A growing rift between senior officials of Madhya Pradesh’s State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has spilt into the open, with Chairman Shivnarayan Singh Chauhan seeking the immediate suspension of Member Secretary Harshal Pancholi, accusing him of “damaging the reputation of SEIAA and the state government”.

Pancholi told The Indian Express he is ready to face any investigation.

Chauhan has accused the member secretary of bypassing the chairman’s approval, selectively listing cases for environmental clearance and failing to act on a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order restricting mining without the authority’s approval , The Indian Express has learnt.

In a four-page letter dated October 20 to Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal, Chauhan alleged that “Pancholi is repeatedly committing serious irregularities and openly violating prescribed legal provisions”.

The chairman warned that a “delay in taking disciplinary action against him is causing irreparable damage to the environment and creating a…