Need to design development in planned & judicious way for Himalayan states- Justice Malimath
Stressing on the need for protecting and conserving the environment, the acting chief justice of Uttarakhand High Court, Ravi Malimath said that the need of the hour is to design development for Uttarakhand and other Himalayan States in a planned and judicious manner. He was speaking at a webinar on ecological responsibility held recently and webcasted by the Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority.
Stating that the Environment Protection Act, 1986 intends to safeguard the environment from rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, he said that policy making in modern times is highly focused on economic development. This leads to over exploitation of natural resources, so it is necessary to consider environmental impact in planning and development. The acting chief justice further said that the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is one of the very eco-sensitive zones of the world. The need of the hour is to design development for Uttarakhand and other Himalayan States in a planned and judicious manner. Uttarakhand possesses unique flora and fauna, which must be treated differently. On the judicial role on the issue of environmental protection, he stated that in Uttarakhand the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate has been empowered to exercise jurisdiction in respect of areas of all the districts of Uttarakhand for cases under the environmental laws. Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia also emphasised on the ecological responsibilities of various stakeholders. He suggested that collective and coordinative effort is required to keep the environment clean. Justice Lokpal Singh informed about the related provisions of law. Anil P Joshi of HESCO, Uttarakhand Open University director Durgesh Pant and Indian Institute of Petroleum director Anjan Ray also expressed their views on the occasion.
Friday, 18 December 2020 | PNS |Nainital
