New Delhi: Almost 45 per cent of sanctioned scientific and technical posts across pollution control boards in the country are lying vacant, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed the Lok Sabha earlier this month.
Responding to questions raised by CPI(M) MP Rathnavel Sachithanantham on December 8, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is operating with a vacancy rate of 16.28 per cent, while state-level bodies are facing a far more acute staff crunch.
According to the data shared in Parliament, the CPCB has 393 sanctioned scientific and technical posts, of which 64 are vacant. State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) together have 6,137 sanctioned positions, but 2,921 of them remain unfilled. In addition, Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in Union Territories have 402 sanctioned posts, with 176 vacancies. Overall, 3,161 posts out of a total sanctioned strength of 6,932 are vacant nationwide.
Sachithanantham sought clarity on whether the CPCB and SPCBs — considered the frontline agencies for environmental monitoring and enforcement — are being weakened by the shortage of field-level professionals such as environmental engineers and scientists. He also asked for details on the government’s plan and timeline to address what he described as a chronic manpower deficit.
In his reply, Singh said that while the ministry oversees the CPCB, the state pollution control boards and pollution control committees function under the administrative control of their respective state governments and Union Territory administrations. He added that recruitment in SPCBs and PCCs is carried out by the boards themselves, as per their own regulations, and filling vacancies is the responsibility of the concerned state or UT authorities.
The disclosure comes amid growing concerns over environmental governance, particularly as Delhi-NCR continues to battle severe air pollution. Experts have repeatedly pointed to limited institutional capacity within pollution control boards, warning that staff shortages undermine effective monitoring of industrial and infrastructure projects and enforcement of environmental and forest clearance conditions.
The ministry also referred to the Environment Audit Rules, 2025, notified on August 29, which aim to strengthen oversight by identifying projects that violate environmental norms, among other provisions. However, specialists argue that regulatory reforms alone may fall short unless accompanied by adequate staffing on the ground.
Pollution control boards are mandated to monitor air and water quality and ensure compliance with environmental laws, making the scale of vacancies a significant concern for environmental protection efforts across the country.
