Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have taken Mr Jairam Ramesh out of the environment ministry, but the latter continues to wear his green credentials on his sleeve. Ask West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Mr Ramesh, who heads the rural development ministry, firmly but politely cautioned the West Bengal government on Thursday against indiscriminate pursuit of development. By all means develop, but minimise the damage to the environment, he pleaded.
What got Mr Ramesh’s goat was a question from the audience, which mainly comprised industry representatives and a scattering of diplomats.
They were invited to a seminar hosted by the West Bengal government on the occasion of the India International Trade Fair.
Barely had Ms Banerjee finished replying to the questioner, who had enquired about a project in a wetland area of West Bengal, than Mr Ramesh intervened to tell just about anybody who was willing to listen, that the state had already lost much of its wetlands and mangroves to indiscriminate development, and that care should be taken by all concerned to safeguard the ecosystem from further damage.
Mr Ramesh said that as someone who headed the environment ministry in his earlier avatar, he was acutely aware of how vulnerable West Bengal’s wetlands and mangroves were to destruction.
Speaking earlier in his opening remarks, Mr Ramesh insisted that there was “no lack of bonhomie” between the Central and West Bengal governments. He said that the state government will not find the Centre wanting insofar as funds for rural development works was concerned.
Mr Ramesh conceded that West Bengal was in a “very serious financial crisis” because of a collapse of administration during the 34-year-rule by the Left parties.
He acknowledged that one of Ms Banerjee’s challenges was to clean up a “highly-politicised administration”, which was a legacy of decades of Communist rule.