Stenos, Peons Caught In Crossfire Between Environment ACS And SEIAA Chairman In Bhopal

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: A power struggle erupted between SN Singh Chouhan, chairman of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), and Aniruddha Mukherjee, additional chief secretary of the environment department. The clash intensified when Chouhan opened a front against granting 237 deemed permissions, causing a rift with the officials of the environment department.

Mukherjee responded harshly, changing Chouhan's office staff of peons to stenographers multiple times a month, and issuing termination notices to Mukherjee's contractual workers. Poonam Jha, a stenographer of Chouhan, along with four other officials, received termination notices for their roles in the environment department, where they had served for 10 to 20 years.

Mukherjee gave a one-month notice to Ajit Sharma, Chandrika Singh, Sudha Singh, Rakesh Bharti, and Jha before receiving the same notice himself. The employees in question have requested the director general of the Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO) to reconsider their termination. Some SEIAA peons were transferred to EPCO, and Chouhan accused the Assistant Commissioner of the environment department (ACS) of hindering his work.

The ACS reportedly removed a master trainer from service, and Chouhan emphasized that adhering to rules should be the priority, removing any obstacles in the way. Chouhan also wrote to the Government of India about removing the master trainer from service. Bhopal's Master Plan 2047 foresees a 791-kilometer road network that could put nearly 2.9 lakh trees at risk.