Concern for environment has fortunately acquired more recognition the world over and now in India too. The worry is however at a very nascent stage in India and that too mostly limited to paying lip service. In fact, it is generally fashionable in higher social circles to talk of protecting environment without going deeper into its causes and the possible solutions. The environmental pollution has spread over the last century, with severe damages to human life and habitat — from reckless industrialisation to spurt in automobiles to deforestation to contamination of rivers and aquifers etc.
It has taken a huge toll — grave health hazard for humans, depletion of ozone layer, global warming, severe threat to marine life etc. Our festivals are no less responsible for adding to the air and water pollution. Added to our woes is our burgeoning population, institutional weaknesses and terribly weak compliance to the legal requirements. India is facing similar situation today as the West faced almost hundred years ago; but we cannot wait for next hundred years. The West realised it much before, started taking corrective measures with newer technology, mass awareness and public involvement; economic advancement and sound political and social structure facilitated remedial course.
The fundamental change has to begin by creating mass awareness to protection of nature. Public has to become the primary stakeholders not only for their own sake but also for inter-generational equity. Nothing less than a people’ movement for regeneration of environment is the crying need of the day. Hence, special courses in school creating sensitivity for environment and respect for its regulations, are a must. let the young be eco-ambassadors to carry the struggle during the next ten, fifteen years.
Our issue is not the non-existence of law; we have plethora of laws, perhaps more than any other country. The disturbing fact is that we do not allow its writ — it starts from our mindset, basically no respect or fear of law — because cost of violation is very low. Influencing the course of law is most common as we are a country of VIPs.
Our VIP-centric culture makes everything possible, from violation of law to getting scot-free after serious offences. Therefore, enforcement of law without fear and favour is a tall order — the reverse happens only where a matter gets into the public domain through media discovery and the resultant public attention etc.
But it does not mean that common people do not try to influence the law, in fact everybody does. So again, the issue of sensitisation comes. We as a nation need to train ourselves to play by the rule. An ethical awareness and commitment for following certain set of societal code has no substitute for the success of such environmental renewal.
Apart from legal recourse, persons/industry found involved in causing air and water pollution should be shamed publicly for creating deterrent effect. Public awareness and consciousness on the issue has to be from both positive and negative angles, i.e., for the cause and against the wrong-doers. Once the social sanction and societal awareness is built up, technological innovation and absorption would have greater impact and implementation easier. The design and architecture of our planning has to be suited to our country, taking into consideration the levels of underdevelopment, poverty, illiteracy and lack of awareness (read dogged resistance to a civil behaviour) and democratic aspirations (read licence).
Institutional framework is also fairly available in our country; there are many regulators and watchdogs; if anything, they sometime overlap and work at cross-purposes. But their non-existence is not our despair. Our worry is that they have become flab, bureaucratic and non-functional and they need to be energised and made to deliver. There is a Central Pollution Control Board and chain of these in every State, besides other Government departments and agencies that are entrusted with the job of monitoring, regulating, controlling and punishing wrong-doers for environmental degradation. But that is not happening because our agencies are not put to the best use — many of these, with exceptions of course, have become parking lots for influential persons — as they are not equipped by skill or motivation.
lastly, not having any better option, we may think of fast-track courts for this sector as well. Summary decision in cases of violations, appeals and award of punishment etc. may help in checking the rot and in establishing the rule of law, especially over the high and the mighty. We must not bequeath to the next generation, a world that is worse than what we inherited.