The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre on a plea seeking the establishment of 'Indian Environment Service', following a recommendation by a high-level committee and several environmental issues across the country.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M M Sundresh sought a reply from the Union government on a petition filed by Samar Vijay Singh.
Referring to the air pollution crisis in Delhi NCR, the plea said that the pollution has crossed the safe limits of breathing and made policymakers look for instant solutions to bring relief to the citizens.
The plea also said that the issue of environmental degradation is one of the primary causes of diseases and health issues. It sought a direction to set up an Indian Environmental Service Academy to train officers for environmental law enforcement.
"The prayer made is for creation of “independent” Indian Environment Service as an All-India Service. This prayer is stated to be arising from the recommendation of the T S R Subramanian Committee,” the bench said.
During the hearing, the bench, however, said that it has prima facie doubt whether a writ of mandamus can be issued on such a prayer.
Petitioner Singh cited a report submitted by the committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF), in 2014, under the chairmanship of former Cabinet Secretary Subramanian.
The plea contended that this committee recommended the creation of a new All-India service, the “Indian Environment Service”.
It also pointed out that the committee noted the need for an institutional framework to meet future needs, and in its report proposed a National Environment Research Institute on the lines of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education.
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(Published 21 January 2022, 16:31 IST)
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