Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Government has suspended Chief Wildlife Warden Bennichen Thomas, Indian Forest Services (IFS), over the controversial order granting permission to Tamil Nadu to fell 15 trees growing in the close vicinity of the baby dam of the larger Mullaperiyar Dam.
The suspension order was issued on Thursday on grounds that he went against the stated stand of the Kerala government on the sensitive Mullaperiyar issue.
He violated the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, the suspension order further stated.
Tamil Nadu sought to cut the trees in a bid to reinforce the baby dam prior to increasing the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam to 152 feet.
It was widely doubted how the Chief Wildlife Warden gave the approval without the sanction of the Central government, and how such a nod could be issued on an issue under the consideration of the Supreme Court.
Bennichen had all along defended himself by arguing that the Supreme Court had granted its permission to cut the trees, and the Centre's permission was not required. The Kerala government however rejected his argument when it issued an order freezing the official's decision as soon his nod to Tamil Nadu came to light.
As reported earlier Tamil Nadu had been approaching Kerala with the demand for cutting trees since 2012 in a bid to reinforce the baby dam prior to increasing the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam to 152 feet. But their request had been rejected on many grounds. On May 29, 2015, a request was received from Tamil Nadu through the "Parivesh" portal and it was accepted.
The decision to allow cutting of trees at the Mullaperiyar baby dam site was taken at a high-level official meeting held at the chamber of Water Resources Department Additional Chief Secretary T K Jose in the State Secretariat on May 1. On May 5, the Chief Wildlife Warden handed over to Jose a copy of the letter, granting permission to Tamil Nadu for cutting trees and detailing the procedures to be followed.
Always Kerala's consistent stand has been that the safety issues of the dam will not be resolved merely by repairing the baby dam. Kerala wanted a new dam in the place of the existing dam, which is 125-year-old.
Amid the latest row, Kerala ministers have been feigning ignorance over Bennychen's order. However, official documents available in the public domain clearly reveal that higher officials of the Kerala Government and those of Forest Department were aware of the order issued by Bennichen.
The response of the ministers indicated that the Chief Wildlife Warden had issued the orders without informing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine and Forest Minister A K Saseendran.
It has been baffling how an important Government Order (GO) can be issued by an official alone without the concurrence of ministers concerned.
The Chief Minister, the Forest Minister and the Water Resources Minister came to know about the controversial order only when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin tweeted a thanks-giving letter to the Chief Minister for allowing cutting of trees at the dam site.
The Mullaperiyar Dam comprises the 152-foot-high and 1,200-foot-long main dam, a baby dam of 240 ft x 115 ft, and an earth dam 240 ft x 20 ft.
