KOZHIKODE: Minister KP Mohanan’s brio with which he put on an unparliamentary posture to take on an enraged Opposition has evoked quite a few sighs in his own department.“If the Minister could pull off half this intent he would be reaping wonders in the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department,” this is the prayer being heard in the corridors of his office.Top sources in the Agriculture Department said that lack of planning and vision had affected the department and the whole agriculture scenario of the state would be in doldrums, if things continue the same. The indefinite delay in appointing the Director of Agriculture has hit the implementation of projects and the functioning of the Agriculture Directorate.“Even after five months, the minister seems least bothered about appointing a director. Besides, no agriculture officer has been taken into confidence and did not assign duties to officials. The activity of the minister’s office has literally turned out to be a one-man show of his personal assistant. All these has severely affected project implementation, monitoring of centrally sponsored projects and envisaging an organic farming mission in the state,” a top official told Express on condition of anonymity.Leaders of Socialist Janata (Democratic) Party are also frustrated and disappointed over the below par performance of their single minister in the Cabinet. “It’s quite distressing to know that the minister has not conducted a plan review even after five months. This one factor is more than enough to prove that he is not fit for the job. He is yet to study the department. At least he should have gone through the National Agriculture Policy,” a senior leader of SJ(D) told Express, on condition of anonymity.Party sources hinted at a possible action against the minister once party supremo M P Veerendrakumar returns to the state after his European visit on October 22.“Either he will be advised to improve the performance or will be asked to step down. Things can’t go like this further,” sources maintained. Former director of agriculture and farm expert R Hali told Express that agricultural sector is facing a crucial situation in Kerala. “Twelfth Plan is in the making and agriculture and animal husbandry departments are the kingpin in its formulation. If any flaw is committed it will affect the State’s progress. The government must ensure that the functioning of these departments does not get weakened,” he said.R Gopalakrishnan Nair, the private secretary of former agriculture minister Mullakkara Retnakaran, who was also the private secretary of agriculture ministers from CPI since the term of M N Govindan Nair, said that heading both the agriculture and animal husbandry portfolios was a major advantage as big programmes can be envisaged to attain food security.
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