Thrissur: The social justice department director on Friday transferred the cook of the government old age home at Ramavarmapuram here following complaints that she had been mentally harassing the inmates for a long time. They had resorted to a sit-in protest on Thursday and boycotted their lunch demanding action against the cook, Reenamol, who allegedly has political clout. Though the inmates had earlier approached the State Human Rights Commission, collector and district legal cell authority over the issue, no action was taken against the cook. “I have issued an order for transferring the cook to another home in Thrissur and sought a detailed report on the issue from the officials of the department to find out whether disciplinary action need to be taken against her,” director P.B. Nooh told DC.
At present there are 73 inmates at the home out of whom 44 are women. Majority of them are from financially backward families. There is a superintendent, warden, two attenders, (one male and the other female), two cooks, two nurses and seven multi-task care providers at the home now. The posts of warden and male attender are presently vacant. Home superintendent V.G. Jayakumar said that he had come across the complaint earlier and that the matter was taken up with the social justice officers in the district and the directorate in Thiruvanathapuram. It is alleged that the cook who was regularised after she was appointed through the Employment Exchange had high political connections. The officials in the district who had earlier issued a memo to her for her rude behaviour had received threat calls allegedly from politicians in Thiruvanthapuram.
