Senior forest officer Bennichan Thomas to be Kerala forest department chief
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior forest officer Bennichan Thomas will be the new Head of State Forest Department. The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday accepted the search committee's recommendation to appoint the 1988-batch IFS officer, who's now Chief Wildlife Warden, as the new Head of Forest Force (HoFF).
Bennichan who had faced government action in the Mullaperiyar tree felling issue, was exonerated from the charges on the eve of the search committee meeting to select the new HoFF. He will succeed PK Kesavan, who retires from service on May 31.
The government had placed Bennichan Thomas under suspension last November after he issued an order granting permission to Tamil Nadu to cut down 15 trees located in the immediate downstream of Mullaperiyar Baby dam, to facilitate dam strengthening works. The order was later frozen by the state government as it felt the order would weaken Kerala’s demand for a new dam.
The government had later revoked his suspension after Bennichan Thomas, in his explanation given to the government, clarified that the order was issued with the knowledge of Additional Chief Secretary TK Jose. The officer was keeping low profile after the issue.
Last week the search committee for the new HoFF, headed by chief secretary VP Joy and comprising incumbent forest chief PK Kesavan, forest principal secretary and a representative of the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment, had submitted its recommendation before the Chief Minister.
Bennichan was chosen for the post after 1986-batch IFS officer Pramod Kumar Pathak, who is now on Central deputation, informed the government about his lack of interest to return to the state. Bennichan, who has been serving the with the State Forest Department continuously for 34 years, is the next senior.
Apart from Bennichan, principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) for forest management Noyal Thomas, PCCF (planning and development) D Jayaprasad, PCCF (vigilance) Ganga Singh and Kerala Forest Development Corporation MD (PCCF) Prakriti Srivastava were other contenders for the post. PK Kesavan who retires from service on May 31, has been heading the forest force since 2018.