CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order reshuffling Indian Forest Service (IFS) and state forest officers, transferring 19 officials and restructuring select cadre posts to “optimise deployment” across wildlife, academy, and territorial wings, according to a Government Order issued on Thursday.
Key transfers include C Vidhya moving from deputy director, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), to additional director, Tamil Nadu Forest Academy, Coimbatore, while MG Ganesan, Project Nilgiris Tahr, who was promoted from SFS to IFS, is transferred and posted as Deputy Director, MTR.
The government has not announced who will lead the Project Nilgiris Tahr, considering it is a pet project of the Chief Minister MK Stalin. Sources say an SFS officer will be posted and Ganesan will continue to contribute since MTR is integral to the Tahr project.
Likewise, another promoted officer P Arunkumar, DD, Masinagudi division of MTR is transferred and posted as Theni district forest officer. R Rajmohan, deputy conservator of forests, Genetics Division, Coimbatore, is transferred as DFO Tenkasi.
Arunkumar played a key role in curbing mushrooming of illegal resorts in Masinagudi and eventual demolition orders, which were challenged in Madras high court that had reserved the orders.
E Prasanth, DFO and wildlife warden of Kanniyakumari is transferred and posted as DCF (Wildlife) and Project Director (Biodiversity) at Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response in Chennai.
Meanwhile, M Ilayaraja, DD of Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Ambasamudram, is transferred and posted as DFO Thoothukudi.