Mumbai: Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF) recently promulgated a notification to provide for appointment of chairman and members of state pollution control boards. The new rules will end powers of the chief minister to appoint the chairman of the state pollution control b oard, with MOEF providing specific rules for the purpose. Before making the appointment, the state govt will have to invite applications from eligible candidates and the chairman will be selected by a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary.
“Stringent guidelines have been provided for appointment of chairman and members. The state govt will have to follow new rules, now one can expect more professionalism in key appointments,” a top bureaucrat told TOI.
Elaborating on the new rules, the bureaucrat said that MOEF has now made mandatory for the state govt to set up a selection committee to appoint the chairman. The committee will be headed by the chief secretary of the state govt, additional or principal secretary (services), representative of the central government not below rank of director to the central government, an expert in the field of environment to be nominated by the state govt, additional or principal secretary of the department of environment, who will be the member secretary of the committee.
The state govt shall, within one month from date of occurrence of any vacancy by reason of death, resignation or removal and six months before any anticipated vacancy, make reference to the selection committee. “The selection committee shall determine the procedure for making the recommendations, and it will submit a panel of three members to the state govt,” he said.
Further, the bureaucrat said that the selection committee shall invite applications from candidates having special knowledge or practical experience through open advertisement, published in at least three national newspapers, recommend a panel of at least three persons for selection of chairman within three months of reference made to the committee.
The chairman will have the tenure of three years and he will not be eligible for a fresh appointment after the end of his tenure.
