SC Pulls Up Modi Govt, Says it is Acting Like Kumbhakarna and Rip Van Winkle

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court gave a little rap on the knuckles of the Narendra Modi government on its delay to submit a report on environment issues, saying it was behaving like Kumbhakarna, the mythological character who slept for long periods, and Rip Van Winkle of fairy tale fame who shirked hard work.

The apex court reprimanded the governments Ministry of Environment and Forests for failing to submit a report on the biodiversity impact of about 24 hydro election projects planned on the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda river basins in Uttarakhand. The court had stayed work on these projects and asked for a report that has clearly not come within the stipulated two months.

"The report should have been here. It is the fault of the Union government. You are behaving like Kumbhakarna. We are at a loss to understand why the Union government has not placed the report before us. What is your intention? So much time was granted. You are like Rip van Winkle," the two judge bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman said.

"Men must live along with the fish and other aquatic creatures in the rivers on which these hydel projects are proposed to be constructed. And we must also generate electricity. The question is how to maintain the balance," it said. The bench advocated a balanced approach.

Lawyers Prashant Bhushan and Colin Gonsalves representing concerned NGOs pointed out that of the 13 member expert committee constituted by the court to examine the impact of these hydel projects, eleven had unanimously opposed the mindless ‘bumper to bumper’ planning of these hydel projects on the river basins. Bhushan said that only two members, one from the Central Water Commission and the Central Regulatory Commission had given dissenting notes.

NTPC, senior advocate A M Singhvi said the public sector undertaking's Rs 1,527 crore Lata-Tapovan project was held up despite securing every clearance, both environmental and forest, because of the court's stay order. Other PSUs took a similar position and the Supreme Court bench asked them to hold a meeting with representatives of the Environment and Forests Ministry as well as the Uttarakhand government.