Vijayawada: Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for forests and environment, Pawan Kalyan, said that the state’s responsibility is to ensure clean air and water for future generations while balancing industrial investment with pollution control. He said Pollution Control Board (PCB) must be strengthened as a statutory body and directed officials to prepare a comprehensive report on its staff, operations, and infrastructure.

During a review meeting in his chamber with Forest and Environment Department Special Chief Secretary Kantilal Dande and Panchayat Raj Commissioner Krishna Teja, Pawan Kalyan said, “Our elders handed over pure air and water to us. It is our duty to pass them on to the next generations as clean as possible. In some Godavari basin areas, people are forced to buy drinking water due to pollution caused by aqua industries and paper mills.”

The meeting also discussed allegations raised by TDP MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao regarding PCB’s functioning. Officials clarified that while the PCB has statutory powers, the government oversight is limited compared to other departments like Panchayat Raj.

Directing the officials, Pawan Kalyan stressed that while promoting industrial growth, strict pollution control measures must be enforced without creating conditions that drive investors away. He recalled past lapses, citing the LG Polymers tragedy and pollution concerns in Visakhapatnam’s pharma units, and called for continuous monitoring using advanced technology.

The Deputy CM posed several questions to the chief secretary regarding PCB operations, including number and roles of staff (regular, contract, outsourced), availability of infrastructure and financial resources, audit practices and findings, extent of focus on research and development, use of technology in pollution control, functionality of the PCB website and updating of pollution data (air, water, noise) by region, accessibility of information to the public.

He directed officials to submit a detailed report with answers to these queries and said the findings would be shared transparently with the public.

Pawan further stressed the importance of involving youth and students in environmental awareness programmes and linking industry with academia to strengthen R&D in pollution control. He also cautioned officials to remain vigilant against individuals seeking personal gain in the name of the PCB.