Kochi, Mar 28, 2025 – Kerala is a land of rivulets, woods, and greenery. Unfortunately, environmental damage and pollution increase with business expansion. Although firms are creating new job opportunities and making growth possible, most of the business damages may not be sufficiently penalized. This raises the question – are they actually being held liable?The government has enacted numerous laws in India for the environment. The Environment Protection Act of 1986 empowered the government to take drastic action against the polluter. The Water Act of 1974 provided clean water. The Air Act came into force in 1981 to provide clean air. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Act, 2010, the special court is set up to dispose of suits pertaining to the environment quickly. In Kerala, it is the State Pollution Control Board that assures compliance of all these with the set regulations. It is, however, quite often that such punishment eludes large corporations succeed in getting away with it.Perhaps the most common example of this is the Plachimada Coca-Cola controversy where a company sucked groundwater like blood from a living creature and left hardly a drop for the surrounding villages. Years-long agitations along with a series of court cases produced nothing. In the So-called industrial zone Eloor, factories are already discharging poison, in this case, a chemical, into the Periyar River, poisoning fish and causing trouble to the human populace. The environmental pollution does not stop even after court order.
On the face of things, companies are seen to be doing something about the environment when they plant trees or have waste management campaigns under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For many environmentalists, however, the real issue remains unaddressed as the initiatives lack further sinserity. The fines for pollution are paltry, and these large corporations gladly pay them and continue with their act. The experts propose stricter laws with more severe penalties, if needed, criminal prosecution of company officials for breaches of environmental laws. The life of Kerala is its environment. Without checking industries, Kerala might lose its natural beauty and riches forever. Although development is important, it is not at the cost of air, water, and a healthy future for the people of Kerala.
