NEW DELHI: The government’s newly-constituted biodiversity council has written to the civic bodies to form their own Biodiversity Management Committees to promote the conservation of flora and fauna and natural habitats in their respective areas.
The formation of the Delhi Biodiversity Council under the Delhi forest and wildlife department was notified in October last year. The first meeting was held last on January 14. Earlier this month, the biodiversity council wrote to the commissioners of the three municipal corporations of Delhi — South, North, East — to constitute Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) — pending under the Biodiversity Act 2002 and Biodiversity Rules 2004.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) took note of the matter that across the country only a few states had managed to constitute BMCs while, others including Delhi did not have any such committees. The green panel in a 2019 order directed the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) to ask states to ensure compliance and submit a report on the same.
However, officials said that the Covid-19 pandemic in the city delayed the formation of the council. “The NBA suggested ‘model resolution for the municipal corporations, for which guidelines have been issued. It is requested to expedite the process of constitution of BMCs in the municipal corporations, so as to give effect to the NGT’s orders,” stated the letter issued by Nisheeth Saxena, Chief Wildlife Warden and member secretary of the council.
The letter further said that the issue regarding the BMCs and the formation of the People’s Biodiversity Registers was taken up during the first meeting of the council in the presence of all its 11 members.
What the act states
As per section (1) of the act, every local body shall constitute a BMC within its area for promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity such as preservation of habitats among others