Centre appoints Rajendra Ratnoo as special officer for TN to tackle COVID-19
The Centre has appointed Rajendra Ratnoo as a special officer for Tamil Nadu to handle work related to medical activities to tackle COVID-19.
The Centre has appointed Rajendra Ratnoo as a special officer for Tamil Nadu to handle work related to medical activities to tackle COVID-19.
He will also deal with the medical work for Puducherry.
He was first appointed as a Sub-Collector in Chidambaram, Cuddalore district. He later served as the Collector of the district.
Known for his ability to think on his feet and be prepared for anything, his work was commendable during the remedial measures taken after the 2004 tsunami. He also took steps to ensure that the people of Narikkuravar community get ration cards during his tenure.
Ratnoo was the first administrator to invoke Section 144 in Tamil Nadu during the dengue outbreak in 2012. That was supposedly the first time a ban against public gathering was issued through the law with regard to public health.
“Many think Section 144 is just a curfew in common parlance. But the Section has many other provisions. I did not order that people should not come out from their houses, but urged all able-bodied people of the district to clean their surroundings,” he said while speaking to The Federal.
“After that, the challenge was dealing with private institutions,” he added.
“The public places were taken care of by the government. We asked the private institutions not to have breeding places for mosquitoes in their work places. They were asked to spend one hour everyday to ensure this. We carried inspections every Tuesday and warned the residents and commercial institutions that, if they did not clean their surroundings and prevent the breeding of larva, action will be taken against them in the next round of inspection. The order was in place until dengue was brought under control,” Ratnoo said.
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When asked about the steps he was going to bring in during the coronavirus pandemic, he said he would act as a link between the state and the Centre.
“I am not here to manage the situation. I am here to support the state government’s efforts. If they need any help from any of the ministries, I will get in touch with them. Likewise, I will carry information from the Centre and pass it on to the state government. I am here for better coordination,” said Ratnoo.
