By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala’s Chief Secretary Lizzie Jacob Thursday decided to go on a long leave, apparently hurt by a remark by Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan in a cabinet meeting Wednesday.
Achuthanandan Wednesday said that Jacob erred in not informing the state government about the construction of a helipad for the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Ponmudi, where the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has purchased a controversial land.
When asked whether she had decided to quit the Indian Administrative Service, Jacob said: “I have submitted the letter to the chief minister”.
Achuthanandan confirmed that she had applied for a three months leave, with effect from Friday.
Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports indicated that Achuthanandan was taken aback by a resignation letter given by her and he persuaded her not to do so and instead take leave.
The helipad was constructed to facilitate the visit of the prime minister to inaugurate the now controversial Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) education institute, for which ISRO had purchased forestland from Savy Mano Mathew, a private individual.
Jacob is reported to have been hurt when Achuthanandan said, “She has erred by not letting the state government know about the construction of the helipad”.
She became the chief secretary November last year and her tenure was to end only in February next year.
Reacting to Jacob’s decision, former chief minister Oomen Chandy said: “This government is in disarray and officials are being made the scapegoat for the lapses of the ministers”.
The total cost of building the helipad was around Rs.20 million and half of it was the contribution of the state government, while the rest came from the central government.
The Congress-led opposition in Kerala Thursday began a relay strike in the assembly to intensify their demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the controversial ISRO land deal.