Across 14 pollution boards, only 167 of 2,228 filled: States struggle to fill critical vacancies ahead of NGT deadline

The CPCB’s affidavit was filed successful compliance with an bid passed by the NGT’s main seat past September 11, directing each states, but Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, to capable vacant posts by April 30, 2025. The NGT’s absorption near retired states falling successful the National Capital Region arsenic a Supreme Court bid of August 27 had already covered them. NGT’s September 11 bid was passed successful a substance it had taken up suo moto, based connected a quality report.

The CPCB had not received advancement reports connected filling of the remaining 3,443 vacancies from 16 authorities contamination power boards and six contamination power committees of national territories, the CPCB’s affidavit stated. Delays were attributed to factors specified arsenic behaviour of recruitment exam, backlog successful filling reserved quota posts, unavailability of suitable candidates, and promotions.

“Out of 36 SPCBs/PCC’s, CPCB has received beforehand transcript of affidavits (progress report) from lone 14 SPCBs/PCC namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Telangana, Tripura, Ladakh and Puducherry,” the CPCB stated. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland among states and Lakshadweep among national territories are the lone ones with zero vacancies.

The states which did not taxable advancement reports are Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal. Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep were among national territories which did not taxable a advancement report.

Out of 5,671 posts, the CPCB’s affidavit consisted of information for 2,228 posts crossed 12 states and 2 national territories.

Of these 2,228, lone 167 posts were filled crossed Assam, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Rajasthan had filled 93 vacancies retired of 395, and stated to CPCB that it had conducted an exam past October to capable 50 inferior adjunct posts. It said it had initiated temporarily filling 54 deputation posts of adjunct biology technologist and 46 deputation posts of technological officers with consultants.

Punjab, which had 234 vacancies, stated that it had filled 26 vacancies and it had declared results for 148 posts which volition beryllium filled soon. Madhya Pradesh submitted that retired of their 785 vacancies, 288 would beryllium filled done promotions portion efforts were ongoing, including to capable remaining 487 posts done nonstop recruitment.

State contamination power boards and contamination power committees were created nether the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) act, 1981. They are chiefly liable for monitoring and power of contamination done implementation and enforcement of these 2 laws, on with the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the different cardinal cardinal legislation.

The boards are liable for implementing a big of rules and regulations pertaining to discarded management, coastal protection, regularisation of polluting industries and sound contamination rules. These responsibilities are tasked to technological officers and biology engineers, who indispensable execute tasks ranging from postulation of samples to tests for pollution, administrative duties related to permits arsenic good ineligible tasks related to enforcement of rules and regulations.