Some employees hold charge of as many as four separate posts; some have not been transferred for more than two decades, non-technical staffers have been assigned technical posts and some technical and qualified people have been completely overlooked and their services not utilized at all. This is state of affairs in State’s Pollution Control Board.Some employee even accused higher-ups in the department of subjecting them “mental, physical and ‘other’ harassment”.“You have to keep higher-ups happy and get virtually every post you may want,” some employees of the J&K State Pollution Control Board told GNS.Referring to one of the officers in the department, they said that he holds the post of an environmental engineer, administrative officer J&K, in-charge of online system and regional director.“Similarly, some scientists, who otherwise are required in the laboratory, have been assigned the job of district officers and also holds technical officers post which otherwise is a job of an engineer,” they said. Most of the engineers, they said, have been ‘crushed’ and they are not assigned any job.
“An employee from police department holds the post of PA to Regional Director,” they said, adding, “The field assistant has been given the post of field inspector who otherwise should have a diploma or degree.In other words, a non-technical has been posted requiring technical qualification.”These persons, they said, were appointed as a field assistant based on recommendations by the Service Selection Board almost 10-15 year back. As per SSB’s criteria, a field inspector must have a diploma or degree in engineering.“These persons having the qualification of matric have been given the post of field inspector in utter disregard to the established criteria.”They said that B.tech, M. Tech, and other highly qualified staffers have been ignored and “reduced to nullity having no work at all.”“Some staffers even are subjected to mental, physical and ‘other’ harassment by the higher-ups in the department.” Most of the draftsmen are left without any work along with other degree and diploma holders. “Some sweeper recently made a remark that brooms should be brought so that these engineers would at least do some job,” they said, adding, “ It is having the telling effect on the dignity of the engineering and other staff.”When contacted, Chairman State Pollution Control Board B.Siddhartha Kumar told GNS that “he will look into it.” (GNS)