CJI on environmental laws

Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia on Friday asked the government to prepare environment and population plans based on ground realities and not on "rhetoric" and suggested the environment ministry to simplify its notifications to save judiciary's time in interpreting them.

Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia on Friday asked the government to prepare environment and population plans based on ground realities and not on "rhetoric" and suggested the environment ministry to simplify its notifications to save judiciary's time in interpreting them.

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“In the last six years I find that the government has excellent plan on paper. But when it comes to population growth, all our plans are going haywire. And that is where I am emphasising the concept of carrying capacity of the supporting economic system," Kapadia said.

Speaking at the inauguration of an international seminar on disaster management and the role of law society in the presence of President Pratibha Patil, Justice Kapadia said the challenge to the efficacy of the principle of sustainable development is posed by "improper and inadequate population policy."

“It is the exponential population growth that destroys the carrying capacity of the supporting eco system which is the essence of this doctrine of sustainable development. He said plans on biodiversity and population should go by ground reality not merely rhetoric, not merely paperwork.

Law minister Salman Khurshid and environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan were also present.

In a word of advice to the environment minister, he said notifications issued by the ministry under the Forest Act and the Environmental Protection Act should be simplified to save courts' time in interpreting them.