Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): SEIAA chairman Shiv Narayan Singh Chouhan has sought the immediate suspension of three senior officials, alleging their involvement in irregularities and a conspiracy to hamper the functioning of the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
In a letter to Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal, he also demanded registration of criminal cases against the officials and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged scam.
The officials named in the letter are additional chief secretary of the environment department Anirudh Mukerjee, SEIAA member secretary Harshal Pancholi and deemed environmental clearance issuing officer Navneet Mohan Kothari.
Chouhan, in his letter, alleged that Mukerjee, who is also director general of the Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO), and Pancholi were violating environmental laws and conspiring to disrupt SEIAA's functioning.
He claimed that the internet connection in his room had been disconnected and the SEIAA portal had remained closed for the past three months.
He alleged that the SEIAA office staff had been replaced with incompetent persons, while the services of dedicated employees had been terminated.
Chouhan further alleged that Mukerjee had made repeated calls to the secretary, Government of India, seeking the termination of Ashwani Kumar, who was posted by the Government of India. He claimed that a termination notice had also been served on the stenographer.
He further alleged in his letter that library assistant Rajnesh Kumar had been posted as his personal assistant despite lacking typing skills. He also claimed that Vakil, a cancer patient who was unable to walk properly, had been deployed as a servant.
Chouhan claimed that the SEIAA staff had been reshuffled more than 20 times in a year. He alleged that the SEIAA member secretary had got 237 deemed permissions issued through the then principal secretary of the environment department, Navneet Mohan Kothari.
Chouhan claimed that there was no provision for issuing such permissions and that only the Government of India and SEIAA had the authority to issue environmental clearances. He also accused former member secretary Umamaheshwari of joining hands with Pancholi to hamper the functioning of SEIAA.
