Local Self-Government Department Principal Director Divya S. Iyer on Friday, 9 October categorically denied reports of a turf war with department Secretary T.V. Anupama, asserting that she has never engaged in rivalry, competition, or factionalism with anyone. The denial came through a social media post as scrutiny mounted over apparent divisions between two senior officials in Thiruvananthapuram over the state's waste management agenda.

What the Row Is About

The controversy centres on two separate waste management initiatives launched by the Kerala Local Self-Government Department — the Nirmalam Puthu Yugam Clean Kerala programme and the IC 100 Challenge. Reports indicate the two programmes were announced amid differences over the roles assigned to the department secretary and the Principal Director respectively.

The Nirmalam programme was announced under the leadership of Secretary Anupama and described by the government as a public participation campaign forming part of its 100-day action programme. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurated it at Paravur on 2 October. The programme envisages sustained waste management activities until 2031. An order detailing the responsibilities of various officials under the programme was issued by Anupama on 30 September.

The Parallel Initiative and Speculation

According to reports, Divya was reportedly unhappy with the role assigned to her under the Nirmalam programme — she was, reportedly, only a member of the state-level coordination committee — and had conveyed her displeasure to the minister concerned. On the very same day the Nirmalam initiative was inaugurated — 2 October — a separate order announcing the IC 100 Challenge was issued by Divya. This timing fuelled speculation that the department was effectively running two parallel programmes due to differences between the two senior officials. There were also allegations that Anupama had no role in the IC 100 Challenge. The department, however, has maintained that the two are distinct programmes with different objectives.

What Divya Said

In a post on her Instagram account, Divya described reports of differences between the two officials as 'imaginary.' She wrote: 'The battle is between great truths and small lies.' Without directly naming Anupama, she stated that she had always carried out her duties in accordance with clear instructions. She added that the only criticism she had ever heard about herself was that she 'loved, embraced and praised people' — framing the narrative around her collaborative approach rather than engaging directly with the specific allegations.

Broader Implications for Kerala's Waste Management Push

The episode has drawn attention to coordination challenges within the Kerala Local Self-Government Department at a time when the state is pursuing ambitious, long-horizon waste management goals. The Nirmalam programme's timeline extends to 2031, making sustained institutional coherence critical. Notably, this is not the first time bureaucratic differences within state departments have surfaced publicly in Kerala, though the simultaneous launch of competing programmes from the same department on the same date is an unusual flashpoint. The situation will likely prompt the government to clarify the operational boundaries between the two initiatives going forward.