Law on civil penalties on anvil to protect environment

Giving details of the proposed law, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said besides covering industries and other private entities, it will have provision to impose heavy penalties on government agencies, local bodies and state-run institutions.

 Within the next two weeks, he said, inter-ministerial consultations on the draft law will be over following which it will be placed before the Cabinet for approval.

The main objective of bringing the legislation is to ensure strict enforcement of various environmental norms so that it can be protected effectively. The measure will help deal with the challenge of pollution and waste management, he said.