Former agriculture minister Agri SS Krishnamurthy's who unceremoniously exited cabinet over the suicide of an agriculture department executive engineer S Muthukumarasamy in Tirunelveli last month has revealed the corruption in the state administration.
According to CPM state secretary G Ramakrishhnan, Muthukumarasamy's suicide was not a single case
"There is corruption in appointments, promotions and transfers, largely at officers' level, in every department. Straightforward officials suffer because of this," said Ramakrishnan. Both AIADMK and DMK governments have nurtured corrupt practices and it has gained alarming proportions in the last 10 years, he said as quoted by Times of India.
A powerful VIP had convened regional meetings of aided college principals and secretaries about two years ago to raise money from appointments of assistant professors.READ MORE
As reported by Times of India, one of the college secretaries, who attended one such meeting at Tirunelveli circuit house, said, "The VIP's PA had summoned both principals and secretaries. The meeting started in the night and the VIP called us one by one into his room and said unless we paid money to him, appointments of new assistant professors would not be approved. He demanded Rs 5 lakh per post from minority institutions and Rs 7 lakh per post from non-minority institutions. If we could not collect money from the candidates, he said he himself would identify suitable candidates". Since then, most college managements have been collecting extra money, over and above Rs 5-10 lakh they collect from candidates, for appointing assistant professors.
In the police department, deputy superintendents of police and inspectors pay money to middlemen to secure transfers to preferred locations. According to the reports published in Times of India, DSPs pay Rs 4-10 lakh depending on the district and city, inspectors pay Rs 2-3 lakh for transfers.
According to MG Devasahayam, a retired bureaucrat, corruption has pervaded all levels of the stat administration that people now take it for granted.
Ramakrishnan said CPM would hold a series of agitations to put an end to corruption in government administration.
Krishnamurthy's office had allegedly harassed the official to manipulate the selection process for recruitment of drivers in the department. Not able to bear the ordeal, the official jumped before a running train.
