Mumbai : The committee of BMC’s environment department has given approval to create 41 new post for the department. The proposal will now require final approval of the newly appointed municipal commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani. After which the environment department will have a dedicated staff.

Staffing Structure Enhancement in BMC’s Environment Department

The BMC will appoint one sub-engineer each in all the 25 administrative wards who will work as coordinator with the department. Apart from it, the department will have a chief engineer with two deputy chief engineers and three executive engineers. Also, an assistant engineer will be appointed for all the seven zones. A required staff will also be recruited.

Duties & Responsibilities Of New Staff In BMC’s Environment Department

As per the civic official, “The new staff will have to carry out surprise visits, issue notices and penalise the violators and ensure that dust mitigation measures are carried out in wards. The environment department has had no dedicated staff since 2016. The department at present has only one deputy commissioner, who is responsible for formulating and executing plans for the environment. He has been assigned only one clerk, and a consultant along with their staff are assisting him in his work.

Role of BMC’s Environment Department In Air Quality Management

The importance of this department came into light after the air quality in the city worsened post-monsoon. The environment department played a role in formulating guidelines. Currently, this department is monitoring the AQI, checking the capacity of air pollution measurement devices to ensure they are installed in the correct locations, and formulating long-term and short-term measures to reduce air pollution.