THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the past one year, National
Transportation Planning and Research Centre (
Natpac), the research and development institution under Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (
KSCSTE), is headed by a botanist.
R Prakash Kumar, director of Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Science, had replaced former director of Natpac B G Sreedevi and has been continuing in the post despite the high court order (on February 6) to reinstate the latter.
However, KSCSTE has been dragging its feet on the matter and now it has filed a writ appeal on Friday, just ahead of the beginning of summer vacation of the court.
The current state of affairs has already started affecting the day-to-day working of Natpac. Kumar, who holds additional charge of Natpac, has been given the charge of Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, too. In short, he is managing three major research and development institutions.
Sreedevi has served KSCTE for 32 years. She was appointed as Natpac director for a period of five years from November 2010. The then chief minister
Oommen Chandy, in his capacity as president of KSCSTE, approved her extension of term until retirement in 2015. However, in April last year, executive vice-president of KSCSTE terminated her service as director stating that her performance review was not conducted before giving extension and also the extension was made without recommendation of the executive committee or state council.
Sreedevi had challenged this in court by producing proof of the executive committee ratifying the extension. She had also produced annual assessment reports which said she was efficient.
M C Dathan, scientific advisor to chief minister and state council member of KSCSTE, refused to comment on the legal aspects of the issue. However, he said putting Kumar at the helm of Natpac was only a temporary arrangement and the council has taken steps to appoint a new director as per rule.
