The State of India’s Pollution Control Boards: Highlights from CPR's Research

Overview

State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and their counterparts in union territories, the Pollution Control Committees (PCCs), are responsible for several key functions to curb air pollution. These include granting consents, setting emission and effluent standards, monitoring compliance of industry with these standards, and enforcement action in case of violations. However, they have often come under fire for failing to effectively deliver on their mandate. Over the years, several studies have revealed that SPCBs and PCCs do not have the resources and capacity to perform the functions assigned to them under various laws. In ‘The State of India’s Pollution Control Boards’,  CPR researchers explore some of the key institutional issues faced by SPCBs and PCCs in the Indo-Gangetic Plain through a series of papers:

  • “Who has a seat at the table?” – Examines the composition of the Boards and their ability to engage in policy-making and take decisions in furtherance of their statutory goals.

  • “Who is at the helm?” – Analyses the qualifications of the Board’s leadership, the length and stability of their tenure, and whether they are well-placed to guide the Boards’ functioning.

  • “Who is in the field?” – Evaluates the adequacy of the Boards’ capacity – particularly technical capacity – to perform critical functions like consent granting, inspection, monitoring, and enforcement.

All papers can be accessed here.

Key Findings

1. At least 40% of all posts are vacant across 9 SPCBs/PCC. Vacancy levels for technical positions are as high as 84% in Jharkhand, with Bihar and Haryana also having vacancy levels of over 75%. This has a significant bearing on the ability of the Boards to monitor industrial compliance. Challenges in hiring mean that in at least 4 states (Jharkhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar), engineers have less than a day to inspect, evaluate and approve each consent application.        

2. The Chairperson’s post is not full-time in several states. Member Secretaries in at least 4 SPCBs (Delhi, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal) are part-time and hold additional charge in other government departments. Therefore, the Board leadership is not able to fully focus on the SPCB’s functioning.           

3. Data also revealed that several Chairpersons and Member Secretaries have held their posts for less than a year in nearly every state, with the shortest tenure for a Chairperson being 18 days (in Chhattisgarh) and Member Secretary being 15 days (in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh). Frequent transfers of the Board leadership makes it challenging for them to conceptualize and deliver on long-term plans.

4. Individuals representing potential polluters (local authorities, industries and public sector corporations) account for 52% of the Board members across the 10 SPCBs and PCC, raising questions on conflict of interest. At the same time, scientists, medical practitioners and academics constitute only 7% of the Board members. The statutory requirement of having at least 2 Board members who have knowledge of and experience in air quality management is not met by most Boards. 

Panel Discussion 

The key findings and challenges in addressing India’s air pollution crisis were discussed with a panel of experts. Panelists included Dr Ashok Ghosh, Chairperson, Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, Centre for Science and Environment, Dr Ajay Deshpande, Adjunct Professor, IIT Bombay and former Expert Member, NGT and Karin Shepardson, Lead Environmental Specialist, The World Bank. Watch the discussion. 

Media Coverage

Articles

(Environmentality is a collection of ideas, perspectives, and commentary by researchers at the Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi. Views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the authors. They do not represent institutional views.)

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Shibani Ghosh
Shibani Ghosh

Shibani Ghosh is an environmental lawyer and a fellow at CPR. She specialises in environmental and access to information laws. At CPR, she researches issues relating to domestic environmental law and regulation.

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Arunesh Karkun
Arunesh Karkun

Arunesh Karkun is a Senior Research Associate at CPR. He is working in the area of air quality. His research interests also include clean transportation and climate change.

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Sharon Mathew
Sharon Mathew

Sharon Mathew is a Research Associate at CPR. She is studying the functioning of the regulatory and judicial institutions pertaining to the environment, in general, and air quality in particular.

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Prannv Dhawan
Prannv Dhawan

Prannv Dhawan is a Research Associate at the Initiative on Climate, Energy and Environment. His areas of interest include environmental law, constitutional law, law and society and minority rights.

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Bhargav Krishna
Bhargav Krishna

Bhargav Krishna is a Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research. His research interests span areas of health policy, environmental policy, and environmental epidemiology, with a focus on the impact of air quality and climate change on health.

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