Assam Congress raises concern for appointment of senior government official

The Assam Congress has raised concerns against retired IFS officer MK Yadava, who was recently appointed as Special Chief Secretary.

The leader of opposition of Assam State Assembly and prominent congress leader Debabrata saikia said, “In the recent time for creating commando camps in the wildlife, the national green tribunal and the forest ministry has given him show cause. Even after this, the person who was the Managing Director of Amtron, I don’t know what his capabilities are but why the forest department has proposed him for the post of special chief secretary.”

Yadava was appointed as the Special Chief Secretary in-charge of forests in March after his retirement.

Earlier, the National Green Tribunal has also issued a suo moto case for illegal diversion of Forest lands for non-forest purposes in violation of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 and the recently implemented Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 2023.

The suo moto case which was taken up by the National Green Tribunal for alleged illegal clearance and diversion of substantial tracks of forest land to facilitate the construction of commando battalions and other non-forestry activities. The areas impacted include 44 hectares in Hailakandi, 28 hectares in Geleki, and 15 hectares in Barak Valley. These actions constitute a direct and flagrant violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 2023, which mandates strict protocols and government approval for any non-forestry use of forest land.

Meanwhile, the National Spokesperson of Indian National Congress, Rajiv Kumar Bishnoi said that, “On whose orders are the BJP government of Assam and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma trying to save retired IFS officer MK Yadava. In 2009, when MK Yadava was the MD of AEDCC AMTRON, he was accused of EVM tampering, after that he was accused of irregularities in government exams in the state. When MK Yadava was the director in Kaziranga, there was an increase in the Rhino hunting case, all this is a matter of investigation.

“The state government has reappointed MK Yadava by ignoring the rules when there are very serious allegations against him. We want this case to be investigated under the supervision of the High Court and MK Yadava’s tenure should be seriously investigated. BJP and the Chief Minister have pushed Assam into corruption today.” The National Congress spokesperson added.