Central Empowered Committee: Govt To Now Appoint Members Of New Environment Monitoring Body

Two weeks after the Supreme Court allowed the Union Government to notify the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which was constituted by the top court to oversee matters related to forests, into a permanent body, the Environment Ministry has issed a notification this effect on September 5. The Union Government's new CEC will consist of a chairperson, a member secretary and three expert members, all of whom will be nominated or appointed by the Union government.

The CEC was set up almost two decades ago by the top court to raise alarm on cases of non-compliance with respect to encroachment removals, implementation of working plans, compensatory afforestation, plantations and other conservation issues. The body will now directly report to the Environment Ministry, which will nominate its members as well.

CEC Reports

The CEC has filed numerous reports regarding the environment including compensatory afforestation, mining in Bellary and Kudremukh etc. In 2006, a CEC report resulted in a month’s simple imprisonment of a former Maharashtra minister and serving Forest Secretary for permitting wood mills to operate in violation of the SC’s order, the Indian Express reported. 

However, experts believe that the new order will dilute the power of CEC from initiating such actions. “Compared to the previous composition of the CEC as [constituted] by the Supreme Court, which included a member nominated by the [environment ministry] and two NGOs selected in consultation with the amicus curiae, the current notification introduces a significant transformation,” ecologist Debadityo Sinha said on X (formerly Twitter).

“In the revised structure, the chairman, member secretary and all three expert members will now be civil servants appointed by the [environment ministry],” he said.

“How can one anticipate the CEC to function independently or issue impartial judgments when its composition solely consists of civil servants appointed by the government?”  Sinha further asked.

The Environment Ministry's latest notification comes almost a month after the Parliament passed the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 which has been criticised for giving elaborate powers to the government to permit construction projects in the fragile Himalayan region.