It all began on April 6, when H.C. Dhawan was relieved from the post of Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden by the Delhi government. In an immediate rejoinder, the Inspector General of Forest wrote back saying that the transfer order should be withdrawn as it was issued without consulting the cadre's controlling authority, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF).

Interestingly, the orders were passed at a time when Dhawan was on sick leave. M.S. Negi, Deputy Conservator of Forest, (West), is holding the charge as Conservator.

The transfer orders, signed by the Secretary, Environment, Forest and Wild Life, H.A. Arfi, had directed Dhawan to report to the MEF ``for further instructions''.

In reply to this, on April 12, Inspector-General of Forests and special secretary to the Government of India, C.P. Oberoi, wrote to the Delhi Chief Secretary Omesh Saigal. The letter said, ``While the MEF is the

cadre-controlling authority for the Indian Forest Service, it also acts as a state government so far as the posting of the cadre officers in various segments of the AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre are concerned.''

``It is surprising to note that the transfer order of Dhawan has been issued without consulting this Ministry,'' the letter points out. ``Dhawan was posted in NCT of Delhi against the sanctioned cadre post after he had served in the ICFRE on Central deputation,'' Oberoi says in the letter.

``Under the existing guidelines, he could be considered for a posting under the Government of India or under any other constituent unit of the AGMUT joint cadre after he serves under the Delhi government for his normal tenure,'' the letter says.

Finally, making the stand of the Centre clear, the letter says, ``We request you to withdraw the order under reference to enable the officer to discharge the duties as Conservator and Chief Wildlife Warden under Delhi government.''

The Delhi government is, however, adamant about maintaining the transfer order. Says a senior official of the Delhi administration, ``We may not be the cadre-controlling authority but we are the appointing authority. Why can't we transfer an official if we want to?''

The MEF has a different opinion. ``The officers of Indian Forest Service have limited posts. In Delhi, there is only one post of the Conservator of Forests and Wildlife Warden. An official holding this post cannot be transferred anywhere else. So, this appointment and transfer both are under the purview of the MEF,'' says a senior Ministry offical.

The Delhi government officials say they have reasons for seeking Dhawan's transfer. The MEF says that even if the Delhi government had reasons, they should have consulted the cadre-controlling authority before ordering the transfer.

For the officials under AGMUT cadre, the cadre-controlling authorities are Ministry of Personnel, Home Ministry or in this case Ministry of Environment and Forest (MEF). However, the Delhi government can transfer an official to another post in Delhi only after consultation with the Ministry concerned.