Two notifications on wetlands issued by the Union environment ministry on December 14 have puzzled legal activists who have been campaigning for protection of wetlands.
One of these notifications is to announce the constitution of Central Wetlands Regulatory Authority (CWRA) -the nodal agency for identification, conservation and protection of wetlands- for a term of just two months.
The other notification omits two clauses in the Wetland Rules 2010 on the constitution and term of the CWRA.
This notification states that the authority will be constituted under the Environment Protection Act instead of under the Wetland Rules.
Under the 2010 rules, the term of CWRA was for 3 years.
These developments are significant because the National Green Tribunal (NGT) is hearing an application seeking directions to the government to identify all wetlands in the country as specified in the Wetlands Rules (Conservation and Management) 2010.
