He worked hard,did not care about Naxal threats

When Alex Paul Menon was made the Collector of Sukma,carved out of Dantewada in January,the district had no infrastructure or facilities to accommodate the new administrative machinery.

When Alex Paul Menon was made the Collector of Sukma,carved out of Dantewada in January,the district had no infrastructure or facilities to accommodate the new administrative machinery. During a recent visit to Sukma,this correspondent found him operating from a makeshift office on the citys borders,without any walls,let alone barricades or adequate security guards.

What else can I expect? Its a new district. I am given this responsibility,I will have to begin from scratch, Menon said,when asked how difficult it was to operate in the Maoist heartland. It was 8 pm,but the Tamil Nadu-born IAS officer of 2006 batch was still in office,arranging things phone line,electricity cables,toilets.

In his first tenure as Collector,he spoke of his future schemes rebuilding roads and schools demolished by Maoists. He mentioned Dornapal-Jagargunda road,meant to connect interior villages but blown off at several places. We have to get it done, he said.

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While sending its best young officers to the new districts,the state government was aware of the danger they would face in areas without adequate security. These are young boys,our best. I do worry about their safety, governments spokesperson N Baijendra Kumar had told The Indian Express earlier.

Menon was unfazed. What do you think I have come here? I risked everything… I could have lived a safe,comfortable life but I want to work, he had said then. Today,his pregnant wife Asha Alex agreed. He knew about the danger,had cautioned us. He said anything can happen… be patient,if something happens to me. But I never thought it would come so soon, she said. He worked so hard,did not care about such threats. We were recently married and came to Sukma, she added.

Before becoming Sukma Collector,Menon was CO Jila Panchayat in Dhamtari district. He is credited with introducing computerised mid-day meal scheme in Dhamtari,later adopted by the entire state,and child tracking system,a mechanism to identify out-of-school children and bring them back to schools.

Undaunted by the Maoist challenge,Menon had managed to reach out to several interior villages in three months. Ironically,he had adopted Manjipara village,where he was abducted from,to make it a model village.

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Every night he would tell me his plans, Asha said. She was working as a private sector executive before coming to Chhattisgarh and began assisting her husband in reaching out to people in this tribal district. After organising a painting competition for tribal girls in March,she posted on her Facebook wall: Behind every successful woman,now there is a man!! Thanks to Collector,Sukma,for encouraging me to organise the event. Today,she sounded confident but worried. I am proud of him,hope they release him soon.