Thiruvananthapuram: Former IT Fellow to the Kerala Chief Minister, Arun Balachandran, has been removed from a key role in the state government's Dream Kerala project over his links to the accused in the gold smuggling case.
Arun was removed from the post of director of marketing and operations of IT Parks on Wednesday after it was revealed that he had intervened to arrange accommodation for Swapna Suresh, an accused in the gold smuggling case. But even then, he continued to be in the state government's Dream Kerala project.
Arun was appointed to the executive committee of the Dream Kerala project, which has been constituted for the rehabilitation of expatriates from Kerala. He worked along with IAS officials in the committee and likely made efforts to exploit this association to the hilt.
Tall claims
A video has now emerged in which Arun is making tall claims that he was one among the first three people in the management cadre formed by the state government on par with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
Arun made the statements during the TEDX talks a year ago. Even the state government has never made any statements on such a cadre.
In the video, Arun is saying that he was working in association with the Kerala CM's Office.
Arun and other fellows, appointed on a contract basis to assist the IT high-level committee, worked out of the Technopark. Arun's claims that this was equivalent to the coveted IAS have drawn flak and termed as abuse of power.
Although Arun was removed from the post of Chief Minister's IT Fellow last year due to suspicion over financial irregularities, he remained as the Director of IT Parks, an undertaking of the Kerala government.
Earlier it was reported that Arun had used the 'Government of Kerala' board on his personal car violating norms. It is unlawful to put up a government board on a private vehicle.
The IT department has come under a cloud over the gold smuggling scandal. A probe into the seizure of 30kg gold from a diplomatic baggage in Thiruvananthapuram earlier this month had revealed the involvement of Swapna. She was subsequently removed from her post at the Space Park, an undertaking of the IT department.
After reports on Swapna’s close association with IAS official Sivasankar emerged, he was suspended. He was also removed from the key posts of IT Secretary and Principal Secretary to the CM.
