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Regulation should not become strangulation; Vice-President at NGT conference

The Vice President's observations and remarks come at a time when NGT is facing a shortage of manpower across most zonal benches

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M Venkaiah Naidu
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) should ensure that regulation should not become strangulation and there was a need for speedy disposal of cases, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday during the inaugural function of two-day NGT International Conference on Environment.

VP Naidu also said, "The Tribunal is doing a great job, but I also want to try and tell the Tribunal and other regulators that regulation should be facilitation…regulation should not become strangulation."

He added, "Every disposal of issues should really help, if you stay something for an indefinite period that means you are staying growth and that will lead to cost escalation. What I am saying is that speedy disposal is the need of the hour to get speedy justice."

Naidu was the chief guest at the function while Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra presided over the function. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr Harsh Vardhan and Attorney General KK Venugopal, NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar were also on the dais.

The Vice President's observations and remarks come at a time when NGT is facing a shortage of manpower across most zonal benches. Centre has also changed norms for appointment to NGT through Rules under the Finace Act, which has been criticised by the legal fraternity as dilution of the NGT Act.

Naidu went on to add that the development has to happen taking into account the challenge of climate change and depletion of natural resources. "GDP is important, but it is even more important to improve human lives. Development has very little meaning if it does not lead to a healthy and happy outcome.

The Vice President also touched upon the issue of growing population in the context of depletion of natural resources. "We have to take care of population. It is a little unpopular now a days if anybody is speaking about population, incentives, disincentives …people have to understand that the same land, same water is depleting and the population is increasing."

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra lauded NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar's 'energy' and efforts for mobilizing the international law fraternity for the global event. He stress that inter-generational equity is paramount and thus society is answerable to the future generation on the fight against climate change. "Everyone has the right to breathe fresh air, (right) to live in a peaceful atmosphere and has to have the purity of water under Article 21 of the Constitution," said CJI Misra.

Earlier in the function, Justice Swatanter Kumar informed that the since its formation in 2010, the NGT has heard 23,341 cases and disposed 19,000 of them clocking a disposal rate of 85.5%. "NGT has provided inexpensive, expeditious environmental justice."

Attorney General K.K.Venugopal said in his address that even as there was merciless destruction of forests and environment, the actions of the judiciary were a silver lining ."The silver is in the shape of the proactiveness of the Supreme Court of India, of the NGT , the High Courts. If you look at what they have been able to achieve, it is nothing short of a miracle.

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