Laws are made for the benefit of humans and therefore human concerns must get precedence over anything else. This needs to be kept in mind by people at the helm of affairs, only when humans exist will they be able to occupy the seats of power

To prevent any kind of ecological imbalance a very pragmatic action plan has to be formulated. Towards achieving this many legislation have been enacted in India and elsewhere. At the international level also the world communities, being concerned with the deteriorating situation worldwide, have joined hands towards finding a lasting and sustainable solution by deliberating on the subject in various conventions like that in Rio-de Janeiro and the latest Doha round of talks. These are truly welcome moves taken by the world community.


Coming back to India, there are legislations galore to deal with the situation by way of wildlife protection, forest conservation, environment protection laws etc. No doubt, the aims and object of such legislations are in tune with the call of the hour. Forests are being denuded haphazardly. Deforestation in a rampant manner by various elements has depleted the forest areas forcing the wild life to lesser domains and as a result of this rampage of human habitat by wild pachyderms and other animals have become a regular phenomenon in certain areas.

Forests are being encroached by people who have been displaced from their original habitat for various reasons like construction of huge electricity generating dams, ethnic clashes, floods caused by breach of river embankments and dams etc. Being forced to the wall by making these people devoid of shelter, at a time when even the United Nations Organisation gives much priority to providing shelter to the homeless, they are compelled to establish their habitat by waging war with the nature by way of deforestation and environmental degradation.


The Union of India has passed the Forest (conservation) Act making it mandatory to obtain prior approval of the Union government for using forest land for non-forest purposes. Even for cultivation of tea, rubber, spices, and medicinal plants among others. In this regard, there is bar imposed in de-reservation of any reserved forests. For grant of any approval for such acts of using forest areas for non-forest purposes, an Advisory Committee is constituted under the statute. It thus connotes that with prior approval of the Central government, forest areas may be utilized for other purposes.


In Assam, India, in the not very remote past, the democratically established government demolished a great area of human habitation by engaging tuskers in the name of clearing reserved forest land from encroachment. Ironically enough, the area has been under human habitation for quite a long span of time of some decades. Many multi- storied buildings, school buildings, community halls, prayer halls, libraries and many more established gardens etc were razed to the ground causing loss of property worth several billions belonging to the citizens of the welfare state. It is also a point to be noted that there was no forest as such for about half a century in the area. It was an act of high handedness on the part of the government for some hidden political agenda. However, after a huge furore that erupted after the incident, the eviction operation was stalled in the long run; but the damage was already done.


In referring to the incident, it needs to be asserted that laws are made for the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people and therefore, human considerations must receive precedence over everything else. In the name of protecting the forest, human lives can never be sacrificed. It needs reiteration that laws are for benefit of man and not vice versa. In a democratic country where welfare of the people is of paramount importance, the powers that be at the first instance must take recourse to explore the possibilities for providing protection to the people rather than giving primacy to preservation of forest over human beings. If human beings are sacrificed for protection of forest, only forests will remain and human beings will be extinct.


This needs to be kept in mind by all the people at the helm of affairs – only when human beings exist they will be able to occupy the seats of power they are occupying now.