THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the state is battling to contain the spread of the coronavirus, outgoing Chief Secretary Tom Jose -- accompanied by State Police Chief Loknath Behera and a couple of senior government officials — took a chopper ride a day ahead of his retirement.
While government officials maintained that the ride was meant to assess the flood preparedness at Nilakkal and to sort out certain issues related to the sand collected from the Pampa during the last flood, it was reportedly a pleasure trip arranged for the outgoing chief secretary.
The delegation also reportedly held an aerial reconnaissance of a portion of the Cheruvally estate proposed for the Sabarimala airport. Queried on the matter, the state police told TNIE the trip was part of the flood preparation assessment carried out by the chief secretary.
Meanwhile, the public relations department issued a statement saying that the chief secretary held a meeting of officials at Nilakkal in connection with the sand issue. Forest Minister K Raju said he was not informed.
Forest minister not impressed
"If there was any urgent need to convene a meeting of officials chaired by the chief secretary and the state police chief to sort out sand issues in Pampa, the minister of the department concerned should have certainly been informed about it," said Raju. According to insiders, though it was widely rumoured that the outgoing chief secretary would be given charge of COVID control operations after retirement, he was not too interested in the post.
There were reports earlier that the chief secretary would become the chief of the proposed Trivandrum International Airport Limited (TIAL), a company formed to take over the Thiruvananthapuram airport after the Centre privatised the airport.
But the plan hit a roadblock after the airport employees’ union took the airport privatisation issue to the Supreme Court, with the matter remaining sub judice. Another option of engagement for Tom Jose was the proposed Sabarimala airport. TNIE’s efforts to contact him for comment went in vain.