Just weeks after appointing a new Managing Director for the Kerala Water Authority (KWA), the State government has now appointed a Joint Managing Director for the State-run water utility.
As part of the transfers and postings of IAS officers, the government on Saturday announced the appointment of Dinesan Cheruvat as Joint Managing Director of KWA. His posting comes after the appointment of Bhandari Swagat Ranveerchand, a 2010 batch IAS officer, as the Managing Director earlier this month.
Mr. Cheruvat will also hold full additional charge of Executive Director, Jalanidhi, Friday’s order said.
While the Water Resources Department has not officially given any reasons, highly-placed sources said the Joint Managing Director was appointed to oversee the speedy implementation of projects. The KWA, for instance, is behind in the implementation of the centrally-assisted Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), where the backlog has run into lakhs of water connections. Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who reviewed the progress of work in mid-April, had asked Kerala to step up the pace so that it does not overshoot the 2024 national deadline.
But the appointment of Joint MD has drawn criticism from a section of the KWA staff. The KWA now has three IAS officers directly managing its affairs; Ashok Kumar Singh as chairman, Ms. Ranveerchand as MD, and Mr. Cheruvat as Joint MD. This, when the KWA has on board senior hands including a Technical Member and six Chief Engineers who are the experts in the technical side of things, say critics.
Besides, the crucial post of Accounts Member in the cash-strapped KWA has been lying vacant for months, they said, adding that the government should have given it priority.
Meanwhile, KWA officials said Mr. Cheruvat’s appointment is not the first such in KWA. The previous Managing Director, S. Venkatesapathi, had in fact taken over as Joint MD, but was made MD within a few months, they said.
