States 'diverting' funds meant for environment protection: SC

The Supreme Court today expressed its displeasure noting that states were "diverting" huge amount of funds, meant for protection of environment and benefit of people, to other purposes like municipal works.

A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said that around Rs 75,000 crore, including Rs 50,000 crore of the Compensatory Afforestation Funds Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), was lying with governments and asked whether there was any plan to utilise the money.

"What are the obligations of a state? It (these funds) is not for opening schools. It is meant for environment, rights of tribals in the villages. What is happening is that the states are diverting these funds to do municipal works and their other obligations," the bench observed.

The bench had earlier asked the Centre as to how the huge amount of around Rs 75,000 crore, lying in the form of various funds created on the apex court's orders for protection of the environment, was being utilised.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), told the bench that the funds were lying "safely" and the question was how to utilise it.

To this, the bench asked, "Will it be utilised in buying cars, laptops and washing machines?",
The bench then asked the counsel appearing for Odisha as to where these funds have been utilised by the state?