Thiruvananthapuram: Local Self-Government Department Principal Director Divya S. Iyer on Friday denied reports of a turf war with department Secretary T.V. Anupama, saying she has never engaged in rivalry, competition or factionalism with anyone.
In a social media post, Divya said she had always carried out her duties in accordance with clear instructions.
She described reports about the alleged differences between senior officials as imaginary.
“The battle is between great truths and small lies,” she wrote in a post on her Instagram account.
Her response comes days after reports of differences between the two senior officials over separate waste management initiatives launched by the department.
The controversy centres on the Nirmalam Puthu Yugam Clean Kerala programme and the IC 100 Challenge.
Reports said the two initiatives were announced amid differences over the roles assigned to the department secretary and the Principal Director.
Nirmalam was announced under the leadership of Anupama.
The government described it as a public participation campaign forming part of its 100-day action programme.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurated the initiative at Paravur on October 2.
The programme envisages sustained waste management activities until 2031.
An order detailing the responsibilities of various officials under the Nirmalam programme was issued by Anupama on September 30.
According to reports, Divya was unhappy with the role assigned to her in the programme and had conveyed her displeasure to the minister.
She was reportedly only a member of the state-level coordination committee.
The IC 100 Challenge was subsequently announced through a separate order issued by Divya on October 2, the same day Nirmalam was inaugurated.
This led to speculation that the department was pursuing two separate initiatives because of differences between the senior officials.
There were also allegations that Anupama had no role in the IC 100 Challenge.
The department, however, has maintained that the two are different programmes.
Divya’s latest post appears to address the reports of a rift without directly naming Anupama.
She said she had heard only one criticism about herself so far, that she loved, embraced and praised people.
The post comes amid scrutiny of the department’s functioning and coordination between its senior officials over the state’s waste management initiatives.
(IANS)
