Having earned the tag ‘darling of schoolchildren’, S. Sasikanth Senthil, who resigned from the IAS on Friday, had been ruthless against law-breakers while exhibiting utmost professionalism in handling natural calamities in his near two-year stint in Dakshina Kannada.
Even though the rains stopped once holidays were declared, his intention of not putting the lives of children in danger, expecting waterbodies to swell during downpours, was commended. Schools were closed nearly for a week both last year and this year following torrential rains.
Mr. Senthil had made elaborate preparation to face the 2018 and 2019 floods that affected the district greatly. Keeping NDRF and Fire and Emergency Services personnel ready, appointing nodal officers for each flood-prone area, opening a 24-hour control room, arranging relief material immediately, restoring damaged infrastructure within a short period, etc., were some actions taken.
Sand mafia
Realising the enormous damage to the coastal ecosystem following unbridled sand extraction, Mr. Senthil brought down the number of sand mining permits in rivers of the coastal regulation zone from over 400 to about 90. This considerably brought down the quantum of sand extracted from Netravati and Phalguni (Gurupura) from their CRZ belts. Mr. Senthil believed that the money coming through illegal extraction was used to foment communal trouble in the district and thus was ruthless on both counts.
He even even introduced an online platform — www.dksandbazaar.com — in May this year. Sand extractors in the district were made to sell sand only through these platforms. The move had multiple effects. While it ensured people got sand at the right price, transparency was ensured in extraction and transportation.
Dengue drive
When Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada were hit with a dengue outbreak this monsoon, Mr. Senthil took several steps to deal with the issue. From organising source reduction movement to eliminating larvae, guppy fish distribution, arranging a larvae hunt contest for college students, he devised several ways to curtail the disease this year.
