Monday, August 22, 2016

Green court sees red, issues arrest warrant against sluggish states

Pune Mirror‎‎‎: Pune: Monday, August 22, 2016.
Govts fail to implement bio-diversity act, documentation through people's register also non-starter.
Observing the lackadaisical attitude of state governments in implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) principal bench in Delhi has issued an arrest warrant against all states which have been made respondents in the case.
Mirror had, on July 9, reported that despite the Act being passed 12 years ago, it still remains on paper. The petition was filed by a Punebased environment protection volunteer on the basis of information filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The information had revealed shocking data about the fact that the states are severely lagging behind in forming the biodiversity monitoring committees as well as the fact that the People's Biodiversity Register documenting the flora and fauna found in the area falling under these committees, too, has not reached a conclusion despite several years having passed.
The court, in its hearing last week, had issued a bailable warrant against residents in the sum of Rs 10,000. The respondent states have also been directed to file their replies within three weeks with advance copy to the applicant who may file a rejoinder. The case is next going to be heard on September 29.
Commenting on this order, Chandra Bhal Singh, who had filed the petition, said, "For the first time, the court has passed such an order, which is unprecedented. It is an embarrassment for the administration that the court has to issue such a strong order. The administration has been taking no cognisance of this and it is extremely sad to look at their lackadaisical attitude towards protection of biodiversity. I welcome this order whole-heartedly."
The information gathered had revealed that even Maharashtra, which had the maximum number of monitoring committees, had a mere 1,562 committees for 28,813 panchayats and municipal corporations. The state had submitted no People's Biodiversity Register either.
"By now, we must have made around 4,000 committees across the state. It was after the first notice itself that the commissioners had taken the matter on a war footing and issued letters for quick action in this regard. The whole case has had a positive impact on quickening this process," said one of the members of Maharashtra's state biodiversity board.
Maharashtra's biodiversity committee was formed as late as 2012 and in the previous period had a lot of administrative problems. It is only now that the board has been stabilised.
"First of all, there have been no efforts taken to spread awareness among various villagers about the way they should go forth with creating the committees and the need for making the registers. They have to be shown the importance of biodiversity how it is a treasure and how the services it gives us are invaluable. It is shameful that there is no seriousness in implementation of the Act and that the administration is taking it all lightly. This makes us wonder whether there are any vested interests at the government level may be they don't want to document the diversity which they feel might get in the way of 'development'," said Rajiv Pandit, founder of Jividha, an organisation working for environment conservation and education.
Santosh Shintre, another environmentalist from the city, said, "India was the first-ever country to pass a dedicated Act to protect biodiversity. However, this Act is not reflected in other policies of the country and exists in isolation even though it cannot be thus implemented. The government has to understand that better biodiversity is better and cheaper living. For example, in Raigad district, a maid, while returning home from work earlier, had access to 18 different types of wild vegetables which she could cook at home. Now, due to industrialisation, it has been lost and the district has to import vegetables from Mumbai."
Environmentalist Pradeep Chavan said, "It is a good move by the NGT since all the environmental laws the Biodiversity Act the most have been neglected when it comes to implementation. In the initial phase, when the Act was passed, some people had opposed certain provisions, stating that this will put the traditional knowledge of the community at risk of exploitation by commercial forces. After that, discussion as well as implementation have totally fallen behind. It is a great step since it an offence that no heed was paid by the state governments to the previous orders."
This makes us wonder whether there are any vested interests at the govt level may be they don't want to document the diversity which they feel might get in the way of 'development'