Former Devikulam subcollector Sriram Venkitaraman during an encroachment drive in Munnar.Munnar is not just a picnic spot. The hill town has become a touchstone of administrative honesty.
V.S. Achuthanandan pulled off a coup when he overcame the CPM leadership’s objection to be Kerala’s chief minister in 2006 but his attempts to clear Munnar of the encroachments and illegal buildings only completed his political isolation. Even the loyal M.M. Mani, the then party secretary in Idukki district, dissociated himself from Achuthanandan and warned of chopping the legs of anyone who dared to evict the encroachments.
No one lost their legs but the eviction drive met with a premature death. Mani’s performance earned him new heights of popularity.
Devikulam subcollector Sriram Venkitaraman was the latest to be tried in Munnar. The young IAS officer who led the eviction drive as per the order of revenue minister E. Chadrasekharan has just been promoted by the cabinet as the employment director.
Sriram was appointed as Devikulam subcollector a year ago. The CPM leadership wanted him to go as soon as he went ahead with the eviction drive in October. The CPI leadership kept away from the CPM this time, a far cry from the party’s stand during Achuthanandan’s term. Congress' A.K. Mani, however, bridged that gap.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was always against the drive. He even ordered that the eviction process should be in consultation with M.M. Mani. He was all worked up when the subcollector and team pulled off a cross built by an encroacher. No Christian group was so sentimental about it.
The migration to the hills of Idukki has a history of about seven decades. The early migrants were genuine farmers who braved the odds to ensure a livelihood. The scene changed over the past 35 years at least, when people with vested interest found political patronage from across the spectrum to encroach large swathes of government land.
Now, efforts are on to protect the encroachment mafia in the name of humble farmers. Sriram received marching orders within 24 hours of a Kerala High Court order allowing the eviction of an encroacher who the government wanted to protect.
The CPM secretary could claim that Sriram was just given the promotion he deserved. The revenue minister could downplay the transfer as a routine proceeding.
Sriram also has reasons to be happy. He could consider the promotion as a recognition for his good work, like Sreshta Thakur IPS, who was transferred for taking action against several BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh.
But there is nothing for the people of Kerala to be happy about for the vested interests have trumped yet another attempt to conserve the ecosystem of Munnar.
(The writer is a former journalist and a human rights activist. The views expressed are personal)
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