I t is perhaps not that efficiency and management of things having reached this high that despite absence of a reasonable strength of staff, an institution like Jammu Kashmir Pollution Control Board (JKPCB), a regulatory body can be deemed to be running smoothly with satisfactory outputs. Can it be inferred that the output is compromised? If not, how does the Board run with a reported shortage of up to 40 per cent of staff with a sanctioned strength of 437 as against 248 employees only provided by the concerned authorities to it? It also cannot be believed that to compensate for the work loss on account of there being lesser hands to handle it, extended period of time each day is arranged but even that cannot be a solution in the long run as besides that being a reflection of poor management of personnel affairs, it also led to overstressing the existing staff members. Of course, such measures can succeed and are in fact part of the system but not for an indefinite period as is seen in the JKPCB. It is ,however, fairly known as to how generally the work is being done in Government Departments, usually without proper assessment of staff strength, resulting in either over staffing or under staffing which could be that despite “sanctioned staff strength”, man power is not proportionately provided even in critical institutions. JKPCB, by its very nature of assigned role, is not confined to the four walls of its office but more of it in the field which include inspections, on the spot assessment of pollution related issues, enforcement of environmental laws with a commitment to provide to the people pollution free air and water etc. Even providing noise free environment to the people by controlling or regulating the sources generating such noise too, being among other types of role expected to be played meticulously by it. Added to it looking into issues like waste material management in scientific manner, advising, suggesting, cautioning and even initiating penal action against violators, issuing NOCs etc to various business enterprises and even Government run projects, therefore, requires a proper, need based, output oriented and targets achieving members on its staff. A proper analysis of how much staff was required is needed to be done regularly on annual basis and appropriate steps taken well in time to provide the required staff strength. The staff, as a natural corollary, would be of ranks of officers, senior officers at district levels, technical officers, subordinate staff and the like. It appears that JKPCB, in this respect, is in total mess not only in respect of acute staff “shortage” but those senior officers posted for years together are stagnated at the same post and same position thus telling upon their expected efficiency, output and their own levels of job satisfaction. It is to be believed that the JKPCB having some officers appointed in it 23 years back with good qualifications and degrees from country’s prestigious technical institutions including IIT are stagnated at the same post /position thus grossly underutilising their exposure, knowledge and technical expertise. Would it be any exaggeration to call it wasting cogent and weighty human resources ?A natural consequence of setting in frustration in such stagnated positions gets accentuated seeing by the ”aggrieved” ones’ their counterparts in other departments having taken promotions, one after the other, even as Heads of their respective departments understandably as per eligibility
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