KOTTAYAM: The Animal Husbandry Department’s (AHD) move to sack a 52-year-old part-time sweeper at a veterinary sub-centre in Puthuppally has snowballed into a major political controversy.
P O Sathiyamma said she was removed from duty on Monday after 13 years of service shortly after a news channel aired her remarks thanking the late MLA Oommen Chandy for helping her at the time of crisis. Sathiyamma, the lone earning member of her family - her husband Radhakrishnan is unable to go to work due to ill health - said she had no idea why she was removed.
However, a senior AHD official said Sathiyamma was sacked after it came to light that she was indulging in impersonation and was receiving an honorarium in someone else’s name.
“The authorities had recommended regularising me as I had completed 13 years in service. I was waiting for that decision when I received a message asking me not to come to work from Monday,” Sathiyammatold TNIE.
The government had entrusted Kudumbashree with providing part-time sweepers to various institutions under AHD with a consolidated honorarium of Rs s 8,000 per month. The staff are rotated every six months. However, in view of Sathiyamma’s difficulties, Kudumbashree, said sources, allowed her to work throughout the year and released the first six months’ honorarium in her name and that of the remaining six months in another person’s name. Someone filed a complaint citing the technicality, prompting Vijimol, AHD deputy director to initiate action.
“When I visited the sub-centre last week, I found that the person assigned duty was not Sathiyamma. Hence, I directed replacing her with the correct person,” Vijimol said.
Justifying Vijimol’s action, AHD minister J Chinchurani said Sathiyamma had been working under another worker’s name. “The honorarium was released in Lijimol’s name. I don’t know how Sathiyamma came into the picture. The deputy director only asked that the actual worker be brought in.
None was sent any notice,” she said. Ministers V N Vasavan and M B Rajesh accused the Congress of politicising the incident in view of the Puthuppally byelection. Claiming it was a planned operation to create fake news, Vasavan demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.