HD Kumaraswamy relents, appoints Congress MLA to State Pollution Control Board

BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday appointed Congress MLA (Chikkaballapur) K Sudhakar as the new chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) after holding on the Congress’s choice for the post for about three months now. He assumed charge the same day.

Incumbent chairman C Jayaram, a former IFS officer, stepped down on Thursday, barely three months after his appointment to pave way for the political appointee. Jayaram, who served the forest department with distinction for over 30 years and retired as PCCF, will take over as chairman of Karnataka Zoo Authority.

The development was swift, and caught everyone by surprise but the transition of power was smooth. The Congress, a few months ago, had sent a list of names to the chief minister, recommending them for various posts.

Sudhakar’s was one of them, and he was recommended for the pollution control board post. The CM, however, did not approve it with the JD(S), insisting that the board came under its quota in the process displeasing Sudhakar, who was rumoured to be inching close to the BJP.

After the disastrous poll performance of both the JD(S) and Congress, the CM has begun making concessions, and is conceding the demands of ruling coalition’s MLAs to ensure their support for the coalition to complete its full term.

Towards this end, he also shifted Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) commissioner Rakesh Singh on Monday, bowing to pressures from Congress MLA ST Somashekar (Yeshwantpur) who is also the authority’s chairman.

The CM released a booklet highlighting the one-year achievements of the JD(S)-Congress coalition regime, and said though the two parties had pledged to work with mutual coordination and complete its full term, the Opposition BJP had been making efforts everyday to destabilise the government by attempting to poach MLAs.