THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a rarest of rare case, an order issued 15 years ago by the then Labour Minister has been implemented by his son, who now holds the same portfolio. And the ‘heroine’ of this otherwise sordid tale of bureaucratic red tape is P K Aminath of Karunagappally. In an order last month, the Labour Department regularised the service of Aminath as Pharmacist Grade II in the Insurance Medical Service (IMS), 26 years after she was appointed to the same post on a temporary basis. Fifteen years ago, then Labour Minister Baby John had issued orders for regularising her service, but Aminath had to wait until now to see it implemented. Eight months ago, Aminath and her husband A Shajahan, a homoeo doctor, had approached Baby John’s son and the present Labour Minister Shibu Baby John with the documents. ‘’He said he will look into it. The order was issued last month,’’ a thrilled Aminath said. It was on July 20, 1986, that Aminath was appointed Pharmacist Grade II in IMS through the Employment Exchange. The next year, Aminath’s father Nooruddin Kutty petitioned Baby John for regularising his daughter’s service. The late RSP doyen was then Water Resources Minister but held temporary charge of the Labour portfolio. Aminath’s temporary service ended in June 1998, but was allowed to continue on the strength of a High Court order. But two years before that, Nooruddin had again petitioned Baby John who now held the portfolios of Labour and Water Resources. Baby John issued orders for regularising Aminath’s service 15 years ago, but after that the file was caught in red tape. Last March, Shibu Baby John had taken up the matter as a special case and issued necessary orders. There is one sad fact. The regularisation is applicable only from the date of the present order. On the one hand, this is one red tape tale that ended on a sweet note. Shibu is predictably elated that he has been able to fulfil his father’s promise. But he himself points out how Aminath’s case has exposed the defects in the system, Shibu said. ‘’The file originated in 1987. It circulated until 1997 when the orders were issued. What happened in between I don’t know. And all these years later, the file comes before me,’’ he said. ‘’This is an example of how the system has become insensitive to the needs of the people. Fortunately Aminath is still in service,’’ he said.
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