Experts reject panel’s suggestions on change in environment laws

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 11

Top environment experts have questioned the recommendations of the government-appointed committee to suggest changes to six existing environment and forest laws.

In a deposition yesterday before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment and Forests, Science and Technology, which Congress leader Ashwani Kumar heads, eight civil society groups trashed majority recommendations of the TSR Subramanian panel as “counter-productive to the cause of environment” and demanded their rejection.

The high-powered committee under former Cabinet secretary Subramanian was set up by the Narendra Modi government to “assess six environment and forest laws and recommend amendments to bring them in line with changing times”.

Sources said in their deposition before the panel, all environmentalists questioned the Subramanian committee suggestion that areas with over 70 per cent forest cover alone be declared no go. This implies that areas with lesser forest cover won’t be “no go” so far as environmental protections go.

Ashwani Kumar, without commenting on what the groups said, asserted: “The recommendations of Subramanian committee are under the consideration of the government. There are several apprehensions around the report and the possibility of dilutions to environment laws. We heard eight groups and we will hear more before compiling our findings. We decided to examine the government report because of concerns around the dilution of environmental laws on account of the report’s recommendations.”

Environmentalists are learnt to have also firmly opposed the Subramanian committee suggestion to introduce “utmost faith” concept to the environmental regulation jargon.

“This concept means you trust promoters when they self-certify to protect the environment while forging development. The government-appointed committee hurried into its report, held no public hearings and failed to heed court orders on the subject,” an expert said.

In their depositions, civil society activists also questioned the absence of qualified environmental professionals in the Subramanian panel which was asked to review Environment Protection Act, 1986; Forest Conservation Act, 1980; Wildlife Protection Act,1972; Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; Air Act 1981 and Indian Forest Act, 1927.