Transport Commissioner Tomin J. Thachankary, who was caught in a controversy over his birthday celebration, has been removed from the post.
The decision follows strong objections to his style of functioning from Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) S. Aananthakrishnan is the new Transport Commissioner. Mr. Thachankary has not been given any new posting and will continue as managing director of Kerala Books and Publications Society (KBPS), a position that he had been holding despite being appointed Transport Commissioner. Mr. Aananthakrishnan has been serving as ADGP (Crime).
Centre of controversies
Mr. Thachankary has been in the centre of controversies owing to his peculiar style of functioning and had caused much embarrassment to the government by the manner in which he had gone about celebrating his birthday on August 10. His decision to ensure compliance with the helmet norm by insisting that petrol should not be supplied to two wheeler riders not wearing helmets had also resulted in a split public response. More importantly, it had embarrassed the Transport Minister, who was seen as playing second fiddle to the Transport Commissioner.
Although Mr. Saseendran had in public endorsed Mr. Thachankary’s decision on making wearing of helmets mandatory to purchase petrol, he was quite unhappy with the Transport Commissioner’s method of functioning. Things came to a head with Mr. Thachankary choosing to celebrate his birthday in style, cutting cake at the Transport Commissioner’s office and reportedly issuing a circular to all Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) asking them to celebrate his birthday. Although he tendered apology for his action at a public meeting in the presence of the Transport Minister at Kozhikode earlier this week, that did not cut much ice with Mr. Saseendran.
The NCP leadership had by then taken up the issue with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Chief Minister had, on his part, asked Chief Secretary S.M. Vijayanand to go into the complaints against Mr. Thachankary. The Chief Secretary is understo
