Pollution Control Board officials keep minister Konda Surekha in dark
Hyderabad: Konda Surekha is the minister for forests and environment for Telangana.
For the Telangana Pollution Control Board (PCB), which falls under her ministry, she may not even exist as the board does not respond to her queries, and even ignores directives that it submits monthly reports to the minister.
This startling fact that the PCB does not care for a minister under whose department it functions, was part of a letter that Surekha wrote to Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari last month, asking for regular reports from the Board. The Chief Secretary also holds the position of chairperson of the PCB.
Incidentally, the PCB, the nodal agency vested with the responsibility of pollution control in the state, was also in the cross hairs of the High Court more than once this year alone, and the court as recently as this September, said that the PCB could well be defunct for all practical purposes.
In her letter on September 19, the forests and environment minister, referred to “grave concerns regarding the inaction of the PCB officials on various public complaints, petitions, and representations,” that are sent to her notice for action, are not being acted upon, “Despite repeated directives, the PCB authorities have failed to take concrete measures to mitigate the pollution, resulting in environmental and health consequences,” she said.
Though the minister was clear in her letter, sources said no reply to her letter was received from the Chief Secretary as on date.
The forests and environment minister, in her letter, further said that she had asked the PCB for monthly reports on inspections, permissions, no objection certificates, fines and penalties and other work being performed by the PCB “for my perusal” and that the PCB officials appraise her on the activities “but in vain.”
Surekha further told the Chief Secretary that the PCB’s refusal to heed to the directives and even requests, led to embarrassing situations for the government in the last Assembly session “where I, as the minister for forests and environment, was unable to provide satisfactory answers to questions raised by members regarding the steps taken by the government to address pollution in various locations.”
Seeking the Chief Secretary’s intervention and asking her to direct the PCB authorities to take immediate action on public complaints and reports on pollution in various parts of the state, the minister said the state’s top bureaucrat and the chairperson of the PCB should ensure action taken reports are submitted to her from time to time along with monthly reports.
The minister also drew the Chief Secretary’s notice to how the High Court “recently expressed dissatisfaction” on PCB’s functioning. Surekha asked the Chief Secretary to constitute task force committees to be headed by district collectors in all districts with officials from various departments to inspect polluting industries and “take further immediate action in the interest of environment and public health.”
