DNA: New Delhi: Sunday, January 18, 2015.
During the
course of their meetings across the country, the TSR Subramanian headed
high-level committee (HLC) - constituted to submit a report on recommending
amendments to key environmental laws - copped a lot of flak for not engaging
enough with environmental and citizen groups. Now it has come to light that
neither the HLC nor the ministry of environment, forests and climate change
(MoEF&CC) maintained any minutes of the meetings they held within
themselves or for those held with government officials, citizen groups and
industry bodies. The information came in response to a Right to Information
(RTI) application with the union ministry of environment, forests and climate
change (MoEF&CC). The application filed by Legal Initiative for Forest and
Environment (LIFE) had sought information on the total number of meetings held
by the HLC, their locations and minutes of the meetings.
In their
response, the ministry has enlisted a total of 30 meetings held by the HLC. Of
the 30 meetings, only seven were held with 'civil society, non-governmental
organizations (NGO) and prominent citizens' across Delhi, Bangalore, Mangalore,
Bhubaneswar and Patna. Details show that in many of the meetings meant for civil
society and NGO's, representatives of trade bodies and industry were attendees.
In addition, the information shows that the HLC did not hold any meetings in
key states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, West Bengal and
entirely skipped the environmentally sensitive north-eastern region entire.
Ritwick
Dutta, co-founder, LIFE, termed the HLC's consultations as a cosmetic exercise.
"The HLC report does not reflect any sentiments of the stakeholders and on
issues of livelihood. If the HLC's report says that the "committee covered
a gamut of issues with detailed consultations", why were no minutes
maintained."
Speaking to
dna, former cabinet secretary and chair of the HLC TSR Subramanian said,
"The details of the committee's meetings were maintained by the ministry.
We met a cross-section of people in the limited amount of time and heard their
views, it was not a dialogue." Another HLC member K.N.Bhat, former
additional solicitor general of India refused to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile,
ministry officials in the know of things said that the HLC's meetings with
government officials and citizens were only to understand their viewpoint on
various environmental laws and there was no need for maintaining any minutes as
representations and submissions have been collected in documentary form.
Activists had panned the ministry as they were provided only 1,000 words to
submit suggestions to HLC on its website. The HLC had also faced criticism for
selective invitations for consultative meetings, many of which were attended
more by industry representatives.
Presently,
the HLC's report and its key 55 recommendations are being reviewed by the
parliamentary standing committee on science and technology, environment and
forests, chaired by Congress leader Ashwani Kumar. Last week, nine NGO's put
forth their reservations regarding the HLC report in the standing committee's
meeting. Following these meetings and after consultations with state
governments, the union government is expected to table amendments to environmental
laws in the upcoming Budget session of Parliament.
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