Names empanelled for CPCB chief scrapped twice

The Economic Times , Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Correspondent : TNN

NEW DELHI: The Central Pollution Control Board, assigned a key role in the PM's pet project - clean and rejuvenate Ganga river, has remained headless for 3 years as panel of shortlisted names for appointment as CPCB chairman was scrapped twice, the Centre informed the Supreme Court on Monday.

A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur had expressed serious reservations over the post of CPCB chairman remaining vacant since February 2012, when Prof S P Gautam had demitted office. Solicitor general Ranjit Kumar had promised to provide the court with the reasons for the post remaining vacant for a long time.

In the affidavit filed by National Mission for Clean Ganga, mission director Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said after Prof Gautam demitted office, process for regular appointment for the post was initiated but an advertisement seeking to fill the vacancy was made only in December 2012, after 10 months of the post getting vacant.

"The candidates selected by the Selection Committee were not recommended for the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) as against the process of the appointment and selection, one of the aggrieved candidates had filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court," he said.

Though the HC dismissed the petition on May 29, 2013, the earlier panel of selected candidates was scrapped by the ACC and as such "the process of appointment for the CPCB chairman post was commenced de novo," he said.

But, this too became entangled in litigation, this time before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). But the NGT dismissed the petition on February 3 this year. "However, the panel of selected candidates was again scrapped by the ACC on October 16, 2014. Hence, the delay occurred in the appointment of CPCB chairman on a regular basis," Mishra said.

He said the process has begun afresh for the third time and in the meantime, it was held by additional secretary in the ministry of environment, foresta and climate change. Additional charge of CPCB chairman had been assigned to Susheel Kumar, an additional secretary, since December 2013.

The affidavit said National Mission for Clean Ganga in association with CPCB on October 8 had organized a 'dialogue on industrial pollution in Ganga' which brought together government officials, academicians, experts and representatives of grossly polluting industries on a single platform for devising methods to curb industrial pollution in Ganga.

CPCB and state pollution control board representatives on October 16 met industrial associations and instrument suppliers to discuss installation of "Online (real time) Monitoring System for Effluent Quality" by the highly polluting industries.

 
SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/environment/pollution/names-empanelled-for-cpcb-chief-scrapped-twice/articleshow/44954881.cms?prtpage=1c
 


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