DPCC begins hiring for 52 posts as staff shortages hit pollution response

Applications will be considered in three rounds on November 30, December 15 and December 31, while activists say shortages hinder coordination with central agencies.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has issued a hiring advertisement to fill 52 vacant posts through deputation. The move comes months after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), in its submission to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in May, noted that 189 of the 344 sanctioned posts in DPCC were lying vacant.

The advertisement follows a CPCB submission to the NGT noting 189 of 344 sanctioned posts vacant, and applications will be screened in three phases through December 31 (HT Archive)

According to the notice, the positions include seven senior environmental engineers, 17 environmental engineers, one senior scientist, two scientist-B posts and three scientific assistants, among others.

The advertisement also comes at a time when the Capital is witnessing “very poor” air quality, having breached the “severe” threshold at least three times this winter season.

The notice mentions that DPCC is inviting applications for 52 posts that are to be filled on deputation (including short-term contract) from eligible officials working in central or state governments, Union territories, recognised research institutes, autonomous bodies, statutory bodies and PSUs.

Applications received up to November 30 will be taken up in the first phase, those received by December 15 in the second phase, and those arriving by December 31 in the third phase, the committee said.

Experts said the vacancy load has severely constrained Delhi’s pollution response, with routine enforcement suffering as a result.

Environment activist Bhavreen Kandhari, who has repeatedly sought details of sanctioned and vacant posts across pollution control bodies, said an understaffed DPCC means fewer inspections, slower reaction to violations and delayed punitive action.

“With so many posts vacant, the agency’s operational capacity is drastically reduced. Critical monitoring from real-time air quality assessment to waste-management checks and industrial emission oversight – simply cannot be carried out effectively,” she said.

She added that the shortages weaken coordination with central agencies and delay policy implementation. “In effect, a weakened DPCC becomes unable to enforce the laws it is mandated to uphold. In a city as pollution-prone as Delhi, this doesn’t just slow down files but also impacts the health of millions,” Kandhari said.