Justice Delayed, Environment Betrayed: Haryana's Two-Decade Standoff with the Supreme Court

It’s a tale as old as time, perhaps, but certainly one that stretches back two decades, give or take. And honestly, it’s a story that paints a rather stark picture of governmental sluggishness when it comes to, well, our planet. For twenty long years, the state of Haryana, it seems, has just… not gotten around to establishing its State Environment Protection Authority (SEPA). You’d think a mandate from the Supreme Court, delivered all the way back in 2004, would carry a bit more weight, wouldn't you?

But here we are, in late 2023, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court, quite understandably, is not amused. Not one bit. The division bench, comprising Justice Sureshwar Thakur and Justice Lalit Batra, recently — and rather pointedly, one could say — questioned Haryana’s glaring inaction. "Why, precisely, has this crucial body not been formed yet?" they asked, the query hanging heavy in the air, a testament to prolonged non-compliance.

The whole issue, as these things often do, bubbled to the surface during the hearing of a petition. This particular one involved a commercial building, located in Gurugram's Sector 52, which had apparently sprung up without the necessary environmental clearance. Now, a SEPA, if it were in place, would typically be the primary gatekeeper for such permissions, ensuring developments don't run roughshod over ecological considerations. But without it? Well, you can imagine the kind of regulatory void that creates.

The Supreme Court’s original directive, nearly two decades ago, was clear as day: every state needed to set up a SEPA within three months. This wasn’t just a suggestion; it was a fundamental step towards strengthening environmental governance across the nation. These authorities, in theory, would act as vigilant watchdogs, tasked with implementing environmental protection laws, granting clearances, and indeed, reining in pollution. Think of them as a vital line of defense for our natural resources and the air we breathe.

Yet, for some reason, Haryana has remained a holdout. A surprising, almost baffling, resistance to a clear mandate. The High Court, quite frankly, expressed its deep displeasure, observing how Haryana has simply "not bothered" to constitute the authority despite the explicit directions. It’s not merely a bureaucratic oversight, you see; it's a significant lapse that impacts the very fabric of environmental accountability.

So, what now? The bench has given Haryana four weeks – a mere month – to file a comprehensive affidavit. This isn’t just about explaining the prolonged delay, no; it’s about detailing the specific steps the state intends to take to finally, at long last, form this much-needed environmental protector. The clock, for Haryana, is most definitely ticking. And for the environment, honestly, it feels like it’s been ticking for far too long.