The newly chosen environment and forest minister of West Bengal in the BJP run government, Manoj Kumar Oraon, has alleged that there have been widespread failures in most sectors concerning environment and “a complete overhaul” is required to turn around the green department. The minister has recently spoken to The Plurals exclusively on a wide-ranging agendas concerning environment.
“I find failures in almost all sectors, be it air; water or others, as clearly the environment department did not receive much importance in earlier tenure. We need to undertake a complete overhaul,” said minister Oraon, acknowledging the allegations made by several environmental organisations from time to time. He claimed that his department would show “zero tolerance” against environmental violators.
New heads to be picked soon
Oraon pointed out that, as part of the overhaul, heads of several agencies and institutions under the ministry would be appointed soon. “I expect by another one month time, the head of the institutions (West Bengal Pollution Control Board, West Bengal Biodiversity Board) under the department will be appointed” said the minister. Incidentally, the advertisement for the state pollution control board chairman has been recently published in frontline newspapers.
“We have to follow the protocol for the appointment,” added minister.
Earlier retired chief law officer of the state board Biswajit Mukherjee complained to the minister highlighting the rudderless status of the state pollution control board with the previous chairman had resigned more than a month ago, and a part time member secretary is doubling up as an interim chairman, which, Mukherjee claimed, “is not as per law”.
Among all the institutions under state environment department, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board is most critical as it de facto acts as the secretariat of the department. The institution, which has the mandate to monitor the pollution from industries, is set to play a key role in the industrial growth of the state that new BJP government is pushing since taking charge. The earlier chairman of the board, Kalyan Rudra, resigned on June 11.
Zero tolerance
Minister pointed out that there would be zero tolerance for environmental crimes while quizzed about the range of environmental violations in state, from river encroachment to sand mining to green massacre to blaring of DJ music illegally.
“As our chief minister pointed out in case of other violations, there will be also zero tolerance and prompt action in case of environmental violations”, said Oraon.
“We have already started actions and violations have started to decline,” minister claimed through accepting that “few violations are still happening”. “Please keep me posted if you come across any environmental violation in future,” he added. On last weekend, Oraon travelled to Sundarbans to monitor few violations first hand.
The national data shows that West Bengal’s record of filing environmental crimes and charge sheeting them has been extremely poor at national benchmark, as shown by a recently released data set analysis report prepared by The Plurals.
According to the analysis based on National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, West Bengal filed only 241 environmental crimes from 2022 to 2024 out of the national figure of 177584, 0.1 %, and recorded an environmental crime-related charge sheet rate of 74% in state against the national average of 98 %.
Integrated effort
Manoj Kumar Oraon, an MLA of Kumargram in Alipurduar which is punctuated by dense forest, said that he is planning to develop an integrated strategy involving the environment, forest and tourism departments to counter the environmental degradation within the state’s forest areas.
“I feel it is very important to have an integrated strategy involving environment, forest and tourism departments to protect the forest environment,” said Oraon. “I have also spoken with the tourism minister Shankar Ghosh on the issue,” informed Oraon, who has become the minister of both forest and environment; a first in the state after 44 years. Since 1982, West Bengal was used to have independent environment and forest ministers.
“It is a welcome step. While tourism acts as a mean to generate revenue in the forest area, it often also causes major environmental degradation and triggers environmental disasters as we saw several times in north Bengal where mushrooming of unregulated homestays are believed to have played a key role. Hence, it is wise to have an integrated strategy and guideline regarding the issue,” pointed out Animesh Bose, an environmentalist from north Bengal and also a former member of the state wildlife advisory board, reminding that our state does not have any proper ecotourism policy.
The minister also said that a new technology driven strategy is in preparation to minimise human-elephant conflict in West Bengal.