Preserving the Environment, Protecting the Trees 4 December 1986 :Ch.Bhajan Lal (Part 2)

so that some arrangements could be made. So the king himself went there and apologized. The colour of the earth of that area is red even today and a martyrdom fair is held there every year which attracts lakhs of people. So even in those times, the sages and guru Jammeshwara Maharaj had emphasized the importance of trees and of the twenty-nine commandments of the Vishnoireligion. One of the commandments says that felling a green tree is a deadly sin. You will not find a similar example anywhere in the world. People have become martyrs but this type of martyrdom is unseen and unheard of anywhere in the world. This village is located only twenty miles away from Jodhpur. If you find an opportunity to visit it then do not missit. People would tell you about this legend and emphasize the importance of protecting the trees. What I am emphasizing is that only when we convert the protection of our trees into a peoples movement we shall be able to stop this destruction. Only when we get the cooperation of all the MPs, MLAS and the public at large, we shall be able to create an awareness among the common people. However stringent laws we may make, unless the feelings of the people are attached to it, things will notwork.
Again, floods and drought will not occur if there are trees. In the Seventh Five Year Plan, two thousand crore rupees have been earmarked to control floods and drought. think, if there were trees, this large sum of money could have been utilized for other purposes. So we are making full efforts and I would elaborate the steps that are being taken, we have formulated a 25-point programme for this purpose.
Today pollution has become a very big problem and the major reason is, as you are aware, setting up of big industries. And an even greater reason is our vehicles. You may have noticed that in large cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Kanpur and Allahabad, there is so much vehicular pollution that you would feel as if the atmosphere has become foggy soon after the sunsets. In the daylight, you would not be able to feel this but it would become apparent as soon as the sun sets. This vehicular smoke is very unhealthy and gives rise to several diseases.
Not only this, the effluents from the factories are discharged into the rivers from where the people get their supply of drinking water. The Ganga and Yamuna are two of our most sacred rivers. Brahmaputra and other rivers are also sacred, wherein the people bathe and get rid of their sins and in which the ashes of the dead are immersed. I want to inform the House that our honble prime minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi has taken a very good decision. And that decision is to clean these rivers. First of all, the Ganga is to be cleaned. A project costing Rs. 290 crores has been taken in hand for this purpose. Rs. 240 crores will be spent during the course of the Seventh Five Year Plan for this purpose and steps are being taken to accelerate the project. You may be aware that the river Ganga is 2000 kms. long and stretches upto Calcutta. The cleaning work is progressing at high speed. Therest of the rivers have also been surveyed and an estimate has been prepared so that as and when the funds are available for this purpose, the work of cleaning those rivers would be undertaken. Along with it, some hon’ble members have referred to the cement factories as well. Mr. Chairmansir, the smoke coming out of the cement factories contains fine dust particles and when inhaled these can lead to asthma and cancer. Some hon’ble
members have suggested that action should be taken against some large factories.
Mr. Chairman sir, we have enacted strict laws against pollution. Previously, nobody could make a Complaint but now even a private individual can make a complaint. A law has been enacted for this purpose which provides for five years imprisonment and a fine of one lakh rupees.
There are 104 cement factories in the country, out of which 84 are big factories. Of these 84 factories, 64 belong to the private companies and 20 factories are in the public sector. Of these 20 factories, treatment plants in 14 factories have already been installed. In the private factories, the work of installing treatment plants has been taken up in 15 factories. Only 7 factories are left as in the rest of the factories this work has been completed. A decision has been taken by holding seminars and meetings and a written Commitment has been taken from the mill Owners that all the factories will install these plants within two years, which means that by 1988, every cement factory will have a treatment plant. It has been taken in Wnting from them. Mr. Chairman, you may be aware that an expenditure of two to five crore rupees has to be incurred for installing a treatment plant in a factory. Moreover, no provision was made in the projects which are twenty to thirty years old. Actually, it creates a lot of problems in installing a treatment plant in an old project. But, the department has done a good job by holding meetings. They have been made to commit to complete this job by 1988, otherwise action would be taken against the big companies. We have not spared anyone including Tata India, Patna; Tata Iron Steel work, Jamshedpur, Mohan Meakins, Lucknow; National Textile Corporation; Indian Telephone Industries; Delhi Electric Supply Undertaking and Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills. We have not spared even the public sector companies and cases “have been registered against them. What I mean to say is that we are trying our utmost to take the strictest action under the existing laws so that nobody, whether in the private or in the public sector may violate them.
Also, on the one handsome honble members have said that the forests should be saved, and on the other hand they have asked for permission to start new projects. So, both the things cannot be done at the same time. So far as the question of development of the nation is concerned, that must take place. New industries, thermal power plants should be set up and dams should also be constructed but the important thing to see is how many forests will have to be felled in this process. I want to tell you that this department has never shown any leniency in this matter as I have seen the old records also. We have received 2,265 proposals from all over the country till 31 October 1986, out of which 1075 were accepted, 382 proposals were rejected and 374 were closed. By “closed we mean that we put a query as to what arrangements are going to be made regarding the alternative afforestation and rehabilitation of the people going to be displaced. If we do not get an answer within three weeks, we close it and open it only when we get an answer from them. The number of projects pending with us is forty-six which are one to three months old. I may tell you that there have been instances when the projects which fulfil the laid down norms have been cleared within a week only. We also realize that the development of the nation is involved but on the other hand the question of saving the
forests is also involved. If trees are not saved then the nation will also not be saved. Therefore, the most important thing is to preserve the environment. If the environment is not preserved then the existence of the nation will also be at stake. To save the nation, the environment should be preserved.
Shri Digvijay Singh mentioned some motions. I want to congratulate him profusely. He has also rightly pointed out the need of strengthening the law. ASI have said, there are some lacunae in it and we will remove them and strengthen it in such away that nobody will be able to flout the law.
So far as the implementation of this law is concerned, the honble prime minister had announced in the House the other day that it had been enforced from 19 November 1986 after duly framing the rules so that no one may show laxity and the people who flout the law Could be severely punished.
He has rightly mentioned that we should have coordination with the states. Because, if there is no coordination with the states, the things will not improve. We are writing to the states also in this regard and wherever required, the Government of India itself will take action. For this purpose, we are going to form a big organization so that if the states do not take any action then Our Organization may invite action against Such persons.
So far as the question of providing financial help to the states is concerned, norms have already been fixed in this regard. If there is some permanent job to be done they do it with their own funds. The Government of India bears half of the expenses on constructing security points, manning them by guards, providing wireless sets and jeeps for. the security of the forests.
He has also mentioned about the possibility of any lacuna in the notice of sixty days. In this connection, I want to say that we have enacted a foolproof law. It has duly been provided in the law that if a satisfactory answer after serving a notice of sixty days is not received then irrespective of ones status, immediate action will be taken against him.
Mr. Chairman, you know that so far as giving encouragement is concerned, the Government of India has spared no efforts in this regard. We have a social forestry Scheme under which we provide saplings to small farmers at Subsidised rates so that they may plant the maximum number of trees and at the same time may earn their livelihood also. Besides, it will keep the environment clean.
He has raised a point regarding cattle fodder. Mr. Chairman, there is scarcity of cattle fodder. I may tell you that the total number of cattle heads in our country in 1951 were twenty-nine crore and now they are forty-five crore. It means that the number has increased by more than one-and-a-halftimes. Out of it, twenty percent cattle depend on forests. They are not given any fodder by their owners. These cattle, like buffaloes, cows, goats and sheep are left in the forests for grazing. They graze in the forests and in the evening Come back and go to their places. In the morning again they are left in the open. We are trying to adopt some measures to change this practice. Sheep and goats cause more harm to the forests. To preventit, we have told the departments of forests of the state governments to take the help of the police, if needed, so that no laxity is shown in checking