Haryana gives NGT roadmap for HSPCB recruitment, 63% positions vacant

GURGAON: The Haryana government on Tuesday informed the NGT it has initiated the process to recruit officers for the state’s pollution control board (HSPCB), where 63% of staff positions are lying vacant, according to a petition filed before the tribunal earlier this year.

The Haryana Public Service Commission has issued advertisements inviting applications for vacant assistant environmental engineer positions and attempts are on to bring in 15 officials of different cadres on deputation from other departments, said a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal.
Additionally, HSPCB has set up two regional offices in Sirsa and Fatehabad, taking the total count to 24, it said.
If the appointments are made in time, board’s chairman P Raghavendra Rao told TOI on Tuesday, all the pending vacancies will be filled in six months.
The government’s Tuesday submission was made after NGT in April had pulled up the government on staff shortage at the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB).
NGT, which was hearing a petition on an RTI reply to activist Varun Gulati, had “disapproved” the board’s argument that it was “helpless” due to “inaction” by the Haryana Public Service Commission, which makes the appointments to HSPCB.
The “failure of one limb of the state” cannot be used as “justification” by “another limb”, the bench had said.
The April 24 hearing was held after Gulati got an RTI response from the government, saying that only 37% -- or 178 – of the total 481 HSPCB posts across all 22 districts of the state were currently filled, and 303 others were vacant.
“…Board has operationalised 24 regional offices and adequate staff will be provided in each regional office as soon as the staff is made available either on deputation basis or through direct recruitment by the recruitment agencies,” said the report by Haryana chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal.
HSPCB has promoted four Scientist ‘B' to the positions of Scientist ‘C’ on August 8 and the notice to fill the now-vacant Scientist B positions will be sent to the HPSC shortly, the report said.
Earlier in March and April, the pollution board had issued a circular to fill up 180 positions of different cadres on a deputation basis from other departments. Over 100 applications were scrutinised and it was found that candidates who were applying were not fully eligible for the posts. The board then issued another circular, inviting more applications on June 12, the action-taken report said.
On Tuesday, HSPCB chairman P Raghavendra Rao said all required actions are being taken. “We are expecting a few scientists to start joining in the next 10 days. If things go according to the plan, then we expect that the board will run on full strength in the next six months,” he said.
The vacancies include positions for scientists, assistant environmental engineers, senior scientific assistants and clerks. The board has sweeping powers to monitor, inspect, conduct surprise checks, and collect samples at the source of emissions to check if pollutants are being released.
They can impose penalties and initiate criminal prosecution against polluters apart from setting pollution standards.
In the Gurgaon regional office, five posts are vacant -- three for assistant environment engineers and two scientists.