam district when he took on his father-in-law, a contractor, who grabbed a public road to a poor neighbourhood while erecting a boundary wall to his property.

When his request not to misuse his position was turned down by the father-in-law, Swamy demolished the structure. In fact it was this fearless attitude that was considered by Achuthanandan to post him in Idukki during the eviction drive.