From the dense jungles of Sathyamangalam, once lorded over by forest brigand Veerappan, to the concrete jungles of suburban Chennai ruled by real estate sharks, IAS officer P. Amudha has a record of making an impression.
Her clean administrative record has now led to her appointment as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Her colleagues recalled that in one of her assignments during the latter half of the 1990s, as Sub-Collector in Gobichettipalayam, Erode, she would venture deep into the Sathyamangalam forests to meet locals. “It is said that [the local] people began to trust the State during her posting there,” a civil servant said.
The Madurai-born 1994 batch IAS officer is known for her penchant for being on the field and taking bold decisions.
Chennai floods
Ms. Amudha’s fieldwork was on full display when, as Special Officer for monsoon relief during the historic Chennai floods of December 2015, she ordered the demolition of numerous concrete buildings that were encroaching on waterbodies and flood carriers.
“She is known as an extremely effective field officer. During the floods, the State deployed her as she could take decisions swiftly on the ground.”
“A former Commissioner of Revenue Administration used to remark that there are no better encroachment removal officers than Ms. Amudha. She removed all obstacles and encroachments so that water would flow out,” an officer recalled.
She also cracked down on illegal sand mining in Chengalpattu. As Dharmapuri Collector, Ms. Amudha took efforts to improve the literacy rate among women with the active participation of self-help groups. She herself recalled her satisfaction over empowering women in Dharmapuri.
Trained in karate
She was posted as officer-in-charge for the funeral of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. She was a member of the kabbadi team that won the national championship thrice and is trained in karate.
Ms. Amudha was professor of Public Administration at the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie until recently.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami tweeted that she had earned the goodwill of the State government as well as the affection of the people through her honesty and efficiency.
