T Udhayachandran may be a man of few words, but he’s had an action-packed life. The commissioner of rural development and panchayat raj department of Tamil Nadu has many firsts tagged to his name. He was the first to conduct successful elections in sensitive areas, conduct electronic auctioning of tea bags and issue educational loans worth Rs110 crore. Coming from a middle-class family in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, he went to the Institute of Road and Transport Technology, Erode, to become an engineer in 1993.
“It was the start of the IT boom in India. But I realised I’d be better suited for administration,” he says. Udhayachandran’s passion for the services was evident as he carried notes on general studies to his second-year classrooms when others buried themselves into books on digital signal processing. His well-structured plan saw him through the UPSC exam in his first attempt in 1995.
The 38-year-old officer’s first posting was in Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram district, as the sub -collector in 1997. “If you are an honest officer with integrity, you can easily earn the locals’ respect,” he says. The officer’s extensive knowledge in history, sociology and anthropology came in handy when he had to deal with riots between the Thevar and SC communities. After a two-year stint in Kancheepuram, he went to Coonoor as a special officer to oversee the co-operative tea industry in 2001. He initiated the electronic auctioning of tea bags and also getting an ISO certification for tea blending. “It was a challenging tenure. On the first day, I was unsure about my posting but after six months, I was an expert in tea auctioning,” claims Udhayachandran.
It was during his tenure as the deputy commissioner of Chennai Corporation in 2004 that he was introduced to the word Tsunami. “It was a Sunday. I got a call from the office at 8.30 am. From then on, we were working for many days,” he says. He ensured that rescue teams and food packets were sent to all the affected districts.
After his stint as MD of ELCOT during 2005-06, he became the collector of Madurai in 2006 where he helped end years of discrimination against Dalits. Udhayachandran ensured elections in Pappapatti, Keeripatti and Nattarmangalam villages where Dalits were prevented from contesting the polls, although these panchayats were reserved for SCs. “We watched the situation carefully, warned all the troublemakers and co-ordinated with the peacemakers. No FIR was filed and not one arrest was made,” recounts the officer. Under his administration, Dalits were successfully elected from these constituencies after 10 years. He received a special appreciation certificate from Tamil Nadu CM for this feat.
He was also the first collector in Madurai to conduct Jallikattu under the new regulations to ensure safety. “We separated spectators from the participants, conducted medical tests for bulls and provided treatment for the wounded,” he says.
Distributing educational loans was his major achievement as Collector of Erode during 2007-08. “We issued loans amounting to Rs 110 crore in a year, while the total worth of loans issued during the previous decade was Rs 92 crore,” he says.
As the MD of the department of women’s development, “We nurtured over 5,000 self-help groups and now I’m happy to see them grow,” he says. He is currently posted in Chennai.
—dennis@expressbuzz.com