In a surprise move, the Union ministry of environment and forests (mef) was subjected to a major reshuffle recently. There was, however, a predictable side to the shake-up: officers without the requisite specialisation were handed over key technical portfolios such as impact assessment. On the one hand, sources in the ministry justify the exercise claiming that there were those who had been holding charge of one section for as long as 10 years. On the other, it is being alleged that the restructuring smacks of favouritism and that it would put the clock back since the new officials will have to start from scratch. Fears have also been raised about the step affecting preparations for the ensuing budget and the 10th five-year plan.

Short-term upheavals apart, the reshuffle has rekindled the wider debate on the functioning of the administrative and scientific staff in the mef. The decision on the transfers has been made by the former, which includes officers from the Indian Administrative Service (ias), Indian Forest Service (ifs), Indian Revenue Service and Indian Postal Service. Scientists contend that in the process they have been marginalized. They apprehend that the administrative staff will soon take complete charge. This despite the mef being classified as a scientific ministry. Figures, too, lend weight to their assertion. While there are 453 posts (416 filled) for administrative staff in the mef, only 80 scientific posts exist. Out of these, hardly 60 are occupied.

M G K Menon, chairperson of the high-powered committee on management of hazardous wastes, highlights this aspect in the panel's final report for 2001: "There is a severe imbalance between the number of administrative and scientific posts in the mef