JOIN USKarnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) chairman Sharath Chandra on Friday said the KSPCB has given 30,299 consents to industries while the manpower has remained the same through the years.
“In short, while the workload has increased the manpower has not changed. This has meant that the field officers have less time to inspect and efficiency has dropped,” he admitted.
According to the statistics, on an average KSPCB dedicates only 1.72 man days to each industry. Suggesting ways to give more teeth to Pollution Control Boards in the country, Chandra said a detailed debate must be held for amending the Air Act 1981 to ensure that all boards will follow the orders in a stringent manner.
A workshop for the PCB officials was organised here on Friday to share knowledge and shed light on the latest methods used by the State PCBs to control pollution in their respective states.
Delivering the Keynote address, the Central Pollution Control Board, Commissioner, Prof Gautam asked the State PCBs to have inter-state co-operation among the officials and share knowledge on subjects that are pertinent to pollution control.
Efficiency to be increased
“We need to increase the efficiency of our monitoring emission by the industries and this requires expert advice. The inter-departmental cooperation will ensure that the experts are on board for the decisions to be taken against industries for violation of pollution norms,” he said.
Citing Air Pollution as a prime reason for health concerns in the city, the Minister for Ecology and Environment, Krishna Palemar on Friday stated that the need of the hour is to restrict vehicles over 10 years to ply on city roads.
“Looking at the current situation, I believe that with the restriction of vehicles over 10 years to ply on the streets it may well make a difference in people’s health in the city,” he added.
The proposal to restrict vehicles that are 15 years old and above to move on the streets of Bangalore is under consideration by the Government, he added.