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Peer Review

  • 14/02/1999

Peer Review MADHYA PRADESH (MP): Digvijay Singh(Congress)
(Came to power in December 1993) • Encouragement to voluntary organisations to take up watershed improvement. Effectively resisted the Sardar Sarovar project.

• Encouraged participation of NGOs and other institutions in environmental management. Launched JFM scheme. New environmental policy proposed in 1996. The Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Watershed Management scheme successfully implemented in Jhabua and Indore districts, resulting in better agricultural production and rise in water tables.

• Effective implementation of Panchayati Raj. Improvement of the environmental conditions of the weaker sections. Drinking water and sanitation improved. Health, education, transport and security upgraded. Has developed a good team.

KERALA: E K Nayanar (CPM) (Came to power in May 1996)
• Leaves no opportunity to deride environmentalists, their causes and individuality. Considers environmental conservation movement against development and anti-people.

• Has no clue about sustainability. He considers ecology as something anti-people

• Formation of state-level environment committee. Established state department of science, technology and environment.

TAMIL NADU: M Karunanidhi (DMK)(Came to power in May 1996)
• Established a Forest Research Institute and a NGO on social forestry. Helped strengthen the state pollution control board. Supported Civic Exnora, a movement for environmental hygiene and waste recycling. Initiated a community self-help programme for improving rural sanitation. Encouraged community efforts to de-silt ponds and tanks.

• Promoted sustainable cities programme under a United Nations agency.

• Promoted the recent social forestry programme aided by Japan.

• Instructed district collectors to form environmental management committees in all 29 districts of the state.

• All chemical-based industrial units are still working, creating a lot of pollution. No effective action taken against polluters.

• Taken effective steps to deal with industries causing pollution. Environmental laws have been made strict.

• Tree plantation activities in villages.

• Introduced an act to curb air pollution.

Environmental awareness promoted among the poor people in villages through voluntary organisations, panchayats and rural health department. introduced laws to enforce separate pollution control units in each area with tanneries and dyeing factories.

• Encouraging naturopathy and natural medicine. Attention to tribal people to improve their lives by abolishing bonded labour.

• Involved NGOs in watershed management.

KARNATAKA: J H Patel (JD)(Came to power in May 1996)
• Has no respect for either the environment or for environmentalists.

MEGHALAYA B B Lynodoh (UDP)(Came to power in February 1998)
• Not interested in sustainable development. It is not in his agenda to involve poor people in environmental management.

ANDHRA PRADESH Chandrababu Naidu (TDP) (Came to power in September 1995)
• His projects have led to unprecedented levels of corruption and degradation of civil society. To tackle poverty, he has encouraged people from the rural areas to migrate to the urban areas. His vision of sustainable development is to uproot the poor, not poverty.

• Encouraged afforestation and water harvesting programmes/activities,

• His Janmabhoomi project is modelled on a participatory approach. He takes interest in the protection of waterbodies, botanical gardens and renovation of village tanks.

• In the JFM programme, there has not been a strong feedback about people"s participation.

• The Janmabhoomi programme involves common people and limits the role of the government in projects. But the programme focuses too much on the CM. Bureaucrats are taking advantage of this and avoiding work.

SIKKIM: Pawan Kumar Chamling (SDF)(Came to power in November 1994)
• Banned plastics after the 1997 landslides in Gangtok. Promoted eco-tourism. Open grazing in high-altitude pastures and forests stopped. Stopped commercial felling of timber. Free distribution of ginger seeds to farmers.

• Rathong-Clur Hydel Project at Yoksur called off. Firing range in north Sikkim scrapped. Ban on smoking in public places

• Tourism department initiated clean-campaigns in tourist spots. Afforestation scheme started by the forest department.

• Set up the Civil Defence to promote environmental management. Keen to tap wind energy in south Sikkim. Established a garbage disposal yard 10 km from Gangtok. Waste longer dumped into the river.

• Social forestry carried out by panchayats.

• Sanctioned loans for planting fruit trees and other valuable trees like teak and sal

PUNJAB: Prakash Singh Badal (SAD)(Came to power in February 1996)
• Waived power bills for tubewells. Stamp duty for registration of land reduced by 50 per cent. Farmers compensated for losses. Roads repaired. Every village is connected by roads

• NGOs working for environmental awareness are promoted.

GUJARAT: Keshubhai Patel (BJP)(Came to power in March 1998)
• Promoted the Gokul Gram Yojana.

• Involved in drinking water programmes, forestry and irrigation projects.

HARYANA: Bansi Lal (HVP)(Came to power in May 1996)
• Banned plastic bags.

• Developed takes, promoted management of groundwater, working on the problem water logging.

ASSAM: Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (AGP) (Came to power in May 1996)
• Environment minister of Assam, Ha Abdul Roof, quit in protest.

• Taken steps to stop felling of trees participation is absent.

• Closed all plywood factories.

• No programmes based on sustainable principles.

• Has created Paryavaran Vahini, towards creating awareness.

• Two protected areas set up: Nameri National Park and Dibrusaikhowa biosphere reserve, that were proposed by the earlier CM

WEST BENGAL: Jyoti Basu (CPM)(Came to power in June 1977)
• First to introduce JFM. No serious impact in the hill areas of the state. Now there is a green bench to look into environmental cases. • West Bengal Pollution Control Board set up.

• Is trying to produce electricity from urban garbage and to recycle wastewater.

• Encouraged mangrove cultivation in coastal areas of Sardardwip, Koikhali, Namkhana and Canning. Enacted laws related to noise pollution.

TRIPURA: Manik Sarka (CPM) (Came to power in February 1998)
• Constituted a state planning board with experts from different states.

• Promoted social forestry programme through Jawahar Rozgar Yojana

• Educational institutions take environmental project work directly from departments.

BIHAR:Rabri Devi (RJD) (Came to power in July 1997)
• AB decisions are taken by public servants not even have panchayat elections.

• Government machinery utilised to implement election agenda.

ORISSA: J B Patnaik (Congress) (Came to power in March 1995)
• TISCO plant in Ganjam and Dhamra port Uhadrak are not eco-friendly. A step like Sahirmatha Sanctuary is welcome,
• Ineffective implementation of laws.
• Ratified Scheduled Areas Act based on the Bhuria Committee report giving rights over resources to local communities.
• Proposal to install turtle excluder devices were taken in a high-powered committee chaired by the CM.
• Promoted NGO action in the field of industrial pollution. Asked industrialists to take up pollution control measures. Has worked for areas.

HIMANCHAL PRADESH: P K Dhurnal (BJP) (Come to power in March 1998)
• Afforestation. Ban on smoking in public places and dumping of plastics. Stress on protection of wildlife. NGOs promoted. Garbage control bill introduced in 1995. Recycling of watershed management with community participation.

• Encouraged common forest management d small power projects. chief ministers of their states
• Too early to comment on his role.
• Encouraged khadi, drinking water schemes.
• NGO-government forum initiated.

MANIPUR : W Nipamacha Singh (MPC) (Came to power in December 1997)
• Opposed Tipaimukh Dam.
• Science and technological council mobilising people and NGOs for environmental protection.
• A lot of talk. No action
• Initiated conservation of Loktak Lake. Since 1994-95, the Barak valley watershed project has been started.
• Focussed on alternative sources of livelihood in Jhum-affected areas.
• Encouraged schemes for rural welfare like JRY, IRDP, DWCRA and PMRY.

MAHARASHTRA: Manohar Joshi (Shiv Sena)(Came to power in March 1995)
• Some TAS officers have tried to do something.
• No support for to environmental issues. Funds curtailed. Ongoing World Bank-assisted JFM programme not progressing. Some success in village eco-development. Announced decision to denotify the Zudpi jungle of Vidarbha. Some 17 200,000 hectares of forests so far protected.

• Government interested in development projects. A dismal record in fulfilling election promises such as free housing for the poor, Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Enron project. The defamation case against Anna Hazare filed by Babanrao Gholap reveals the true character of the government. They do not know the meaning of "sustainable development".
• Implementing Adarsh Gram Yojana in 300 villages.

NAGALAND: S C Jamir(Congress)
(Came to power in March 1998)
• Encourages NGO involvement.

(Note: Comments have been edited.)
Acronyms used:
AGP Asom Gana Parishad
BJP Bharatiya Janata Party
CPM Communist Party of India (Marxist)
DMK Dravida Munctra Kazhagam
HVP Haryana Visas Party
MPC Manipur People"s Congress
RID Rashtriya Janata Dal
SAD Shiromani Akali Dal
SDF Sikkim Democratic Front
TDP Telugu Desam Party
UDP United Democratic Party
JFM Joint Forest Management
NGO Non-governmental organisation
CM Chief Minister
TISCO Tata Iron and Steel Company
IRDP Integrated Rural Development Programme
DWCRA Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas
PMRY Prime Minister"s Rojgar Yojna
IAS Indian Administrative Service
Zudpi Shrub forest

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