M.C. Mehta v. Union of India Environmental issues

CPREEC

C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) is a Centre of Excellence of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) , Government of India, established jointly by the Ministry and the C.P.Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation . The Centre has been a pioneer in environmental education efforts in South India and has conducted a variety of programmes to spread awareness and interest among the masses.

Our Mission Statement
C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC) strives to increase awareness and knowledge of key target groups (school children, local communities, woman etc.) about the various aspects of environment.

We fulfill our mission by: 

• Promoting environmental awareness among schools, grass-root level organization and the general public.
• Strengthening capacities of educators and practioners (teachers, local NGOs) in the field on environmental education by providing technical support and educational resources.
• Understanding the major environmental issues facing India today and developing innovative solutions.
• Promoting conservation of nature and its resources by emphasizing on the conservation of ecological traditions of India.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS OF INDIA

Conservation and protection of the environment have been an inseparable part of Indian heritage and culture. Realizing its importance, the Indian State has also enshrined it in the Constitution which requires both the state and the citizen to “protect and improve the environment”.

The liberalization and globalization of the economy makes it imperative that we increase our vigil to ensure that industrial growth is not at the cost of the environment. Natural resources need to be protected and nurtured. Ancient civilizations self-destructed when they over-exploited their resource base.

“Sustainable development” is an ill-defined but catchy phrase. If we interpret it as development which the environment can sustain, which does not exceed the carrying capacity of the environment, which does not over-exploit or destroy the natural resource base, many parts of the country could be identified as unsustainable, even beyond reprieve.

We live and work for a good life, good food, good health. Polluted air and water, shortages of water and fuel do not come under any of these. In which case, is industrialization at the cost of our health and comfort sustainable?

In 1994, the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre published “Environmental Laws of India - A Guide”, which was used in our training programmes for a wide cross-section of society - lawyers and law students, environmental activists, NGOs, students, etc. Subsequently, many new provisions have been provided by the Government of India and our law makers: the Green Benches, National Environmental Tribunals, Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, Ecomark, Biosafety Protocol, etc. Amendments have also been introduced diluting or strengthening these laws. Besides, the staff of the C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre have, in the course of their training programmes, come across new and varied questions, problems and attitudes.

All these have been accommodated in this new and revised publication of Environmental Laws of India - An Introduction (1998), which includes inputs from many staff members of the Centre. This updated publication reflects new concerns and amendments. It has, we know, increased awareness and use of the legal and statutory provisions for environmental protection and control.

This website includes several Acts and lists of polluting industries, as well as the CRZ classifications, development regulations, the Constitutional powers of the Panchayats to protect the environment and international conventions and protocols.  

A flow chart for Problem Solving - to avoid the judicial process - has been developed out of the Centre’s experience in this field. Justice in India is slow, expensive and tedious. Besides, knowledgeable lawyers who are willing to take up environmental cases are rare, as there is no remuneration in this field. This makes the judicial remedy the last course of action. What is more important, in the Indian context, is knowledge of the law and its provisions to prevent environmental degradation.  

C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre’s efforts to educate the public to protect the environment and conserve our biological diversity. We take so much from the environment, the least we can do is protect it.

Ratlam Case
Municipal Council, Ratlam v. Vardhichand, AIR 1980 SC 1622
Dehradun Quarrying Case
Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra v. State of UP., AIR 1987 SC 2187
Shri Ram Gas Leak Case
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1987 SC 965
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1987 SC 982
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1987 SC 1086
Radiation Case or Irish Butter Case
Dr. Shiva Rao Shantaram Wagle v. Union of India, AIR 1988 SC 952
Ganga Pollution (Tanneries) Case
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1988 SC 1037
Ganga Pollution (Municipalities) Case
MC. Mehta v. Union of India, AIR 1988 SC 11 15
Bhopal Case
Union Carbide Corporation v. Union of India, AIR 1990 SC 273
Charan Lal Sahu v. Union of India, AIR 1990 SC 1480
Taj Mahal Case
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India & Others, Writ petition (civil) no. 13381 of 1984 Supreme Court decided on December 30,1996 (Kuldip Singh, J. and Faizaluddin, J)
Forests
T.N. Godavarman Tirumulpad Vs Union of India and others: AIR 1997 SC 1233.
Aqua Culture
S. Jagannath Vs Union of India (1997) 2 SCC 87: AIR 1997 SC 811.
Tannery Pollution
Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum Vs Union of India (1996) 5 SCC 647.
Indiscriminate withdrawal of underground water
M.C. Mehta Vs Union of India, (1997) 11 SCC 312.
Shifting / Relocation / Closure of Hazarduous / Noxious / Heavy / Large Industries from Delhi
M.C. Mehta Vs Union of India, (1997) 11 SCC 327.
Public Trust Doctrine
M.C. Mehta Vs Kamal Nath, (1997) 1 SCC 388.
Precautionary Principle and Principle of Sustainable Development
M.C. Mehta (Badkhal and Surajkund Lakes Matter) Vs Union of India (1997) 3 SCC 715.
Polluter Pays Principle, Precautionary Principle and Sustainable Development
Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum Vs. Union of India (1996) 5 SCC 647