Bhubaneswar: Sisir Kumar Ratho has been appointed as the Chairman of the Odisha State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA, Odisha).
The appointment is made by Government of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change on the recommendations of the State Government.
Sri Ratho has recently superannuated as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Odisha on 30 June 2022.
A civil engineer from NIT, Rourkela Sri Ratho joined IFS in 1987 and worked in various capacities in the State of Odisha and Central Government as well as in the Constitutional Body like National Commission for Scheduled Tribe (NCST) and Statutory Authority like National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in New Delhi.
He has wide experience of working in other cross-cutting sectors like sports infrastructure, rural and urban housing, urban transport, drinking water supply, sewerage, drainage, solid waste management, municipal administration, river rejuvenation, bio-diversity conservation, water pollution abatement measures, tribal welfare and youth affairs.
Sri Ratho has co-authored a book “Agro Forestry Manual for Asia Pacific Region” published by United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) Secretariat, Bonn (Germany) in 2004. He also published a book titled “Eternal Wisdom of the Tribes” during the tenure as Joint Secretary in National Commission for Schedule Tribes, New Delhi in 2018.
With his vast experience in environment & forest sector at State and Central level it is hoped that Sri Ratho is expected to bring transformation in the accordance of Environment Clearances by the SEIAA, Odisha through an objective and expeditious manner.