THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Throbbing toothache can drive you crazy. Only those who have passed through it know. Social media is abuzz with trolls saying the finance minister seized to enjoy the pleasure of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan after he rejected a proposal by the Raj Bhavan to set up a dental clinic there.
Davendra Kumar Dhodawat, principal secretary to the governor, had sent a letter to the government seeking Rs 10 lakh to set up a dental clinic in July. But the finance department did not entertain the request considering the fiscal strain. In fact, it was among a series of requests from the Raj Bhavan which were turned down by the state government.
“There were demands to regularise the service of temporary employees, creation of new posts and setting up of facilities. The proposed regularisation of employees was against the prevailing norms. Some of them did not even serve for 10 years. The government is providing a sufficient number of personnel to the Raj Bhavan through deputation,” said a highly-placed source who did not want to be named.
The source said the government had obliged to some demands like the one for regularising a photographer who had served at the Raj Bhavan for 22 years. Since the Raj Bhavan did not have the post of photographer, the government renamed the Cypher Assistant post as a photographer.
Though the governor has often accused the ministers of appointing personal staff, the Raj Bhavan is maintaining a large secretariat. As many as 144 staffers are employed there of which 74 are temporary employees. The expenses are quite high to maintain an office where the number of files processed are considerably less compared to ministers’ offices, it is alleged.