Nearly half of posts in UP Pollution Control Board vacant, shows RTI reply

Almost half the sanctioned posts in the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) are lying vacant, raising concerns over the functioning of the state's pollution watchdog.

According to information furnished by the UPPCB in response to an RTI query, the board has a sanctioned strength of 732 posts as of August 1, 2025. Of these, 355 -- nearly 49 per cent -- are vacant.

While the sanctioned staff strength spans across Group A, B, C and D, the board informed that requisitions have been sent to the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission for filling 115 vacant Group C posts, with the process still underway.

The query with the UPPCB was filed by Noida-based environment and social activist Amit Gupta under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.

On recruitment, the UPPCB said that between July 2024 and July 2025, it had issued appointment orders to 42 selected junior engineers, though only 28 have formally joined. During the same period, 41 employees, including staff from the Noida regional office, retired.

The RTI reply also noted that details about compliance with the Supreme Court's direction to fill vacancies by September 30, 2025, could not be shared, as the matter is sub judice before the apex court and the National Green Tribunal.

Gupta said that with almost one in every two posts lying vacant, the board's ability to effectively monitor air and water pollution across Uttar Pradesh is severely constrained.

"UPCCB has a massive shortage of staff, including at its Noida office has just five to six staff to manage one of the most polluted cities. Despite clear, time-bound orders from the Supreme Court and the NGT, a severe staff shortage persists. I hope this issue is taken seriously," Gupta told PTI.