Parties want secretary's transfer order cancelled

Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF, BJP and UDF at the Corporation are unanimously against the transfer of Corporation Secretary Deepa L.S.. When DC asked if they will come out against the order, should such a resolution be presented in the council, BJP’s V.G. Girikumar and UDF’s D Anilkumar said they will. “She is easily approachable by the public. She is a good official,” said Anilkumar. Girikumar said that they heard the order was about to be cancelled, but should such a resolution be presented they would support it.

Corporation is trying to retain the Secretary Deepa L.S., who received a transfer order last week. Confirming this, Mayor V.K. Prasanth told DC that the transfer decision should have been taken after consulting the Corporation.

 “What the ruling council thinks is important, though the law does not make it compulsory. It should be someone that the council finds easy to work with, and is also an efficient official clean of corruption. The Corporation has not been able to find a reason because of which the Secretary needs to be transferred. Consulting with us was important before they issued a transfer order. There is justice in considering our opinion,” he said.

The secretary had just completed one year in her current post, pointed out LDF councilor R.P. Sivaji. “Normally government officials are transferred only after three years. This seems premature,” he said.

Officials say that the corporation would benefit from one official continuing to handle various ongoing projects and drives.

 Several key ambitious projects like smart city and master plan draft are being pursued by the civic body. At the same time, routine functions like tax collection also improved in her tenure, because of some additional tax collection drives.

They say it is her tiff with a top official at LSGD Department which provoked the transfer. Secretaries and additional secretaries of six other civic bodies have been issued a transfer order.