By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

Senior IAS officer Beela Venkatesan passed away at her residence in Chennai on Wednesday. She was 55, and is survived by two daughters.

She was on a long leave, and had been undergoing treatment for an illness for the past three months, a family member said. She was serving as the Secretary of the Energy Department.

She was the daughter of former DGP L.N. Venkatesan and former legislator Rani Venkatesan. The 1997-batch IAS officer had held senior positions in the Tamil Nadu government, and was among those who served as Health Secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A native of Kanniyakumari district, the IAS officer was also a doctor. She initially served in Bihar, and was later shifted to Tamil Nadu. She had also served in Jharkhand.

She had served as Special Officer in the Chief Minister’s Special Cell, the Directorate of Social Welfare, and the Departments of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare, Fisheries, Commercial Taxes and Registration, Handlooms and Textiles, and Revenue and Disaster Management, among other positions.

In his condolence message, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin expressed his shock over her death and recalled her service in various departments. He also recalled the challenging task she took up as Health Secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K. Selvaperunthagai also condoled her death and underlined her service during the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed his condolences to Rani Venkatesan and the bereaved family.