Mullaperiyar tree felling: IAS body backs Bennichan Thomas, to seek review of suspension

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The IAS association has thrown its weight behind principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Bennichan Thomas, who has been suspended from service for issuing orders permitting Tamil Nadu to fell trees from baby dam in Mullaperiyar.
It is reliably learnt that the association that met here on Thursday, passed a resolution in support of Thomas and has also decided to request the government to review his suspension. Sources said that the suspension of an upright officer has adversely affected the morale of the all-India service officers. The association members are also likely to meet chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to request him to revoke the suspension of the officer. The government has already instituted an inquiry in the matter.
Interestingly, the move by the IAS association has come at a time when forest service officials are upset about one of their members being made a scapegoat by the government, despite records showing that the order permitting felling the trees was issued with the knowledge and involvement of two senior IAS officers. “Instead of passing a resolution now, the IAS officials involved in the matter should have done their share properly and informed the government about what happened in the chain of events that led to issuing such an order, including owning up their role in the matter. Not doing anything when an honest officer was made a scapegoat and passing a resolution now is sheer hypocrisy,” said an IFS officer on conditions of anonymity.
The political executives and the secretaries of water resources and the forests and wildlife departments claimed that they neither had any knowledge about nor any role in issuing the order. However, the records prove that senior officials, including additional chief secretary (water resources) TK Jose who is also the additional chief secretary (home and vigilance), and principal secretary (forests and wildlife) R K Sinha, had clear knowledge of the subject, and had even assured Tamil Nadu that the request to fell the trees is being processed.
Last week, the IFS association members met the chief minister, and submitted a memorandum requesting the government to revoke the suspension of Thomas. Meanwhile, the IPS association is remaining silent in the matter as one of its senior members, G Lakshman, has ended up being suspended from service last week for colluding with fraudster Monson Mavunkal. Sources said that it might not be the right move to come up in support of a fellow all-India service officer, when its own member has been suspended, even though Lakshman’s suspension has a legitimate reason unlike in the case of Bennichan.