Government and CPI come out in support of sub-collector

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With more and more people coming out in support of Devikulam sub-collector Renu Raj against whom Devikulam MLA and CPM leader S Rajendran unleashed a verbal attack, the government and CPI have come out in support of the sub-collector.
Revenue minister E Chandrasekharan said that the government and the revenue department fully supports the action of the sub-collector.He said that what the sub-collector did in Munnar was legal, and which ever be the institution, including the panchayats, were bound to take permission of the revenue department as per the high court order. At the same time, he refused to comment on the verbal attack by the MLA against the sub-collector.

CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran also backed Raj. He said the CPM itself had dissociated itself from the comments by the MLA. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala also flayed the statements by Rajendran and said that his words are not the ones which a people’s representative should be using. He said that it has become a regular incident that leaders of the ruling party are trying to threaten the officials who are trying to implement law in Munnar.
Raj had given a stop memo for the construction of a commercial complex in Munnar after finding that it did not have the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the sub-collector. As per a high court order, eight villages under Munnar tribunal’s jurisdiction require revenue department clearance for undertaking any major construction. These include Chinnakkanal, Kanan Devan Hills, Santhanpara, Vellathooval, Aanavilasam, Pallivasal, Aanaviratty and Bison Valley. Though the constructions for public purpose executed by government departments do not require no-objection certificate (NOC), the constructions for public purpose executed by local self-government institutions must obtain clearance from Devikulam sub-collector.
The Devikulam MLA had come out openly against the sub-collector in this matter.
Meanwhile, the IAS association is yet to communicate their stand in the matter. Sources said the association may take a call soon. “There is already a resentment among junior officers that they are facing abuses for standing up to the law. The association is expected to come up with a strong statement in this regard,” an official said.