The Maharashtra government has suspended an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and the joint director of the state’s pollution control body for not attending key meetings to update a state minister on important issues.
IAS Officer Suspended for Skipping Ministerial Meeting
During an assembly session, State Environment Minister Pankaja Munde was asked to respond to a discussion about pollution in Chandrapur district. She said that she could not provide a detailed briefing because the officials involved, M Devender Singh, a 2011-batch IAS officer and member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), and Satish Padval, Joint Director of the MPCB—did not attend the meetings she had called for information gathering.
Pollution Discussion in Chandrapur
Munde informed the assembly that the officer not only skipped the meeting despite reminders but also sent a message saying he would not attend. She mentioned that such disobedience hinders a minister’s ability to respond to the public.
The pro-tem Speaker, Dilip Lande, took the minister’s comments seriously, calling the officer’s absence “gross negligence” and an “insult to the legislature.” He instructed the government to take prompt action. Within 24 hours, the state government issued a suspension order under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.
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