Staff crunch at TSPCB

Awaits govt’s nod to fill vacancies

Division blues has left the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) in a lurch. A number of posts in the TSPCB are lying vacant as almost all the important posts were appointed to the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) as part of the division of erstwhile APPCB.

Junior environmental engineer Vishwanatham was looking after the responsibilities of chief engineer and there was no PRO. According to PCB sources, other important positions like chief engineer, senior scientific officer, assistant environmental engineer, public relations officer and others were vacant since the division of the board. There are also vacancies in the laboratory, scientific and technical wings. Though the department earlier got permission to recruit 31 posts in laboratory, it did not do so.

To overcome the problem and streamline the department activities, the TSPCB has started to create new posts in place of old ones. In this regard, the department officials have prepared proposals for 22 new posts and have forwarded it to the State government for cabinet approval. A senior PCB officer said that all the posts were to be filled through promotions by appointing Departmental Promotions Committee (DPC). However, since the DPC was not instituted the recruitment process did not take place.

So, the department officials have decided to create new posts and have prepared proposals after getting a nod from the PCB. The department has addressed a letter to the State government for clearance from the financial department. “All the vacant posts would be filled the by Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC),” he added. TSPCB member secretary Anil Kumar said, “Proposals have been sent to the State government for approval. The recruitment process would be taken up after getting thumbs up from the cabinet.”