NGT notice to state govts on functioning of pollution boards

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked state governments to provide details on the functioning of their pollution control boards. This comes after a report highlighted that 51% of posts in state pollution boards are vacant, with Delhi having 68% of posts at the Delhi Pollution Control Committee currently vacant. The NGT has deemed the high vacancies unacceptable and has requested a detailed report on the status and efforts of each state board. The tribunal will hear the matter on February 2, 2024.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to state governments, seeking details on the functioning of their respective state pollution control boards (SPCBs) or state pollution control committees (SPCCs), officials aware of the matter said.

New Delhi, India - Nov. 26, 2023: Morning walkers seen during a hazy morning at Kartavya Path in New Delhi, India, on Sunday, November 26, 2023. (Photo by Arvind Yadav/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

An NGT bench, headed by chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava, in its order dated dated November 23, but uploaded on November 26 has asked the Delhi government to submit a detailed report on the functioning of DPCC over the last two years, including vacancies, funds available and fund utilization, asking this report to be submitted within eight weeks’ time.

The move comes days after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted a report on November 22, stating that around 51% of all posts in state pollution boards are vacant. Citing data from the same report, HT had on November 23highlighted how the Capital fares even worse than this national average, with 233 of the 344 (68%) posts at the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) currently vacant.

CPCB submitted the report after NGT on October 24 took suo motu cognizance of a news article stating pollution control boards were acting as the “weak link” in the fight against air pollution. The green bench had sought a detailed report from CPCB on the status and efforts undertaken by each state board.

Referring to the data, NGT said such high vacancies are unacceptable. “The above data clearly reveals that out of 11,969 sanctioned posts, only 5,877 are filled and in many States such as, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, etc., the working strength in the SPCBs/PCCs is even less than half of the sanctioned strength,” it said, also referring to data on the status of environmental labs in each state or Union territory.

Delhi only one has one environmental lab – run by the Centre — with no lab run by the state government for environmental testing.

“In respect of laboratories, the report will disclose the sanctioned strength and present working strength of staff, the infrastructure which is available in the labs and further need for equipment and infrastructure in those labs and the provisions made in laboratories for enforcement and monitoring of hotspots in critically polluted areas,” the tribunal added.

NGT will now hear this matter on February 2, 2024.