Incumbent Mahesh Patil is among the contenders
PANAJI
Incumbent Chairman Mahesh Patil, Additional Collector (South) Srinit Kothwale, Biodiversity Board member secretary Pradeep Sarmokadam and Commissioner Labour and Employment Levinson Martins are amongst eight candidates who have qualified for the post of Chairman of State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
The three-year-long term of the existing Board Chairman Patil and member secretary Shamila Monteiro ended on January, 6 2025. The Board under Patil was constituted in January, 2022. However, the delay over the appointment of a new Chairman and Member Secretary forced the government to extend the term of the existing Board by another three months or till the time the new Board is reconstituted.
In October, last year, the environment department invited applications from interested and eligible candidates for the post of chairman and member secretary of GSPCB. The last date to apply for the post is November 14, last year. Following a poor response, the department issued fresh advertisements in December.
The other eligible candidates include former Board Chairman Ganesh Shetgaonkar, who had held the position before Patil from 2019 till December 2021. Also, Martins had held the position of member secretary in GSPCB before.
The applicants also include HOD Humanities and Science Department of Government Polytechnic Dr Dipak Gaitonde and Professor and Head of Mining Engineering Department of Goa College of Engineering Dr Ulhas Sawaikar.
Executive Director in Maharashtra State Power Generation, Mumbai Dr Nitin Wagh has applied for both Chairman and Member Secretary positions.
Meanwhile, five people have applied for the Member Secretary post including sitting MS Shamila Monteiro. Senior Environment Engineer in GSPCB Sanjeev Joglekar and Administrator of Comunidade Geeta Nagvenkar are the other two eligible applicants.
Scientist at GSPCB Jenica Sequeira has also qualified for the post.
The knowledge of environmental sciences and environmental management has been made mandatory. The candidate has to also be a resident of Goa for at least 15 years, and the knowledge of Konkani is mandatory and that of Marathi is desirable.
According to the new guidelines released in 2021, there would be a 19-member Board instead of 16 members that includes a chairperson, member secretary and 17 members to be nominated by the State government to represent the interests of agriculture, fishery or industry or trade and local authorities functioning within the State.
