THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue secretary Dr V Venu directed the Alappuzha district collector to withdraw the criminal case the department had filed against Omanakkuttan, a local leader of CPM following complaints that he was collecting money from inhabitants of a relief camp at Ambedkar Community hall, Kannikat, Cherthala.
Dr Venu said that Omanakkuttan was not a fraud, and he had collected the money for paying the autorickshaw which he had hired to bring in rice from the nearby ration shop to the camp.
Revenue secretary said the local CPM leader was also an inhabitant of the camp and it was the responsibility of the revenue department to provide materials to the relief camps but in exigencies, the inhabitants of the camp also take up the responsibility. Buying rice is an immediate necessity and Omanakkuttan, being a political worker, had taken the responsibility. Since he had not enough money to pay the auto driver who brought the rice, he collected it from other inhabitants, Venu said.
He also said that as this camp was functioning regularly for the past thirty five years during the exigencies, people know what was necessary and was generally prepared for this. Hence Omanakkuttan did immediate assistance to the revenue department to collect rice and provided it to the camp.
He also said that an independent inquiry by the district collector also found that Omanakkuttan had sincerely helped the inhabitants of the camp and hence the decision of the department to withdraw the criminal case it had filed against him. Revenue secretary also apologised to Omanakuttan on portraying him in the wrong manner.