BENGALURU: An acute shortage of staff has rendered the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) helpless, affecting its functioning in addressing pollution-related issues across the state.
The board has not been monitoring air and water pollution regularly and has found itself unable to comply with court orders within stipulated timelines. Inspections of sewage and effluent treatment plants, waste dumping sites and monitoring of water quality in lakes, valleys and rivers have nearly come to a standstill.
KSPCB Chairman PM Narendra Swamy said that against the sanctioned strength of over 700 employees, the board has only around 200 staffers working across the state. “Only a third of the sanctioned staff strength is in place. The shortage of technical and field staff has led to piling up of work in offices and laboratories,” he added.
KSPCB had requested the state government to recruit the staff immediately, but there was no positive response. The board has now made a special request to the central government to address the staff crunch.
Multiple divisions being handled by only three officers
The KSPCB Chairman said three senior environmental officers are currently handling multiple divisions.
There is also a severe shortage of assistant environmental officers, deputy environmental officers, environmental officers and field staff. “In several districts, including Chikkamagaluru, Udupi, Kalaburagi, Chitradurga, Gadag, Bidar, Vijayanagara, Chamarajanagar and Mangaluru, there is just one staffer,” he said. In Bagalkot, Koppal and Ballari, only half of the required staff members are working. “Ballari is relatively better because of direct monitoring by courts and the central government. Bengaluru too has only about 50% of the required staff,” he said.
The shortage has affected implementation of orders issued by the National Green Tribunal, the high court and the Supreme Court. “With industries, apartment complexes, industrial areas and residential layouts mushrooming across the state, the present manpower is insufficient to conduct ground inspections and issue no-objection certificates. Several air and water samples in laboratories remain unattended due to lack of technicians,” Narendra Swamy said. The board cannot rely entirely on outsourced employees, as accountability and responsibility cannot be fixed on them, he added.
Former KSPCB official PC Rai pointed out that there has been no recruitment to the board for nearly a decade, and its impact is being felt now as retired employees are not being replaced.
“Delayed decision on internal reservation had further impacted recruitment. Even if new staff members are hired now, they will require at least six months of training,” Rai said. Another former KSPCB official GV Ranga Rao said inadequate staffing has become a major setback, delaying environmental clearances.
