Vice-President calls for people's movement to save environment
Mohali, May 7
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu today called for a collective action from people, along with enabling policies, for limiting the impact of climate change. “To be able to achieve the global warming limit of 1.5°C, we must aim at both macro-level systemic changes as well as micro-level lifestyle choices. We need a people’s movement for environmental protection,” he said.
Calling for a serious introspection and bold actions to mitigate the reality of increasing extreme events and diminishing biodiversity, Naidu said, “It is not only the duty of the government to deliberate but also of every citizen and human being on earth to save this planet”.
The Vice-President was addressing the audience after inaugurating International Conference on Environmental Diversity and Environmental Jurisprudence at Chandigarh University here. Naidu stressed India had always been leading the world in climate action. He reiterated India’s commitment to fulfil the ambitious national targets set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow recently.
Referring to how Indian culture has always revered and worshipped nature, Naidu said India had enshrined principles of environmental protection in the Constitution and passed many related laws “even before environmental discourse gained pace in the developed world”. “This spirit draws heavily from our ancient values that look at human existence as part of the natural environment and not as one that exploits it,” he added.
Further, Naidu stressed the need for an honest implementation of laws, suggesting that “only passing laws is not sufficient, stringent action against violators is equally important”. He suggested empowering Pollution Control Boards and local civic bodies with resources, technical expertise and punitive powers to implement environmental laws effectively. Noting that the Constitution empowers Gram Panchayats in matters of water management, soil conservation and forestry, he called for better fund allocation for this purpose. “Effective functioning of the grass-roots level bodies is critical in handling the climatic challenges of today and the future,” he emphasised. Highlighting the contributions of the National Green Tribunal, Naidu noted that with the growing demand for environmental litigation, there was an urgent need for training more legal practitioners in environmental law. In this regard, the Vice-President called for making poorer sections aware of their rights and bringing environmental justice closer to the needy. He suggested creating more specialised environmental benches in various parts of the country, if necessary.
Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Punjab; Justice Surya Kant, Judge, Supreme Court; Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Judge, Supreme Court; Justice Antonio Herman Benjamin, Judge, National High Court of Brazil; Justice Mohammad Rafiq, Chief Justice, High Court of Himachal Pradesh; Shombi Sharp, UN Resident Coordinator of India; Justice Swatanter Kumar, a former Judge of the Supreme Court, and other dignitaries were present during the event.
Strictly enforce ‘Polluter must pay’ norm
Lauding the higher judiciary for upholding environmental justice over the years, he suggested that “lower courts, too, must uphold an ecocentric view and keep the best interests of the local population and biodiversity in their judgments”. He called for stringent action against violators of pollution laws and strict enforcement of the “Polluter must pay” principle.
