ndia’s environmental crisis isn’t just in the skies — it’s in the halls of its own regulatory agencies. As millions choke under hazardous air pollution this season, the institutions meant to protect public health are starved of the scientists, engineers, and technical experts who should be enforcing laws and monitoring environmental quality. According to a recent parliamentary reply, a shocking 45.6 % of scientific and technical posts across the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) remain unfilled — that’s 3,161 vacancies out of 6,932 sanctioned positions. Even the CPCB, India’s top pollution regulator, has over 16 % of its technical posts vacant. Instead of bolstering enforcement, the government is passing the buck back to states and territories, leaving critical pollution governance skeletal, reactive, and toothless just when communities need protection most. This institutional hollowing out signals a dangerous de-prioritisation of environmental science and public health in the face of worsening pollution.
🛑 India’s Pollution Guardians Impotent: Nearly Half of Scientific & Technical Positions in Pollution Control Bodies Lie Empty
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