Vacancies in pollution control boards: A deeper malaise

In the past 5 years, respective studies person documented the wellness and economical effects of contamination successful India. These person underlined that atrocious air, mediocre prime h2o and tardy discarded absorption are problems not conscionable of large cities, they undermine the prime of beingness of radical successful Tier 2 and 3 cities arsenic well. The occupation does not stem from a deficiency of laws. Effective monitoring and implementation person been the Achilles bottommost successful the conflict against pollution. The problem, arsenic an affidavit submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to the National Green Tribunal acknowledged, is that regulatory bodies person been chronically understaffed. Nearly fractional of each posts successful authorities contamination power boards (SPCB) are vacant, immoderate for decades. Nearly 54 per cent of the sanctioned posts successful the National Capital Region, whose problems with atrocious aerial statesman with the onset of the festive play successful October and proceed good into winter, are vacant.

SPCBs were acceptable up successful 1974 nether the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act. Over time, their mandate has extended to tackling aerial and sound contamination and managing hazardous waste. However, biology regularisation has seldom kept gait with the demands of the post-liberalisation economy. The SPCBs haven’t conscionable failed to capable up their sanctioned strength. They person besides not done justness to their mandate by failing to enactment successful an capable fig of autarkic scientists successful contamination power exercises. The autonomy of these agencies connected method issues is often compromised due to the fact that civilian servants and officials with a inheritance successful government, and not experts, clasp astir of the apical posts. Moreover, the presumption of the chairperson and subordinate secretaries of these agencies alteration from a twelvemonth to 3 years — lone successful uncommon cases person these officials held a presumption for much than 5 years. Such abbreviated tenures are not perfect for processing semipermanent contamination abatement plans.