My salary is less than my peon's, rues KSPCB chief

Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) Chairman Vaman Acharya on Friday rued the lack of parity in his wages when compared to other State departments.

He claimed that his wages were lower than the peon working under him. According to Acharya, “Salaries of BWSSB employees are 20 per cent to 30 per cent higher. Although salaries were recently revised, I am still getting lesser than my peon. Even monthly allowance is less.”

Addressing the 58th conference of chairpersons and member secretaries of pollution control boards/committees, he pointed out there was repetition of work at various levels and the board was not being allowed to appoint its own staff and sanction its own development works. In this regard, he stressed the need to engage people attached to the board and make it more “people centric.”

Urging the State board to arouse public opinion about environment, Central Pollution Control Board Chairman Sushil Kumar said, “Pollution control boards were only “mirrors”, while action was with policymakers.”

He stressed the need for online mechanism of monitoring pollution sources to be set up by March 31, 2015. Continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in cities with population of a million as well as in State capitals by 2017 are being planned.

In the first phase, 13 cities will be covered, while in the second phase 15 cities will be covered. The cost of installation will be on 50-50 sharing basis, betwe­en CPCB and respective SPCBs.