KOCHI: The state has lacked a full-time drug controller for the last seven months with the state government failing to make appointment to the crucial post after the retirement of the previous drug controller P. Hariprasad on January 31. For the past eight months, the charge of the drug controller has been given to deputy drug controller Ravi S. Menon who has failed to get the Vigilance clearance for his posting as drug controller. This has cast a shadow on the credibility of the government. It is understood that despite Health Minister K. K. Shylaja clearing the name of another deputy drug controller M.R. Pradeep for the post, the chief minister's office has been sitting on the file in a bid to buy time to enable Mr Ravi S. Menon clear the Vigilance inquiry. Mr Pradeep will retire on February 28 next.
Consequent to the retirement of Mr Hariprasad, the two deputy drug controllers and chief government analyst Ms K.C. Molykutty had become eligible to be posted as the DC. The government had sent their details for VACB clearance and only two persons got clearance in March 15 this year. The VACB reported that Mr Ravi S. Menon cannot be appointed since the Vigilance inquiry is pending against him. Later, the health minister aborted another alleged attempt by health additional chief secretary to clear Mr Ravi Menon of the VACB blemish through another departmental inquiry.
The minister selected Mr M. R. Pradeep on July 22 with the remarks that Mr Ravi Menon, facing Vigilance inquiry over corruption charges, cannot be considered to the post. However, what happened since has even stunned official circles. Instead of issuing a GO in this regard with the concurrence of the CM’s office, the file was returned by the CM’s office to the VACB for further remarks in a bid to buy time for Mr Ravi who has two-and-a- half years of service left now. Official circles point out that there is no precedent of referring back a file to the VACB which has been done in the case of Mr Menon.
