Justice Sundaresan Criticizes Inaction on Western Ghats Reports, Urges Immediate Action for Ecological Preservation
Justice Somasekhar Sundaresan of the Bombay High Court has sharply criticized both State and Central governments for their failure to act on crucial reports identifying significant portions of the Western Ghats as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA). Speaking on Sunday, Justice Sundaresan highlighted the urgency of addressing the issue, particularly in light of recent natural disasters.
In 2011, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, commonly known as the Gadgil Commission, designated 70% of the Western Ghats as ESA. This designation was subsequently reviewed by the Kasturirangan Commission in 2013, which reduced the ESA coverage to 37%. Despite the importance of these findings, neither report has led to significant action by authorities, Justice Sundaresan emphasized.
The High Court judge underscored the lack of progress in implementing the recommendations from both reports, linking it to recent tragedies such as the Wayanad landslide in Kerala, which claimed over 420 lives, and the Ankola and Raigad landslides. He also pointed to issues like the recent entry ban at a waterfall in Bhimashankar and the sinking of Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand as evidence of the ongoing ecological crisis.
Justice Sundaresan, speaking at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association’s International Conference on ‘Law and Technology: Sustainable Transport, Tourism, and Technological Innovations’ in Kumarakom, Kerala, emphasized that the need for action is no longer a matter of future generational equity but of immediate concern. He argued that the disasters of the past few years illustrate a pressing need for immediate action rather than merely focusing on long-term, intergenerational issues.
“The reports from 2011 and 2013 were not acted upon, and we are facing the consequences now. It is high time for a wake-up call to address these issues effectively,” Justice Sundaresan concluded, calling for urgent measures to protect the Western Ghats and prevent further environmental degradation.
(With inputs from agency)
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