In our country, laws have been made at various levels for environmental protection, and various punishments have also been provided for non-compliance with those laws. But the general public or even media lack concern about environmental crimes. That is why the same uproar that is created in the country when there is a robbery, murder or in cases of crimes like domestic violence, is not created when a crime is committed in the field of environment. But if I share the statistics, you will realize that in our society and country, the crimes committed against the environment are as much as the crimes committed against humans. The irony is that society is less aware of environmental crimes, which is why verdicts in such cases take years in various courts in India.
The National Crime Records Bureau releases various statistics every year regarding the decline in crimes in the country. According to the statistics, until last year, there have been 88,400 cases related to environment in various courts of India, whose proceedings are going through extremely slowly. Also, new cases are being added to these figures every day. If the court has to dispose of all these cases, it will have to deliver judgments of 242 cases per day. Otherwise, environmental cases will be hanging, and justice will be pending for the next 34 years!
Before I give my point of view in this article I want to give few more facts. So that you can understand the importance of prompt delivery of environment related crimes and cases pending in court. India has more than ten different very important Acts for damage to the forests and the environment. Such as the Forest Act 1927 and Forest Conservation Act 1980, Wildlife Conservation Act 1927, Environment Protection Act 1986, Land Mining Act, Air and Water Pollution Prevention and Control Act, Noise Pollution Act and Cigarette and Tobacco Manufacturing Act. Apart from this, there are separate laws for wildlife and bird trafficking.
All these laws are created because there is a very large network that makes crores of rupees by damaging the forest environment and animal trafficking and poaching for their products. These networks are run by big mafias who have no value for the forests, wildlife, or the environment. Rather, they harm the environment for their personal gain and pose a grave threat to the safety of the lives of millions of people. The climate issues we are seeing today also have a huge contribution from such crimes. Because such crimes do not happen only in India, the world is plagued by such mafias. Due to which many rivers and seas of the world are polluted today, illegal land mining is taking place in many places of the world, the forests are being cut or burnt down indiscriminately and many species of plants and animals have been endangered or destroyed due to animal trafficking.
Whatever that is happening elsewhere in the world, we can not do anything about it. But when any such crime is registered in India, if the courts take swift action and punish the culprits severely, it will set an example in the society that the courts are very serious about environment protection. Otherwise, witnessing the environment-related cases that are pending in the courts, the illegal sand or mining mafia or those who pollute the rivers or those who pollute the air will get courage that the punishment or verdict will be delivered only if the proceedings are held in the court in such a case... with that philosophy that till that time we will make crores of rupees!
Finally, now it is very necessary to give priority to environment protection. Environmental protection is an issue with which the lives of millions of people are connected. In the last five years, we have experienced many disasters because of climate change. We have also realized that our monsoon pattern has now changed radically. Also the number of hot days in a year has increased tremendously. In all this, such greedy criminals have their contribution. They must be severely punished so that others will be afraid to commit crimes against the environment. Finally, even in this way, if forests, rivers, air, or our wildlife can be protected, then we must take steps in that direction. No one has the right to pollute or destroy our common wealth and resources.
(The author, Viral Desai, a three-time President Awardee, is a well-known environmentalist, author and businessman of the country.)
