NEW DELHI: Chairman of parliament standing committee Jairam Ramesh has said that the controversial Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 was not based on widespread consultation and is poorly drafted having huge shortcomings. The amendment bill has been receiving a series of critical comments. Several organisations and individuals in their comments to the committee have flagged issues like state boards for wildlife being rendered defunct, allowing commercial trade of live elephants, and the criteria for declaring species as vermin.
In a tweet, the former union environment minister said, “I am overwhelmed by the over 70 responses received from experts and institutions on the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021. The Bill had not been based on widespread consultations. It is poorly drafted and has huge shortcomings.”He said that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change has a very complicated task of examining the 50 amendments proposed and that the exercise will be completed in the next 45 days.“I am involving a number of professionals for the task. Frankly, this is what the ministry should have done in the first place,” he said.
The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 tabled before the Rajya Sabha during the winter session to amend the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 was being sent to the committee. In its comments shared with the committee, the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), said the amendment calls to insert a section allowing the State Board for Wild Life (SBWL) to constitute a Standing Committee to exercise such powers and perform such duties as may be delegated to it by the Board.
Another criticism is allowing commercial trade of live elephants; as earlier, the transfer, acquisition, and receiving of live captive elephants was permitted under a legal provision only with prior approval by the Wildlife Warden but no commercial transactions were allowed.