Thiruvananthapuram: In an unusual development, a large number of paper files at the offices of the ministers and various sections in the Secretariat are being shredded. While shredding of discarded papers is carried out often, destroying files, allegedly on a mass scale, is a strange occurrence at the Secretariat.

The shredding of files, which started soon after the results of the exit polls of the Assembly elections were announced, was said to have been speeded up when the actual results came. The files were collected from various offices and brought to the shredding room, located near the Chief Secretary’s room, for being destroyed with a shredding machine installed there. The process will be completed on Thursday, according to sources.

The files being shredded include letters sent and received by ministers and their personal staff, paper files prepared to bypass the e-office software, notes, related documents and unwanted papers.

As per rules, the Chief Secretary and Secretaries of each department are responsible for preserving the files when the term of a government ends and until the new government takes over. However, most of the important files were allegedly shifted from the Secretariat by the personal staff of the Chief Minister and ministers soon after the voting day. The present process involves destroying the remaining sensitive files.

Responding to the development, General Administration Secretary K Biju said that very few paper files were maintained at the Secretariat after the e-office system started functioning efficiently. “If the paper files are being destroyed, it could be because of space shortage. However, I am unaware of the shredding,” he added.

Move to upgrade software dropped
Curiously, the state government had issued an order to upgrade the e-office software during the period between voting and counting. However, the government backtracked after Opposition Leader V D Satheesan approached the Election Commission, alleging a move to destroy digital files and seeking withdrawal of the order.