No action by Pollution Control Boards to Monitor Pollution

 

It is important that Citizens take up with the authorities the failure of the Pollution Control Board to do their duty. The continuing rise in pollution levels is causing a lot of pulmonary diseases. Wake up Vizagites!! 







Extracts fromDeccan Chronicle Article Dt. 24 November 2023 

https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/241123/appcb-fails-to-check-pollution-in-vizag-officials-say-regional-branch.html

The APPCB Vizag branch's regional office has the job of Controlling pollution in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle. 

Visakhapatnam has seven large-scale industries. Hindustan Shipyard; Hindustan Petroleum Corporation,  Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, Simhadri thermal power project, Bharat heavy plate and vessels ltd, National mineral development corporation, Ferro scrap nigam ltd. All these seven industries emit lots of atmospheric and other pollutants.

Anakapalle district’s Atchutapuram mandal has several industries that contribute to the region’s pollution bulge. Here, the industries span the fields of metallurgy, chemicals, petrochemicals, textiles, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment manufacturing, electronics units, and aerospace ventures. Vigorous pollution checks are needed. But, APPCB Vizag branch is “handicapped” by “staff shortage.”

When Deccan Chronicle spoke to PCB Vizag branch environmental engineer Nagi Reddy, he said, “We are understaffed. We are working till 10.30pm. There has been no recruitment for the last 15 years. "After the state bifurcation, Telangana state has recruited employees for its pollution board twice. The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board started with 17 employees but now has 597 employees and functions in all districts of the state," say the PCB officials here.

The Vizag PCB laboratory depends on outsourced field staff for collecting samples., “Many sample collectors are politically recommended candidates who don’t know how to do their work.” This adds to the overall deficiency.







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