JOIN USRift in BJP over post of KSPCB chief
At a time when the entire State capital has turned into a massive trash island, the ruling BJP leaders have locked horns over the appointment of a new chairperson to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
While Minister for Environment and Ecology Sogadu Shivanna and BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar want BJP leader Dr Vaman Acharya to be made the Board chairman, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa is bent upon appointing his candidate Manjappa to the post, it is said. The three-year term of the incumbent A S Sadashivaiah ended on Tuesday.
According to sources, the government had almost made up its mind to appoint Acharya as the chairman as proposed by the minister. But the appointment was stalled at the last minute following a direction from the chief minister’s Office, sources said.
Instead, another order was issued appointing R Sridharan, Principal Secretary to the Department of Environment and Ecology, as ad hoc chairman, but the court stayed the order and asked Sadashivaiah to continue, following an interim stay.
Entrepreneur
Interestingly, the BJP government has chosen Acharya, who runs a compost manufacturing firm - Sunrise Compost - near Machohalli on Magadi Road. His company’s only competitor in Bangalore is Terra Firma. He is a former vice president of the BJP State unit. He is an MBBS doctor, but does not practise any more.
When contacted, Acharya said he was the choice of the government, but for some reason there was a delay in the appointment.
“No doubt, I am a good friend of Ananth Kumar. But that should not be a reason to set aside my selection,” he said.
Sadashivaiah, a retired IFS officer, said he was all set to hand over the charge to the principal secretary, but could not do so because of the court stay.
He said it was left to the discretion of the chief minister to make an appointment to the post. As per Section 52 of the Water Act, the incumbent can continue till the next appointment is made to the post. “This is the reason why I am continuing. I do not know why the government has not found a replacement for me,” he said.
When his attention was drawn to rumours that he was clearing files in a hurry for the past many days because his term ends on September 4, Sadashivaiah said, “I have no reason to hold files. Before I clear files, decisions are taken at various levels to clear the files. So, I can’t take any unilateral decision on any matter.”
Asked whether he would like to continue in the post, he said he would not mind because it is a “challenging job”.