Renu Raj, sub-collector of Devikulam district for the past 10 months, was issued transfer orders last week and will be relieved from her post on Monday. The young IAS officer became the 16th sub-collector in the district to be transferred in nine years.
The reason? Many of these officials had taken strict action against illegal constructions and land encroachments, for which the district is infamous.
In a conversation with TNM, Renu Raj talked about the challenges she faced in her official capacity, her achievements, and her transfer which happened within 10 months.
You are reportedly the first woman to hold the post of sub-collector in Devikulam. What were the main challenges?
Devikulam is a tough terrain and a very large sub-division. Climate conditions can be harsh at times, and many of the areas under the jurisdiction are inaccessible and have to be reached on foot. These may be the reasons why lady officers are generally not posted here. So when I joined, I had two hurdles to overcome.
One was to make the office and the place a little more women-friendly. Second, and more importantly, I had to gain the confidence of the people here. When I came here in November 2018, there were rumours that I would leave within a week or two. But my experience tells me it does not matter whether you are a male or female officer. All that is required to work in a place like this is to be physically and mentally fit along with a very positive attitude. Moreover, the girls of this nation have proved over and over again that nothing is impossible for them.
Do you believe you could carry out your work as you wanted to in Devikulam? What have you left incomplete?
When I came to Munnar, I had set a goal of giving equal importance to issues of the poor and needy along with dealing with the infamous encroachment problems. And throughout my tenure I have kept this in mind and worked accordingly. In a span of 10 months, I can proudly say that I have not wasted even a day.
Conducting elections in the hilly sub-division, which includes one of the most inaccessible polling stations of the country called Edamalakkudy, dealing with issues in the Kurinji sanctuary, Chinnakkanal inquiry, ensuring birth registration for hundreds of tribal children spread across different tribal colonies, dealing with the floods earlier this year when the hilly town was almost cut off, daily monitoring of land grabbing and encroachment cases – all these kept me busy. We are halfway into giving away housing plots to around 2,000 landless at Kuttiyar valley and the works are in the final stage. Also as a team we were involved in the enquiry related to Chinnakkanal land issues. I hope these works will be completed successfully by my successors.
What are the hindrances caused by the land mafia and how powerful are they?
Land grabbers are mostly outsiders who either target government/unoccupied land, or those who make use of the innocence and lack of awareness of the locals who actually occupy the land. Like in other parts of the country, this group has people from different fields – business, politics, officials, cinema, among others. This nexus is quite old and hence strong.
Many believe your transfer is a repercussion of the actions you took against certain illegal constructions? Do you think so?
In this service, transfers are not uncommon and I’m always prepared for that. I’m thankful for the faith the government showed in me. I believe that I have done the job entrusted to me to the best of my abilities.
The special team formed to probe the land deals in Munnar and Chinnakkanal was reconstituted soon after your transfer order came. The members were reinstated only after the issue became a controversy. Was there a possible conspiracy?
The team was constituted by the District Collector, Idukki in line with a Government Order. We have done a good job during the past few months but we could not complete the work. We have submitted a report regarding the work done so far and what is left to be done. The reconstitution order mentions that it is a working arrangement of officials and I don’t suspect anything else. I hope the work will be taken forward to its conclusion.
What are your takeaways from holding the position of Devikulam sub-collector? What should we do to protect a fragile zone like Munnar?
The Munnar experience is one of its kind. Because of the geographical isolation and difficult terrain, the sub-collector is responsible for coordinating lot of activities which otherwise do not come under our purview. Also this being a plantation town where the history of British administration still remains unforgotten, people have a lot of faith and respect towards bureaucracy compared to rest of the places.
The ecosystem in Munnar is fragile and needs to be taken care of to preserve its beauty, greenery and uniqueness so that this heaven on earth will keep enthralling the coming generations too. Restrictions need to be imposed on land utilisation and constructions in this area and strict enforcement of rules is necessary. The issues are complicated and one cannot come up with easy solutions. But I’m sure the government as well as civil society will work together to preserve the majestic beauty of Munnar.