Bengaluru : In a sudden development, the Karnataka government transferred state Labour Department Secretary P. Manivanan to Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Department with the same designation (Secretary) in less than a day, an official said on Tuesday.
“Captain P. Manivanan is posted with immediate effect as Secretary in the state Animal Husbandry and Fisheries department on waiting for posting after his transfer from the Labour department,” said state personal department official G. Shayma Holla in an order.
Manivanan succeeded incumbent A.B. Ibrahim, who was relieved from the concurrent charge.
The hamstrung state labour department has been grappling with the crisis arising out of the coronavirus outbreak and the prolonged lockdown since March 25 when it was suddenly enforced and extended twice till May 17.
With the simultaneous suspension of buses, trains and flights and ban on movement of the people, thousands of migrant workers, construction labourers and blue/white collar workforce from across the southern state were not only stranded over 40 days, but also faced hardship in surviving without work, job and cash in hand.
As the labour secretary, the 1998-batch IAS officer was in-charge of the migrants’ welfare, including food, water and shelter at hundreds of relief camps across the state because they were not allowed to travel to their native place till April 30.
“As the former Army captain had to look after thousands of the stranded people in coordination with multi-agencies, various state departments, non-government organizations (NGOs), voluntary groups and civic activists, he was carrying the onerous task by following the rule book, which ruffled other stakeholders, including officials and the ruling party legislators,” another official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Distribution of food and ration kits to migrants was also a bone of contention between the department and other stakeholders, including city civic bodies following complaints of the succour not reaching all the needy day in and day out.
“A section of the legislators also complained against the secretary to state Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar that the food packets and ration kits were not reaching the migrants staying in relief camps that were located in their assembly segments or civic wards,” the official added.
Though the state government sent over a lakh of local migrants to their native place in the southern state by ferrying them free in the state-run transport corporation’s buses from May 2-7, hundreds of them remain stranded in cities and towns as the service has been stopped suddenly after May 7.
“Thousands of migrants from other states remain at the relief camps waiting for special trains to take them to their far away native place after being stranded over 45 days due to the extended lockdown,” added the official.
