Telangana State Pollution Control Board

The Pollution Control Board is a statutory authority entrusted to implement environmental laws and rules within its jurisdiction. The Board ensures proper implementation of the statutes, judicial and legislative pronouncements related to environmental protection within the State. The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) was constituted in the year 1976 after the enactment of the first major environmental legislation of the country, the Water (Prevention and Control of Water Pollution) Act, 1974. Initially set up to implement the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Board was subsequently given the responsibility of implementing a series of other environmental Acts and Rules, either directly or indirectly. State Pollution Control Board was created on 7.7.2014 vide GO Ms No 2 of Environment Forests Science and Technology Department, Government of Telangana.
Telangana State Pollution Control Board is a family of committed environmental engineers, scientists, communicators and administrators supported by sophisticated lab facilities in important hot spots of the state. We are just a call away to attend to any pollution problem that you as an individual, industrialist, a community, or a voluntary organization may face.
Objectives of the Board.
• To bring about a clean and healthy environment for sustaining all life forms.
• To identify the causes of pollution in soil, air and water, and to take urgent as well as appropriate measures to develop and implement resources and waste management systems through participation of all stake holders.
• To encourage the best practices in pollution control in terms of technology application and preventive methods.
• To create an awareness among citizens on the dangers of environmental degradation.
CONSTITUTION OF THE BOARD
As per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, a new Pollution Control Board for the newly formed State of Telangana was constituted on 07.07.2014 under Section 4 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974. The Chief Secretary of Government of Telangana is the Chairman of the Telangana State Pollution Control Board.
FUNCTIONS OF THE BOARD
The Board has been playing a catalytic role in implementing environmental policies, laws regulations and developing frameworks to manage both wastes and natural resources more efficiently. With its Head Office at Hyderabad, the Board covers the entire State of Telangana through its 2 Zonal Offices at Hyderabad and Ramachandrapuram headed by Joint Chief Environmental Engineer (JCEE). Of 10 Regional Offices 6 i.e., Hyderabad, Rangareddy-I, Rangareddy-II, Ramagundam, Warangal and Kothagudem come under Hyderabad Zonal Office. While Medak-I, Medak-II, Nalgonda and Nizamabad come under Ramachandrapuram Zonal Office. Each Regional Office is headed by an Environmental Engineer (EE).
The Telangana State Pollution Control Board is empowered to carry out its functions under the provisions of the following Pollution Control Acts & Rules and Amendments issued there under.
1) The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and its amendments.
2) The Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and its amendments.
3) Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Cess Act 1977 and its amendments.
4) The Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986 and rules framed there under
5) Manufacture, Import and Storage of Hazardous Chemical Rules 1989.
6) Manufacture, Use, Import and Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/ Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells Rules 1989.
7) Hazardous Wastes (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules 1989 and its amendments.
8) The Public Liability Insurance Act 1991 and its amendments.
9) The Chemical accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules 1996.
10) Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998 and amendments.
11) Plastic Manufacture, Sale and Usage Rules 1999 and amendments.
12) Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000.
13) The Noise pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 and amendments
14) Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules 2001.
Innovative techniques have been introduced at various levels to have a service orientation, public participation and transparency to information and decision making. Documentation systems and Communications cell, a Grievances Cell, Cleaner Production Cell, Computerization of functions at all levels, an informative Web-Site, a Bio-Medical Wastes Management Cell, Hazardous Wastes Management Cell and Municipal Solid Waste Management Cell have the Board an applied research and service orientation. This is bolstered by decision making through stakeholder committees involving NGOs, academia, industry and industries department. The Board web site can be accessed at www.tspcb.org.
THREE TIER SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION:
The Board is headed by a Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer is the Member Secretary. There are three wings, namely Technical Wing consisting of Engineering Staff, Scientific Wing consisting of Scientists, Analysts, etc and Administration Wing comprising Administration, Accounts, Environmental Education and Public Relations Staff.
CONTROL OF INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION:
The Board is regulating industrial pollution in the State through Consent Management, actions of Task force and Hazardous Waste Authorisation. All industries have been categorized into Red, Orange and Green depending upon pollution potential. The Board is issuing consents (CFE & CFO) to the industries in time bound manner by involving stakeholder through empowered committees. There are 10 districts covered by the Telangana State Pollution Control Board, i.e 1.Adilabad 2.Medak 3.Nalgonda 4. Hyderabad 5. Mahbubnagar 6.Nizamabad 7.Karimnagar 8.Khammam 9.Rangareddy 10.Warangal
The Board covers the entire State of Telangana through its 2 Zonal Offices at Hyderabad and Ramachandrapuram headed by Joint Chief Environmental Engineer (JCEE) and 10 Regional Offices at Hyderabad, Rangareddy-I, Rangareddy-II, Medak-I, Medak-II, Warangal, Nalgonda, Ramagundam, Nizamabad and Kothagudem each headed by an Environmental Engineer (EE)
The Board covers the entire State of Telangana through its 2 Zonal Offices at Hyderabad and Ramachandrapuram headed by Joint Chief Environmental Engineer (JCEE) and 10 Regional Offices at Hyderabad, Rangareddy-I, Rangareddy-II, Medak-I, Medak-II, Warangal, Nalgonda, Ramagundam, Nizamabad and Kothagudem each headed by an Environmental Engineer (EE)
Total Number of Posts 219 out of which Technical posts are 79, Ministerial posts are 39 and Staff Available is 118.
Industries are categorised based on the Pollution Potential. That is 1.Low Pollution Potential –Green Category, 2.Medium Pollution Potential- Orange Category and 3.High Pollution Potential –Red Category
The Chairman and the Member Secretary are vested with the powers as set-in by the Environment, Forests, Science & Technology Department in the Government. Other Senior Officers are under the control of Member Secretary. The Board functions through its Head Office at Hyderabad, two Zonal Offices headed by Joint Chief Environmental Engineers and ten Regional Offices headed by Environmental Engineers. The functions of the Board are illustrated below.
The Board formulates the annual action plan and communicates it to Regional, Zonal Offices and all Divisional Heads of Head Office, every year for effective implementation and achievement of the targets. An Evaluation section was constituted on 28.04.2009 in the combined State of Andhra Pradesh for monitoring of bulk drug and chemical industries in Medak and Ranga Reddy districts. The Annual Action Plan consists of various activities and their sub activities along with annual targets/ achievements for the particular year to fulfill the provisions of various Environmental Acts. The Annual Action Plan is performance oriented and is based on the Annual Budget of the Board.
Consent for Establishment (CFE): The Board had brought transparency in Consent for Establishment issuance by way of placing all the applications before an external advisory committee constituted with experts by the Board to process the applications of the industries as per delegated powers. The main functions of the CFE section are processing the industrial applications received through single window, non-industrial projects received directly by Board for issue/rejection of CFE.
Consent for Operation (CFO): Transparency is ensured in issuing of Consent for Operation by way of placing all the applications before an external advisory committee constituted by the Board to process the applications of the industries as per delegated powers. In order to simplify consent management, the PCB has been issuing combined CONSENT and Authorisation order under Air Act, 1981 & Water Act, 1974 and Hazardous Wastes Management Rules instead of separate consent orders and Authorisation.
Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW): Implements the Rules related to major Solid wastes such as bio-medical waste, municipal solid waste, plastic waste notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India (GoI), under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Hazardous Waste Management (HWM): Implements the Rules related to Hazardous Waste notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India (GoI), under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Section is also responsible for implementation of various provisions of environmental legislations such as the Public Liability Insurance Act. The other functions include issuing authorization for hazardous waste management to Recyclers and Reprocessors, import license of hazardous chemicals, and site selection for common hazardous waste disposal.