Environmental Rights

Industrial or construction activity affecting your health or property.

The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 empower State Pollution Control Boards to act against violators, including shutting down operations.

1. File a complaint with your State Pollution Control Board — most have online portals and helplines.
2. For air quality specifically, also use CPCB's SAMEER app.
3. If unresolved, approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directly — it's designed to be faster and more accessible than regular civil courts.

Construction or development activity that looks like it skipped the legally required environmental process.

Felling trees generally requires permission under state Tree Preservation laws; major projects need Environmental Clearance under the EIA Notification, 2006, including a mandatory public hearing where affected citizens can object.

1. Check whether the project has valid environmental clearance on the Parivesh portal (parivesh.nic.in).
2. Object during the public hearing/comment period if a clearance is still pending.
3. File a complaint with the Forest Department for illegal felling, and approach the NGT if a clearance was bypassed or violated.

Getting your objection formally on record before a decision is made, rather than fighting it after construction starts.

1. Check the Parivesh portal for pending clearance applications and public hearing notices in your area.
2. Submit written objections during the official comment period.
3. Attend the public hearing in person to have your objection recorded on the official record.

Open dumping, burning of garbage, or unsegregated waste disposal is both an environmental violation and a direct health hazard.

The Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 require municipalities to ensure segregated collection, scientific processing, and ban open burning of waste — burning waste is a specific, separately punishable violation, not just a civic lapse.

1. Complain to your Municipal Corporation's sanitation department, citing the specific location and issue (this overlaps with civic complaints — see our Civic & Municipal Rights guide too).
2. For burning specifically, this can also be reported to the State Pollution Control Board as an air-quality violation.
3. If ignored, escalate to the NGT, which has repeatedly acted on solid-waste-management failures by municipal bodies.

Unauthorised mining and wildlife crime are specifically, seriously punishable — not just an environmental grey area.

The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 requires a valid lease/permit for any mining activity — illegal mining can lead to seizure of equipment and criminal prosecution. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 criminalises hunting, poaching, and trade in protected species and their parts, with serious penalties.

1. For illegal mining, complain to the District Mining Officer or State Mining Department with location details, photos if safely possible.
2. For wildlife crime, contact the Forest Department's range office or the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
3. Both can also be reported via your state's police control room if you believe there's an immediate ongoing violation.