Water, Air Labs yet to get recognition under Environ Act
No progress even after directions of green-panel
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 23: Despite an urgent need to bolster its workforce for effective environmental monitoring and enforcement, several key positions across technical, scientific and administrative wings have remained vacant in the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) as the Recruitment Rules are yet to be approved by the Government. Moreover, Water and Air Laboratories of the Committee have not received recognition under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 till date.
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This has come to the fore from the response submitted by the Committee to the National Green Tribunal in compliance to the directions issued in Original Application titled “Pollution Control Boards are the weak link”.
The NGT had directed for submission of affidavit regarding reasons as to why till now the full-strength appointments have not been made and why so many sanctioned posts are lying vacant and also time schedule within which the vacant posts will be filled up.
In the affidavit, it has been mentioned that there are a total of 445 sanctioned posts in the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee. Of these, 78 are in the Scientific Category, 119 in Engineering Category and 248 in Administrative Category. However, 49 posts in Scientific Category, 25 in Engineering and 106 posts in Administrative Category are lying vacant.
“The direct recruitment quota vacant posts in the Gazetted Category are to be referred to the J&K Public Service Commission (PSC) and Non-Gazetted Category to the J&K Services Selection Board (SSB) for selection through the competitive examination. The promotion quota posts are to be filled on the basis of the recommendations of Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC)”, the JKPCC said.
The response further said, “in both the cases, approval and notification of Recruitment Rules is necessary. The Rules have been submitted to the Government for approval and are at present under active consideration of the concerned authorities”. “Once the Recruitment Rules are approved and notified, thereafter, the recruitment process for filling up both direct and promotion quota posts will be expedited. The vacant posts in the promotion quota will be filled up within a period of three months after the notification of the Recruitment Rules by the competent authority”, the JKPCC added.
About the details of laboratories with respect to Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the response said, “the monitoring of the prescribed parameters is being done through J&KPCC established Water Laboratories—— one at Regional Office Jammu and other at Regional Office Srinagar. A proposal for the notification of both the Water Laboratories in the Official Gazette was submitted to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir on 25-03 -2025 and it is expected to be notified within a period of six months”.
Moreover, two Regional UT Water Laboratories, one each at Jammu and Kashmir respectively, are being proposed for notification as UT Water Laboratories. Similar is the case with two Air Laboratories of JKPCC. “The Water and Air Laboratories are planned for recognition under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and 24 months are required for this exercise”, the affidavit said.
Claiming that JKPCC is in the process of restructuring the organizational set-up, the affidavit further said, “the aim of restructuring is to increase the posts of Technical and Scientific Cadre at senior levels and to strengthen the laboratories also”, adding “the existing laboratories are being further strengthened and 6 months to 48 months time-frame will be required for the same keeping in view the financial implications involved and need of filling the posts of Scientific Staff in the laboratories”.
“The JKPCC also intends to establish 5 more laboratories in the districts having concentration of industrial units as compared to the other districts of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. These are Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Pulwama and Budgam and time required for establishment of the infrastructure and required staff in the newly proposed laboratories will be 24 months”, the affidavit said.
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