Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice, Sanjib Banerjee today said that the judiciary has made immense contributions in delivering judgments in cases relating to environmental and wildlife conservation and underlined the need for environmental protection laws to be implemented.
Delivering a presidential address at an orientation programme on Forest and Wildlife Conservation Laws for the judiciary held here today the Chief Justice said that despite the existence of a number of laws for environmental protection, they lack implementation.
Likening human activities to “a cancer inflicted on the planet”, he stated that intelligence and development has made humans arrogant, making them lose their instinct to cohabit with nature around them.
Pointing out the burgeoning tourist industry in the State, he said Meghalaya needs plans and policies for sustainable growth of tourism to save its pristine beauty from getting destroyed like other hill stations of the county.
While the Earth has been in existence for over 4 billion years and humans for about 300,000 years, the latter has destroyed more than 3million species satisfying their needs. He remarked, “We cannot fight nature and survive.”
Drawing focus to the global environmental and biodiversity crisis and the urgent need for conservation, the orientation programme on Forest and Wildlife Conservation Laws for the judiciary in Meghalaya was organized by the Meghalaya State Judicial Academy, WWF-India and TRAFFIC India.
Others who spoke on the occasion were Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, AND Rao and Meghalaya PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden, SM Sahai.
