'Hero' IAS officers who went beyond duty during natural calamities
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the most sought-after Civil Service of the country but being an IAS officer is tough and needs great commitment. Over the past few years, India witnessed various natural calamities. There are many IAS officers who went above and beyond their call of duty to save lives during these calamities. Here are some "hero" IAS officers to know about.
Last year, when catastrophic floods wreaked havoc in Kerala, IAS officer Krishna Teja Mylavarapu organized a large-scale rescue mission, Operation Kuttanad, to save lakhs of lives. Krishna Teja, who is the Sub-Collector of Kuttanad in Kerala's Alappuzha, evacuated over 2.5 lakh people in the region to relief-camps within just three days with the support of Kerala's Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Isaac and rescue teams.
Apart from Krishna Teja, many other IAS officers, including Kannan Gopinathan, Prasanth Nair, G Rajamanikyam, NSK Umesh, TV Anupama, and K Vasuki among others, led various relief and rehabilitation efforts in Kerala after the state witnessed the worst flood in a century in August 2018.
In July 2019, incessant rains led to floods in several parts of Meghalaya. To ensure the safety of nearly 1 lakh citizens in flood-hit villages, IAS officer Ram Singh, Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, not only organized relief-camps but visited every village personally to look after the well-being of those affected. He also monitored the situation and ensured safe shelter options for people.
In November 2018, severe cyclonic storm "Gaja" battered the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, especially Nagapattinam, uprooting trees, snapping power lines, and leaving a trail of destruction. At the time, IAS officer Johny Tom Varghese, Additional Director of Fisheries who was appointed the nodal officer for Nagapattinam, personally led rescue and relief operations in fishermen hamlets left inaccessible by the wrath of Cyclone Gaja.
Last year, IAS officer Praveen Pardeshi, Additional Chief Secretary in the Maharashtra Government, played an important role in the coordinating relief and rehabilitation efforts to Kerala after the devastating floods in August. Notably, Pardeshi also assisted in the rehabilitation of victims in the devastating 1993 earthquake in Maharashtra's Latur that claimed 30,000 lives and destroyed 52 villages. He was a Collector at the time.
