Discuss in groups of four.

Laws are never respected nor enforced in India.

India has a well-knit constitution that focuses on every aspect of the society. Not only is the human aspect of the society taken care of, but the environmental factor too is respected. This can be seen in Article 48A of the Constitution of India provides that “the State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”.

But what comes as a shock is that though the laws exist, there is no one to keep track of the fact which checks whether they are followed or not. This can be exemplified by the fact that the Constitution says that casteism, untouchability and bonded labor shall be abolished, but they flourish shamelessly even after forty-four years of the operation of the Constitution.) A recent report of our Parliament’s Estimates Committee has highlighted the near catastrophic depletion of India’s forests over the last four decades. India, according to reliable data, is losing its forests at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Large areas, officially designated as forest land, “are already virtually treeless”. The actual loss of forests is estimated to be about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics.