When the Maharashtra government on Wednesday appointed Siddhesh Kadam (41) as the new chairperson of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is likely to have breathed a sigh of relief at having resolved the infighting between former state minister Ramdas Kadam (70) and Mumbai North-West MP Gajanan Kirtikar (80). The altercation between the two Sena heavyweights began last November when Kadam referred to Kiritkar's age and questioned his fitness to be fielded again in the Lok Sabha elections. “He (Kirtikar) is getting old and if he is not going to contest the next election due to his age, the seat should go to Siddhesh,” Ramdas said, pitching his younger son as the sitting MP's replacement. His elder son Yogesh is already an MLA from Dapoli in the coastal Ratnagiri district. Siddhesh’s sudden appointment is being seen as a result of his father’s manoeuvrings. A day before the nomination, Ramdas had launched an attack on ally BJP for offering fewer Lok Sabha seats to the Sena than expected. He also alleged that minister Ravindra Chavan of the BJP had been regularly interfering in Yogesh’s Assembly segment. After the announcement, a Sena source said Siddhesh, who is known for his urbane and “corporate” outlook, remains a contender for the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha ticket. However, the news of Siddhesh's appointment as one of the youngest pollution control board chairpersons ever is under a cloud over allegations that eligibility norms prescribed for the post were flouted for his nomination. Under existing rules, only a person with 25 years of experience in matters related to environmental protection, or having experience in institutions dealing with matters relating to environmental protection, can be appointed to the post. The state government's March 6 gazette notification removed incumbent IAS officer A L Jarhad — who was appointed MPCB chairman on September 7, 2021 — citing “the chairman is absent for a long period without any reason from the office”. The notification goes on to state that “in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (2) of section 4 and sub-section (3) and (6) of section 5 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and in pursuance of rule 3 of the Maharashtra Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1983”, Siddhesh has been nominated as the new board chairperson. The Maharashtra Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution - First Amendment) Rules, 2021 — specifying the eligibility criteria for the chairperson — notified on March 18, 2021, mandate “25 years of experience in respect of matters relating to environmental protection or in administering institutions dealing with the matters relating to environmental protection on the senior managerial post”. In case of government officials being appointed to the post, the rules say: “He is or has been in Indian Administrative Service, who is holding or has held the post in the rank of the secretary or above, and possesses a degree in Science or Engineering and has knowledge in respect of matters relating to environment protection and experience in administering institutions or departments of the Central government or state government or Public Sector Undertakings dealing with the matters relating to environmental protection.” Regarding the appointee's educational qualification, the rules mandate the possession of a Master's degree in Science relating to Environment, or a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from the Environment, Civil or Chemical departments, from a recognised university or institute. With a BSc in Botany from Bhavan’s College, Mumbai, and an MBA from Deakin University, Australia, Siddhesh, who is a real estate developer, doesn't meet any of the above criteria. A former MPCB chairperson, on condition of anonymity, said the guidelines for appointments on such important posts were set by the Supreme Court, adding, “We can't neglect these. There was a case against the previous chairman as well over the eligibility criteria, and the same may happen here too.” Responding to the accusations, Siddhesh said the government knows best. “The government sought all relevant documents before appointing me. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't fulfilled the criteria for this post. It is the government that took the decision, and it knows better than any of us,” he said. Siddhesh is a director at Yogsiddhi Developers, as well as of Sattvic Hospitality LLP. His political career began when he started handling the affairs in his father’s previous Assembly constituency of Khed in Ratnagiri, where he worked on boards of various educational institutions such as Shivtej Aarogya Seva Sanstha’s Yogita Dental College and Hospital. In the united Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray, Siddhesh was a core member of the party's youth wing, the Yuva Sena, and a close confidant of its leader Aaditya Thackeray. But when his father and brother Yogesh joined the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde that split the party in July 2022, he followed them into the Shinde-led party.
