Greenwashed – Aravalis to Goa, rules are being tweaked to allow ecologically dangerous projects and mining
Indiscriminate mining threatens to destroy twenty-two percent of India’s ancient Aravali range within forty years, accelerating desertification and undermining vital water recharge systems. This ecological collapse is driven not by genuine necessity but by systemic regulatory failures. Governments routinely dilute environmental protections through exemptions and land reclassification, allowing developers to invade protected zones while prioritizing profit over sustainability. This pattern extends far beyond the Aravalis, affecting forests, lakes, and fields nationwide. From Goa to Uttarakhand, laws are tweaked to permit construction in eco-sensitive areas for projects ranging from yoga resorts to film studios. The inconsistency is stark: state action is swift for low-income housing yet permissive for commercial ventures that offer little meaningful development, revealing a biased approach to enforcement that favors corporate interests. These activities constitute a profound form of greenwashing, where governments claim environmental stewardship while actively enabling destruction through legal loopholes. Ignoring these crises ignores imminent climate disasters like cyclones and landslides. True sustainability requires halting this myopic “development” and enforcing existing laws, rather than using superficial compliance to mask the systemic dismantling of India’s natural heritage.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.comPublished on 2023-06-20