State pollution Control Boards have enormous powers and the absolute power corrupts absolutely. They can bar and mar a factory, a company etc by wielding their bureaucratic overreach, pelf and power or even by threatening to use them. Under Environmental rules drawn by Govt. to rid the environment of pollution, those in power misuse these provisions and line up their pockets.
The typical case is that of a mid-level officer in Vellore recently caught by the State DVAC who was found to be owning cash, jewellery, assets and landed properties to the tune of Rs100 cr.(link)
Pollution Control or management should be best left to experts and the bureaucrats should not be involved in this. The corporates should be under the surveillance and audit of third party experts certified by agencies like UNFCCC etc.
The present system provides for nexus between Corporates and the bureaucrats or Corporates and the political class with bureaucrats at their beck and call or bureaucrats in cahoots with crass politicians working against the Corporates. In every pemutation and combination you can imagine, the final loser is the country and its environment.
It is high time the Central Govt realised this and bring internationally accredited third party experts to evaluate the Environment Impact Assessments and also in regular certification of Corporates and their factories for consent to operate and run.
Whenever the complaints of pollution are received from citizens, these complaints may be properly looked into and investigated by one or more of these independent internationally accredited third-party experts.
Either the Central Govt on its own or SC must order Central Govt to bring in suitable legislation for bringing in transparency in the implementation of evaluation by independent pollution management experts in all areas of Envrionmental impact areas.
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