Two Cong MLAs appointed heads of state board, corporation

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy Thursday appointed two Congress MLAs as heads of state board and corporation with cabinet ranking, in a move to placate disgruntled law makers.

The move comes close on the heels of the cabinet expansion, which saw induction of two independents into the coalition Ministry.

Among the appointees are Congress MLAs Sudhakar K and Venkataramanaiah as chairpersons of State Pollution Control Board and Bangalore International Airport Area Planning Authority (BIAAPA) respectively.

While, JD(S) MLA Nisarga Narayana Swamy, who earlier held BIAAPA has been appointed chairman of Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) Planning Authority, with cabinet ranking.

Retired IFS officer C Jayaram, who resigned from the Pollution Control Board to make way for Sudhakar, has been appointed as Chairman of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka.

The coalition leaders are likely to appoint a few disgruntled MLAs as Chairmen to some boards and corporations, that are still vacant or by asking some senior bureaucrats holding the post to vacate, sources had said after the cabinet expansion on June 14.

The two independent MLAs, R Shankar and H Nagesh, were inducted into the Ministry overlooking the claims of several senior leaders, particularly in the Congress, who are sulking ever since they failed to make it to the ministry earlier.