Assam: Congress smells rat at ex-PCCF MK Yadava’s re-engagement as special chief secretary
Guwahati: Leader of the opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saaikia, voiced his concerns on Monday regarding the re-engagement of retired IFS officer MK Yadava as special chief secretary (forest), labeling it as a violation. Saaikia urged Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to immediately dismiss Yadava from the position.
MK Yadava, who retired as the principal chief conservator (PCCF), Assam and head of the forest force (HoFF) of the state on February 19, was re-engaged as special chief secretary (forest) following a decision made during a state cabinet meeting and with the approval of the state Governor.
Yadava's appointment to the position has raised questions as it allegedly bypassed the norms set by the Department of Personnel and Training (DPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, PG, and Pension.
According to an office memorandum issued by the DPT on December 9, 2001, no government servant shall be granted an extension of service beyond the age of 60 years.
However, provisions exist in the rules to grant extension of service to certain categories of government servants only. Therefore, it must be ensured that no Ministry/Department should propose to grant an extension in service unless the case is covered by the Rules.
In short, no person who is not a member of an All India Service shall be appointed to a Senior Duty Post ((also commonly called as Cadre Post or Encadred Post)) of an All India Service, that too by a state government.
This kind of order has not been passed anywhere in India to date, and is illegal as all posts of principal secretary and above are encadred for the IAS officers in Assam as
According to paragraph 9 of DoPT’s instructions for Central government employees, Group-A apply mutatis mutandis to All India Services.
In a letter to the Governor, Saiakia said: “While the decision to appoint MK Yadava as special chief secretary is violative of Rule 8 of the Indian Administrative Service (cadre) Rules, 1954, and the DoPT’s instructions on re-employing retired AIS and Central Services officers to Senior Duty Posts, on merits alone this decision is questionable.”
“There are numerous allegations against MK Yadava for misusing and abusing his power and using his position to support dubious activities during his service innings. It is felt that his appointment has sent a malefic signal to the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Forest Service Cadre in Assam, and is being resented by one and all, including the PCCF, Wildlife,” Saikia said.
Saikia alleged that MK Yadava was the prime accused in the case of the unauthorized diversion of 44 hectares of Reserve Forest land to set up the Assam Police’s Commando Battalion in Hailakandi in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
When the National Green Tribunal (NGT) took suo-moto cognizance against the illegal diversion, MK Yadava followed it up by filing a false affidavit before the NGT which said that the land in question shall be utilized solely for erecting tents for the commandos, whereas the Google Earth Imagery showed substantial concrete structures. In fact, MK Yadava was involved in multiple illegal diversions of Reserve Forest lands.
“During his tenure as the director of Kaziranga National Park, a record number of 44 rhinos were poached within 25 months,” Saikia alleged.
“As PCCF, Wildlife and PCCF & HoFF, MK Yadava was apathetic in ensuring that the animal sensors installed at the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve as per NGT’s orders functioned properly. They were made functional only during the VVIP visits, defeating their very purpose. The sensor cameras placed at Kanchanjuri Corridor (Maloni) were removed a long time ago. The absence of speed checks resulted in an increased number of road accidents involving the wildlife of Kaziranga,” he said.
“During his tenure, on September 23, 2021 (World Rhino Day) about 2,500 rhino horns, said to be the world’s largest stockpile, were destroyed ostentatiously to bust a myth that the horns had a miraculous medicinal value. But doubts were expressed by several people that it was mostly fake horns that were burnt during the process,” he said.
“Huge misappropriation of funds from the Kaziranga Tiger Conservation Foundation and Corpus on the pretext of the President of India’s visit to Kaziranga came to light during his tenure,” Saaikia further alleged.
“His involvement in the rigging of the Rhino Population Estimation 2022 figures was alleged, causing significant embarrassment to the Central and the state governments internationally. Numbers which were not supported by documentary evidence were announced,” the opposition leader said.
The Congress leader alleged that MK Yadava also served as the managing director of the Assam Electronics Development Corporation (AEDCL-AMTRON) for a long period. In fact, there was resistance from him whenever he was transferred out of AMTRON for reasons best known to him.
“During 2009, while MK Yadava was serving AEDCL-AMTRON as its managing director, AMTRON was given the responsibility of supplying EVMs for general elections. The opposition parties, mainly Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) & Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF), had raised concerns over the tampering of the EVM with MK Yadava’s involvement. Interestingly, the present chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was the health minister at that time, was also the chairman of AMTRON,” Saikia said.
“During the same period, financial irregularities amounting to crores of rupees came to light in what is known as Thin Client Scam in Assam Secretariat. In the name of installing LAN, Servers and Thin Clients in Assam Secretariat, huge amounts were allegedly misappropriated. It is learnt that at least two chief secretaries had put it in writing regarding MK Yadava’s direct involvement, and one of them suggested that MK Yadava should be dismissed from service,” Saikia said.
"Further, during the incumbency of MK Yadava as managing director of AEDCL-AMTRON, the PSU was vested with the responsibility of conducting exams for government recruitment. However, on account of allegations regarding large-scale irregularities, and protests by the unemployed youths in the state, the Assam government had to eventually hand over the responsibility to the Dibrugarh University.
"From the glimpses mentioned above, a reasonable understanding can be made that while in office MK Yadava improperly used his office violating the rules which is meant to guide an officer to perform his duty without prejudice. In this light, I most humbly request you to reconsider his appointment by you in the larger interest of our people and our state," he said.