THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: T M Manoharan, 71, retired principal chief conservator of forests and former KSEB chairman, died at his home in Unichira in Kochi after a prolonged illness. He was a 1976 batch Indian Forest Service official belonging to the Kerala cadre.
He was the first Head of Forest Force (HoFF) of the state forest department. His funeral will be held at Changampuzha crematorium, Elamakkara in Kochi at 4pm on Sunday. He is survived by wife Jaya and daughter Anju.
He had also served as the managing director of Kerala Forest Development Corporation. During his tenure as custodian of vested forests in 1988-92, he had reclaimed 2,000 hectares of forest land. Despite getting IPS first, he later joined IFS. Manoharan had taken over the role of KSEB chairman for a record seven years under both the LDF and UDF governments. By the time he left, the board had a surplus of Rs 1,000 crore. This helped him get the crucial post of chairman, Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission, in January 2013.