Every person in the society should get equal facility for protection from risks emerging in environment and so also equal opportunity in creating a healthy environment for living, learning and working under an environmental justice system.
“All persons, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, should have equal role in making of environmental laws and guidelines and in their execution. It is also needed that benefits availed from the environment and possible losses should be equally distributed. When more pressure and problems are being created in environment, more priority should be given on environmental justice delivery system. While equal sharing of natural resources and ecological services was being traced earlier, industrial safety, pollution control and tolerable development have been included in it after 1984 Bhopal tragedy. There should be a social movement for achieving environmental justice delivery system for conservation and protection of environment,” said experts here on Sunday.
The experts viewed this at a seminar titled, “Environmental justice in India- Our advancement” organised by the Orissa Environmental Science (OES) under the chairmanship of its president Dr Sundara Narayan Patra.
National Green Tribunal and Orissa High Court lawyer Shankar Prashad Pani graced as chief speaker. Pani highlighted aspects of strengthening of environmental laws, punishment provisions for violators, enhancing ecological qualities. He cited incidents of illegal lifting of sand from rivers, mining of stones, waste management in urban areas, making religious places plastic-free zones, pollution in coalmine areas and protection of elephant corridors.
Former Environment Director Dr Bijay Ketan Patnaik presented some data relating to environmental degradation and talked about execution of related laws in Odisha. Out the outset, OES vice-president Dr Lala KS Singh had delivered welcome address and secretary Dr Jayakrushna Panigrhai introduced he guests and spoke about the objective of the seminar.