Blitz Bureau
SUPREME Court judge Justice BR Gavai has emphasised the need to have sustainable development instead of mindless destruction of the environment while referring to the recent instances of natural calamities in Wayanad and Himachal Pradesh.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) International Conference on ‘Law and Technology: Sustainable Transport, Tourism and Technological Innovations’ at Kumarakom, he said, “Human greed should not cross a limit that we cease to care for the future generations.”
He said that given the fragile environment of Kerala, it is important to hold this conference on sustainable transport, tourism, and technological innovations.
“We have seen that on account of conflict between the development and environmental concerns, in the last decade, we have suffered many tragedies,” said Justice Gavai.
While pointing out that development is necessary for progress, he also said that all three wings, legislature, executive and judiciary have to work together to balance the development with environment. “No doubt that development is necessary for progress but it cannot come at the cost of the environment. Man has always been said to be greedy but greed should not go beyond limits where there is no concern for future generations,” he said.
He said that the concept of sustainable development over the last couple of decades has been of importance, adding that the citizens also have a fundamental duty to protect nature. Justice Gavai recalled his experience when heading the Green Bench and said, “On one hand, we have demand permits to build dams for electricity front the governments while on the other hand, there are environmental concerns for our fragile ecosystems.”
