Thiruvananthapuram: Transport Minister KB Ganesh Kumar has stayed the order issued by the Transport Commissioner, which aimed to transfer 79 officials of the department.
The order, issued by Commissioner S Sreejith on Saturday, was intended to transfer 79 officials ranging from Motor Vehicle Inspectors to office assistants at check posts. However, this directive was suspended on Monday, following Ganesh Kumar's instructions.
Acting upon the Minister's directive, Joint Transport Commissioner Pramoj Shankar issued an order to all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) via WhatsApp, freezing the Commissioner's initial order.
Officers stationed at check posts are usually rotated every three months to check corruption. The customary procedure involves the Transport Commissioner issuing an order based on a list prepared by a committee comprising senior officials of the department. Notably, this marks the first transfer order issued by the Commissioner since a public spat erupted between Ganesh Kumar and Sreejith.
Despite the Central government's directive to eliminate check posts as all the services are available online, they continue to exist in Kerala as centres of corruption. Moreover, the decision to reassign officers from check posts to enforcement squads has not yet been implemented.
