NGT regional meet opens with calls for urgent environmental action

Chennai: Environmental protection took centre stage at the NGT’s Regional Conference 2025 in Chennai, where top Supreme Court judges and experts warned that continued ecological damage will have irreversible consequences for both people and the planet.

“When the environment is impacted, the world gets affected,” cautioned Justice M.M. Sundresh, Judge, Supreme Court of India, as he inaugurated the Conference, organised by the National Green Tribunal’s Southern Zone Bench, Chennai.

His remark rooted in memories of communities affected by dyeing industry pollution , became the defining message of the conference, underscoring the urgency of “protecting fragile ecosystems”, particularly coastal regions.

Held at Kalaivanar Arangam, the conference brought together judges, policymakers, scientists, and environmental experts from across the southern states.

The event was conducted under the leadership of NGT Chairperson Mr. Justice Prakash Shrivastava and the guidance of Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, Judicial Member, Southern Zone Bench.

Justice Prakash Shrivastava, in his address, reiterated that environmental protection is not only constitutionally mandated under Articles 21, 48(A) and 51(A)(g) but also a shared moral duty. He stressed that the NGT’s role extends beyond adjudication to creating environmental awareness and steering institutions toward sustainability.

Mr. P. S. Raman, Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, called for stronger environmental governance, invoking Hubert Reeves’ caution on humanity’s ecological “insanity,” while Tamil Nadu Minister Mr. Thangam Thennarasu highlighted the State’s evidence-based environmental approach and its cultural ethos of ecological stewardship.

Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, expressed concern over the 69% global decline in wildlife populations reported by WWF, warning that humanity must act now to avoid endangering itself.

Special Guest, Justice Aravind Kumar, Judge, Supreme Court of India, highlighted the gap between “law on paper and life on the ground” and proposed “cooperative ecological federalism.”

He suggested that the conference could lay the foundation for a “Southern Environmental Compact.”
Technical Sessions: Enforcement, Biodiversity & Waste Management.

The first technical session, chaired by Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court, examined environmental law enforcement and biodiversity conservation.

Calling attention to gaps in E-waste regulation, he remarked that “something lawful cannot be harmless,” emphasising that legally permitted activities can still cause irreversible harm.

Experts including Dr. R. Nagendran, Mr. Raghuram, and Dr. Indumathi M. Nambi highlighted the need for biodiversity-focused EIAs, improved inter-agency coordination, and timely consideration of expert reports in suo motu environmental cases.

The second session, chaired by Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy of the Madras High Court, focused on solid and biomedical waste management.

Referencing a Coimbatore study detecting microplastics in human placenta, Justice Chakravarthy emphasised the need for cities to evolve into “Recycle and Recompose” ecosystems, backed by surveillance systems, GIS mapping, and robotic segregation.

Former NGT Judicial Member Hon’ble Dr. Justice P. Jyothimani questioned the extent of compliance with statutory waste-management targets, arguing that progress is hindered by a lack of public intention and insufficient enforcement. He underscored that real change depends on citizen responsibility as much as legal mandates.

State officials and environmental practitioners, including Principal Secretary Dr. D. Karthikeyan, and E.F.I. Founder Mr. Arun Krishnamurthy, outlined both progress and persisting gaps in Tamil Nadu’s waste management from upcoming technological reforms under the Draft SWM Rules 2024 to chronic neglect of panchayat-level waste systems and recurring pollution of water bodies like Sitalapakkam and Arasankadali lakes.

The first day concluded with all stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening environmental governance, enhancing regulatory coordination, and embedding sustainability across sectors.

The conference continues on December 7 with further discussions on emerging environmental challenges and collaborative solutions for the southern region.