Himachal Assembly Session: Reply to MLA Sudhir Sharma’s Question on Grievance Redressal

Shimla, August 27: During the Himachal Assembly Monsoon Session, Dharamshala MLA Sudhir Sharma raised a question regarding grievance redressal in the Department of Environment, Science & Technology and Climate Change. In this question asked to the Chief Minister, the current status of complaints related to officers and employees in the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) was asked.

The reply revealed that so far SPCB has registered two complaints against officers and employees. The first complaint pertains to Assistant Environmental Engineer Praveen Kumar and Senior Environmental Engineer Gurpreet Singh working in the regional office in Una. The matter is related to the renewal of the consent letter of M/s Sera Bio Medical located in Plot No. 2 of Industrial Area Gagret, Ghanari Tehsil of Una district.

After the matter came to the notice of the government, SPCB was issued a letter STP-F(10)2/2016 dated 21-07-2023 directing it to re-investigate and submit a new report. The government reply said that the investigation is still going on.

According to the reply, the second complaint was related to Rakesh, senior environmental engineer of SPCB, who was complaining about his improper behavior. After investigation conducted by the senior scientific officer of the department, a show cause notice was issued to Rakesh. Also, consultation notices were issued to the regional office. The department has assured that appropriate action will be taken after receiving satisfactory explanation.

The Chief Minister’s Office was also asked about the number of files currently pending in the department, but no specific information was given during the session.