IAS officer suspended for violating quarantine

Kollam sub-collector was advised self-quarantine following his foreign trip

The Kerala government on Friday suspended Kollam sub collector Anupam Mishra from service for violating home quarantine norms after his return from abroad and for leaving the station without informing his superiors.

The IAS officer was advised to go under home quarantine after returning from his honeymoon trip abroad. However, the officer left his official residence in Kollam on Thursday without intimating anyone.

The government decided to place him under suspension on the basis of a preliminary inquiry conducted by Kollam district collector B Abdul Nasser.

In his report, the

Collector pointed out that Mishra’s action amounted to violation of services rules and law.

The deputy collector was on leave till March 18 following his marriage. He was on a honeymoon trip to Singapore and Malaysia along with his wife. After resuming his duty on March 19, the officer was advised by health officials to undergo home quarantine following his foreign visit.

As per the existing norms, all persons coming from abroad have to mandatorily under go home quarantine.

Mishra not only defied the quarantine rules but also tried to mislead his superiors. The collector said Mishra, when contacted over phone had conveyed that he was in Bengaluru.

However, when that information was cross checked using his mobile tower location, it was found that the officer was in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the Kollam police has registered a case against the sub collector following a complaint filed by the health department for violating quarantine norms.

Meanwhile, Kerala on Friday reported 39 Covid19 cases, the highest number recorded in a day in the state since the outbreak.

After a high level review meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told media persons that the huge spurt in Covid-19 cases in-dictated that the situation was extremely grave in the state.

Moreover, with a case being reported in Kollam suggests that the virus has spread to all 14 districts.

— PTI Migrant workers along with their familes walk to return to their villages in Prayagraj on Friday after the 21-day nationwide lockdown was imposed by the government in wake of coronavirus pandemic.