In an order issued on August 31, the State Government cancelled the appointment of Shanth A. Thimmaiah as Chairperson of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). The Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Forest, Environment and Ecology has been put in charge of the Board till a new chairperson is appointed.
Issuing a corrigendum to Mr. Thimmaiah’s appointment order, which was issued on November 15, 2021, the new order stated that his tenure as chairpersons had ended on March 4, 2022, as per the terms of Section 5(6) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.
The Act states that the person nominated to fill a casual vacancy in a Board shall hold the office only for the remainder of the term of the member in whose place he was nominated.
While Mr. Thimmaiah was supposed to be filling in for the remaining term of IFS officer N. Jayaram (appointed in 2019), who had resigned from the post, he was instead given a fresh tenure of three years by the then BJP government.
The removal of Mr Thimmaiah would put an end to the power struggle within the KSPCB. In July, Mr Thimmaiah had issued an order ousting Suri Payala, said to be a close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing the latter of issuing memorandums and circulars without his approval. Although Mr Payala refused to give up his post, he fell in line after the government issued a clear communication to do so.
