India News | Congress MP Seeks Setting Up of JPC to Combat Pollution
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Congress Rajya Sabha member Amee Yajnik on Friday asked the government to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to work with all stakeholders and to fix a timeline for it to present a comprehensive report on the current status of air, water and land pollution in the country.
New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Congress Rajya Sabha member Amee Yajnik on Friday asked the government to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to work with all stakeholders and to fix a timeline for it to present a comprehensive report on the current status of air, water and land pollution in the country.
Moving a resolution on the matter during private members' business in the Upper House, she also asked the government to introduce stringent legal provisions to mitigate environmental pollution and promote sustainable development.
Yajnik said despite the country having several laws, policies and authorities such as the Central Pollution Control Board and state pollution control boards to check the various forms of pollution, the issue persists.
Asking members to pass the resolution, she said, "Let there be experts from all fields. All laws are (should be) taken in one place, all the schemes and policies are (should be) put together because by taking them singularly or isolatedly, we are creating a lot of multiplicity of levels."
Underlining the importance of the implementation of environmental laws, the Congress MP said there is a need to understand how to deal with the implementing agencies and "how are they contributing to the non-implementation part" of the laws.
She said in today's time, health has become a major concern and it is being affected by various forms of pollution.
Yajnik lamented that despite schemes like 'Nirmal Bharat' and 'Swachh Bharat', there are "very difficult situations where garbage is not being incinerated, garbage is not being treated" and untreated industrial effluents find their way to rivers.
Her resolution sought the segregation of factors responsible for air, water and land pollution and the preparation of a plan of action to control the overall environmental pollution. The JPC could suggest steps to improve environmental protection by adopting technological advancements.
The resolution also called for the formulation of policies to "discourage the use of chemical pesticides and suggest substitutes for chemical pesticides and biocides to our farmers".
It also called for introducing stringent legal provisions to mitigate environmental pollution and promote sustainable development.
Taking part in the discussion, Shiv Pratap Shukla of the BJP highlighted several steps taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to combat pollution, including the launch of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and providing LPG connections to the poor.
Amar Patnaik of the BJD agreed that all stakeholders must be brought together to address the issue of climate change, of which pollution is a part.
Similarly, V Vijaysai Reddy of the YSRCP raised concerns over the massive consumption of fossil fuels that is contributing to poor air quality and global warming.
"It is the need of the hour that all the representatives of the government and stakeholders come together and combat environmental pollution," Reddy said.
Samajwadi Party MP Vishambhar Prasad Nishad agreed that a JPC should look deeply into the matter.
Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD noted that every year during November-December, farmers are blamed for the pollution due to stubble burning, while no one questions the big industries that contribute more to it.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh noted that both the central and state governments need to work together to fight air pollution.
He said the government should work towards a permanent solution, otherwise it will have to follow court directives to resolve the issue every year.
BJP's Mahesh Poddar noted that pollution is a by-product of development, but it is crucial to take measures to effectively control it.
He said efforts should be made to generate more electricity using renewable sources. The government is very serious about tackling the menace.
Fauzia Khan of the Congress said the government should first accept that there is an issue of pollution and then offer solutions.
Ajay Pratap Singh of the BJP said schemes such as 'Ujjawala' launched by the government have helped to reduce pollution and increase forest cover in the country.
He said he did not agree with Yagnik's resolution.
"There is no need to create a separate body for this. This House itself is efficient (enough) to deal with such issues," he added.
Hardwar Dubey of the BJP raised the issue of pollution in Yamuna and Hindon rivers flowing into the NCR region.
Talking about the recently concluded Glasgow Climate Change Conference, Dubey said India aims to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)