In the name of development wanton destruction of nature is taking place worldwide and is contributing tremendously to climate change. To prevent the situation from worsening further, the need of the hour is to maintain a balance between nature and development, a feat which we have failed to achieve so far. As a result, we are all witnessing changes such as unseasonal rains, sudden rise or drop in temperatures very frequently and these changes have begun to affect our lives immensely. To protect the environment, India has to proactively undertake serious efforts to ensure sustainable development. In this regard, the government should carefully consider the proposal of forming an All India Environment Service as suggested by the Supreme Court of India. It may be mentioned here that earlier a similar proposal was rejected by the Government of India on the pretext that multiplicity of institutions would complicate issues rather than solve it. However, since then the task of saving the environment has become more challenging as earlier efforts have failed to deliver desired results.
Often multiple institutions cause more confusion than solve problems, we have witnessed such confusion among various agencies whilst deciding the fate of development projects. But more than multiplicity of institutions, handling of crucial environmental issues by people ignorant about nature, has caused more damage. Otherwise, projects shouldn’t have come up in eco-sensitive zones such as the Himalayas or in the Sundarbans. Destruction of nature in the Himalayas has already resulted in huge loss of lives and properties. The Kedarnath tragedy is still fresh in our minds. Similarly, due to the rampant destruction of mangrove forests in Sundarban, the habitat of world famous Royal Bengal Tigers has become vulnerable to flooding and in the process raises a question on the survival of wildlife in the region. Many such lapses have occurred in India as we have not involved expertise from environmentalists in the decision making process, thus weakening our endeavour to protect the environment.
This is why the government needs to consider introducing an All India Environment Service so that people with requisite knowledge in nature can be involved in saving the country from nature’s fury. The argument about multiplicity of institutions is not valid any more as we have institutions such as National Green Tribunal (NGT), Commission for Air Quality Management, etc. among others to deal with environmental issues. The new service will be an addition to the policy-making process. It will deliver the goods as people joining the service will have knowledge and training on nature and development. It will ensure sustainable development and minimise the chances of frequent disasters. In fact, by damaging nature, we only invite destruction on ourselves. Our motto should be to prioritise preserving nature and an All India Environment Service will be helpful in this regard.