Environmental laws a casualty

Pollution control, waste management and environment conservation are the subjects of much debate and concern not only on national but even on international level. These matters have cropped up owing to industrialization on a vast scale and the ongoing developmental activities in the developing world. We are living in a much polluted air and environs without having due realization of the same. Some months back, the State Government constituted a committee of two Ministers and 14 Administrative Secretaries to look into these aspects in Jammu and Kashmir. Several months have gone by and the committee has not called even its maiden meeting. With each passing day, pollution increases and environments become more obnoxious. As developmental activities are going on, it is but natural that pollution of environment will go on increasing as there is no control over it and authorities are sleeping. It has to be noted that some years back the Union Government started to review and monitor implementation of environmental laws so as to come up with the amendments required to be made in line with current requirements and to meet the objectives. J&K Government woke up belatedly to the exercise and early this year constituted the committee referred to above. But the delivery has remained a distant cry and so far the committee has given no proof of its interest in showing the results. At least it should have taken into account the need for reviewing and amending some law pertaining to conservation of environment. One may ask what is the purpose of constituting committees like these and wasting the time when there are no takers of the idea of conservation of environment? The Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing (DEERS) has been merely reduced to an advisory body with no powers to ensure strict implementation of environmental laws.

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