Govt committees shouldn’t be in name only

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The wetland and mangrove committees, mandated by the Bombay High Court, have been skipping meetings where they are supposed to address complaints about destruction of the swamps, environmentalists have told the government, a report said.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has asked Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary, the Urban Development department, and Anand Limaye, additional chief secretary, Home, to look into the complaints. The panels met only twice last year, once in January and again in June. Since then, there have been no meetings, the environmental activists have alleged. The scheduled meetings of the two committees on February 8 were cancelled without any justification, they said.

One is with the environmentalists, who have stated in a letter to the CM that the panels must meet frequently to address complaints about wetlands and to protect and conserve mangroves. During the only two meetings conducted so far, important environment departments were also missing.

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While an investigation into why meetings have not been held will begin, it is vital that this investigation submit its report and if the claims are credible, work is on for a solution.

It is meetings that are the main communication forum to hear out complaints. Skipping these means there is not enough seriousness to address the issues. Committees seem like some kind of placebo for the malaise.

Let us change the narrative on committees, inquiries, high-powered investigations, reports. Let us make these concepts one that people believe in. They have faith that they have some kind of avenue to complain and this will be looked into and investigations will throw up results that lead to action. Committees must be action oriented, driven by will and an absolute passion to see something right through the end.