Science is a disqualifier
IT'S BEEN four months since the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), on behalf of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (SCMC) on Hazardous Wastes, sent a strongly worded letter to the chief secretaries of all states and Union territories in India. Referring to the Supreme Court (SC) order dated October 14, 2003, which had directed states to strengthen their respective pollution control board (PCB) both in terms of infrastructure and human power.
The letter noted that most PCBs continue to defy the SC order. Also statutory provisions under the Water Act 1971 and the Air Act 1981, which specify that the chairpersons appointed shall be per-sons having "special knowledge or practical experience in respect to matters relating to environmental protection