Thiruvananthapuram, May 19 -- Welcoming the reopening of the North Gate of the Government Secretariat after nearly 10 years, Kerala Secretariat Association President MS Irshad termed the move "historic" and said it restored people's access to the seat of governance.

Expressing happiness over the decision, Irshad said, "We, the Secretariat staff, are very happy to see that this gate has been opened. This had been closed since 2016. The State Govt was in fear of the protesters assembling here and the slogans against the Govt here. So, as an autocratic step, they had this step to close the gate permanently, and access was denied to the public, media, staff and everybody...They were not permitted to enter through this gate. So, this is a his...