Panaji, Jul 2 (TOI): The high court of Bombay at Goa has sought an immediate response from the state government regarding the Supreme Court’s direction to frame recruitment rules within six months on a plea questioning the appointment of chairman and other office-bearers of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).

Social activist Kashinath Shetye and another petitioner had raised twin issues questioning the appointments to the board. In one, he alleged that the government could not have issued a notification appointing the chairman, secretary and members of the board as the rules were framed on November 24, 2016 but withdrawn a year later, on November 29, 2017.

In the other issue, Shetye pointed out that the Supreme Court, on September 22, 2017, had directed executives in all the states to frame appropriate guidelines or recruitment rules to ensure choice of duly qualified persons. But the state government has not complied with the apex court order till date, he alleged.
While the division bench comprising Justice N M Jamdar and Justice Prithviraj K Chavan sought an appropriate affidavit from government, they deferred the petition to July 9 for directions.

While the apex court had fixed a time-frame for making rules, the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) principal bench had ruled in a landmark 167-page order against political appointments, stating that efficient and competent officials are needed to tackle environmental and other issues due to increasing industrialization and pollution in the country.