Energy secretary Beela Venkatesan dies at 55

CHENNAI: Beela Venkatesan, a 1997-batch IAS officer who was serving as the Energy Secretary of Tamil Nadu, died at her residence in Chennai on Wednesday. The 55-year-old officer was fighting an illness that was diagnosed at an advanced stage a few months ago. She is survived by two daughters.

Beela, hailing from Kanniyakumari district, was the daughter of Rani Venkatesan, a senior Congress leader and former MLA, and LN Venkatesan, a former DGP.