Mafia-politico nexus in Kerala to the fore again

The unholy nexus between the land mafia and politicians in ecologically fragile Munnar has come to the fore again. This time, it made the headlines after Idukki Sub-Collector Renu Raj was at the receiving end of the ire of CPM’s Devikulam MLA S Rajendran. The trigger for his abuses like ‘brainless’ and ‘lacking common sense’ was a stop-memo issued by the young bureaucrat against the construction of a shopping complex amid allegations of encroachment. Munnar has proven to be a tough test for young bureaucrats as they come under immense pressure to fall in line with the builder-politician nexus, the other alternative being the prospect of getting transferred.

Sriram Venkitaraman, another young IAS officer, was shifted out as director of employment and training in July 2017 following his turbulent stint as sub-collector of Devikulam, replete with anti-encroachment drives against Munnar resort owners; the period also saw him pulling down a huge cross put up by an evangelist group on government land. In November last the same fate befell V R Premkumar, the then sub-collector of Devikulam, for taking stringent action against land encroachers. Soon enough, he was transferred out as special officer, Sabarimala.

The belittling comments against the young officer by an MLA from the ruling CPM does not augur well for the comrades, especially Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been going out on a limb to champion the cause of women’s emancipation. It certainly does not help matters that not a fortnight has passed since he summoned Deputy Commissioner of Police Chaitra Teresa John for searching the CPM’s district office in the state capital in connection with a case of throwing stones at a police station. Surely, one cannot be a champion of women’s rights only in the case of Sabarimala.