Environmental Protection and Regulations in India: Role of the Central Pollution Control Board

Abstract

Since independence, Indian policymakers have attempted to address environmental problems by passing a number of rules and regulations as per the vision of the constitution and in response to the requirement of time. However, due to the prevalent poverty and the developmental compulsions of the nation, environment and its protection was not a priority of the government till the end of the 1960s. But, the 1972 Stockholm Conference on Human Environment brought a marked shift in India’s approach to environmental issues. The conference proved to be a turning point in India’s perception on environment and facilitated the creation of the National Committee on Environmental Planning and Co-ordination (NCEPC) in 1972. The NCEPC triggered a rise in environmental legislation, beginning with the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974, which provided for the creation of Pollution Control Boards for the control of water pollution at national and state levels and empowered them to enforce the law. The boards were later empowered to deal with air pollution by Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 and acted as regulatory mechanisms to environmental protection. This article primarily deals with the role of the Central Pollution Control Board as a regulatory authority to environmental protection and regulations in India.