Climate change impacts the constitutional guarantee of
the right to equality, the Supreme court has said while constituting a
committee to find a balance between conservation of critically-endangered Great
Indian Bustard and renewable energy infrastructure in the states of Rajasthan
and Gujarat.
The top court recalled an earlier order of April 2021
that required undergrounding of overhead transmission lines across an area of
over 80,000 sq km in the two states.
A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B
Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said a blanket direction for undergrounding high
voltage and low voltage power lines needs recalibration.
"Climate change may impact the constitutional
guarantee of the right to equality. Without a clean environment which is stable
and unimpacted by the vagaries of climate change, the right to life is not
fully realised. The right to health (which is a part of the right to life under
Article 21) is impacted due to factors such as air pollution, shifts in
vector-borne diseases, rising temperatures, droughts, shortages in food
supplies due to crop failure, storms, and flooding," the bench said.
Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) are especially found in
Rajasthan and Gujarat, and the alarming decrease in their numbers is attributed
to frequent collisions with overhead power transmission lines, including those
of solar plants, near their habitats.
GIBs have lateral vision as their eyes are on the sides
of their head and they find it difficult to change their course of flight when
confronted with a live wire.
The apex court said lack of reliable electricity supply
for many citizens not only hinders economic development but also
disproportionately affects communities, including women and low-income
households, further perpetuating inequalities.
The bench in an order, passed on March 21, formed an
expert committee comprising Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Dr
Hari Shankar Singh, member, National Board for Wildlife, Dr Niranjan Kumar
Vasu, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, B Majumdar, former Chief
Wildlife Warden and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Maharashtra, Dr
Devesh Gadhavi, Deputy Director, The Corbett Foundation, Lalit Bohra, Joint
Secretary (Green Energy Corridor), Ministry of New and Renewable Energy; and
Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
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