Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF) officials are angered at the ineffectiveness of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which has been functioning since 1991 as a statutory body under Delhi Administration.

MEF's stringent reprimand was issued to DPCC even as MEF minister Kamal Nath denied in a written reply to Rajya Sabha members that Delhi was the country's most polluted city. The MEF reprimand asked why powers transferred to DPCC should not be taken back.

Understandably, DPCC officials are smarting under this virtual show cause notice. They contend they are ignored by Delhi Administration and key senior posts in DPCC have been lying vacant for three months.

Ironically, the MEF reprimand was issued the day the selection process was begun to fill 20 vacant DPCC posts.