33. Forests, Wild Life, and Pollution Control
As Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest and Environment Department, I served for about 13 months (from May 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016). During this period, I oversaw the entire cadre of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in Gujarat — a group that gave me many lifelong friends.
The Forest Department’s staff wore uniforms and maintained greater discipline than even the police. They never disobeyed their superiors’ orders. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) served as the Head of Forest Force (HoFF). Under him were other PCCFs (for Wildlife and other wings), Additional PCCFs, Chief Conservators, Conservators, District Forest Officers (DCF) in each district, Range Forest Officers (RFOs), Beat Inspectors, and Forest Guards — a seamless structure.
Over the years, officers built forest guest houses at scenic locations, which provided pleasant, stress-free retreats close to nature.
Gujarat’s Forest Wealth
Gujarat has long been rich in forest resources and wildlife. Until the end of the British era, the eastern tribal belt was covered with dense forests. During my probation in Panchmahals and Dahod subdivisions, the Sag, Mahuda, and Bear-filled forests of Devgadh Baria and Ratanmahal were magnificent.
However, after independence, deforestation took a toll on many forested areas. In contrast, in Dang, the community participation scheme led to impressive forest regeneration — from Dang to Tapi — over the past few decades.
Van Mahotsav (Forest Festival)
Every monsoon season, the Forest Department celebrates Van Mahotsav on June 5, followed by a massive sapling distribution and plantation drive across the state.
Tree nurseries begin preparing saplings as early as April–May, and around 8–10 crore saplings are distributed and planted annually. The total expenditure for the program is around ₹500–700 crores per year.
I often wondered: At this scale, shouldn’t Gujarat’s forests and fallow village lands be full of trees within a decade? But that wasn’t the case. Gujarat’s green cover stood at only 10–11%, compared to India’s 25–27%.
Planting trees is easy — nurturing them, watering them, and protecting them is hard. Unless people’s participation becomes a mass movement, sustained success is difficult. Wherever village sarpanches took interest, social forestry succeeded remarkably.
The Saga of Saplings
I began studying the success rate of plantations and found it to be alarmingly low. The usual explanations were easy to guess — saplings lacked tree guards, were damaged by cattle or wildlife, or dried up due to irregular watering. Still, I wanted to investigate deeply.
I personally drove through remote forest areas and interacted with foresters, beat guards, and RFOs. Gradually, they began revealing the inside story.
They said: “Rajasthan laborers dig ten pits while local Gujarati laborers dig only two or three — though both get the same daily wage.”
It was easy, then, to inflate labor records using names from voter lists or other documents to create ghost workers for payments.
I studied the supervisory system: the RFO handled both project execution and payments. During the plantation season, bills worth lakhs or even crores would be processed.
I imagined an RFO carrying ₹1 crore in cash to pay laborers in remote forest areas — what a test of honesty that would be! Even the most upright officers could be tempted or trapped.
The District Conservator of Forests (DCF) only supervised the RFOs. If both tiers were complicit, irregularities were inevitable.
I could see the systemic flaw and started formulating a remedy on my way back to Gandhinagar.
Administrative Reforms in Forest Payments
I removed the RFO’s powers to withdraw and disburse cash. Their duties were limited to field verification and bill preparation, which were then to be submitted to the DCF office.
The DCF became the sanctioning and disbursing authority and was responsible for direct benefit transfer (DBT) of wages into the bank or post office accounts of workers.
Cash payments were banned.
Since DCFs were all IFS officers, direct financial responsibility increased accountability and reduced irregularities.
And with mandatory bank accounts, the ghost worker system collapsed — even if a fake name appeared in the muster roll, money would still go into a real account, which could not easily be siphoned back. Thus, a decades-old malpractice ended.
Some field staff complained to the minister, arguing that in remote Dang regions, workers had no access to banks, making wage collection difficult.
The minister discussed revoking the order. But I had done my homework — the state’s banking and postal network was sufficient, and wherever banks didn’t exist, post offices could handle payments.
I stood firm and ensured the order remained in force.
Results and Impact
This firm start revitalized the entire forest administration.
All officers began focusing seriously on their respective duties, and annual results improved significantly.
We also initiated recruitment for vacant forester posts, introducing videography during physical tests to ensure transparency. A few candidates trying to take shortcuts during the race were easily caught.
The reforms not only strengthened financial discipline but also enhanced the credibility and efficiency of Gujarat’s forest governance system.
Daily-Wage Workers
A major administrative challenge was the regularization of daily-wage workers.
In the Forest Department, officers had to hire such rozmadars using various funding sources — departmental grants, Planning Commission funds, MLA/MP grants, drought relief, TASP grants, etc. These workers were employed for activities like building small check dams, bunds, soil conservation work, fodder development, guesthouses, timber depot check-posts, and forest check-nakas. Others were engaged for raising nurseries and protecting plantations.
This system allowed officers to undertake small works in remote areas while also keeping a few daily-wage helpers available at their bungalows. Naturally, once a few were hired, more followed — and over time, their numbers kept increasing.
Once a rozmadar completed 240 working days in a year, they gained legal protection under the Industrial Disputes Act, making termination difficult. If dismissed, they approached the labour courts, obtained stay orders, and the department eventually had to reinstate them with arrears, especially since much of their work was ongoing.
The Origin of the Issue
This problem was not new — it had existed since the old PWD (Public Works Department) days.
In departments like Roads & Buildings and Irrigation, workers engaged on muster rolls for maintenance and repair jobs often went to court after being terminated, securing reinstatement orders.
To resolve the growing issue, the Government of Gujarat introduced a G.R. (Government Resolution) on 17 October 1988, which became a landmark policy. It regularized eligible rozmadars in the R&B Department’s maintenance and repair works who met the criteria, granting them full pay scales and service benefits.
While this G.R. was meant for the R&B Department, employees in other departments — such as Irrigation, Borewell, and others — also claimed similar benefits. However, it was never applied to the Forest Department.
Prohibition and Persistence
After the 1988 G.R., the government banned the recruitment of new daily-wage workers.
But bans are only effective when people follow them — and in practice, wherever convenient, new workers continued to be hired.
Some officials argued that the 1988 G.R. applied only to R&B, not to Forests.
Even after issuing circulars in 1999 to stop the practice, the Forest Department kept adding new workers under various schemes and grants.
The Legal Maze
Eventually, the matter went to the High Court.
The Court asked the government to file a proper reply through a Secretary-level officer, but instead, a DCF (District Conservator of Forests) submitted the response, which led to further complications.
When the Secretary finally filed a reply, the Court’s observations remained unresolved.
One of my predecessors, instead of using that High Court judgment in the government’s favor, took the matter to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court, in its order, made it mandatory to implement a formula similar to the 17 October 1988 R&B G.R., while suggesting a few modifications for the Forest Department.
The responsibility for implementing that judgment fell on me.
Implementing the Supreme Court Order
First, we completely banned the appointment of new daily wagers through a fresh G.R.
Then, we examined attendance records of all existing rozmadars and identified those who had completed five consecutive years with at least 240 working days per year.
Following the spirit of the Court’s order, we fixed regularization dates accordingly and issued directions to grant pay and service benefits to those who had completed 5, 10, or 15 years of service.
However, new problems arose.
Even though we had banned fresh appointments, new officers kept joining, and new workers continued to be hired after the Court’s order.
This created a fresh dilemma — whether to terminate those new workers or, after five years, regularize them under the same formula, thereby perpetuating the issue.
Contempt Petition and Resolution
Before we could decide, the old daily-wage workers filed a contempt petition in the High Court, alleging that the Supreme Court’s directions had not been properly implemented.
The government pleader’s draft reply included the words “my lord” and “sorry”, which, in my view, could weaken our defense.
So I personally reviewed the entire case for two days, rewrote the affidavit, and submitted a strong, logical, and evidence-backed reply, avoiding apologetic language.
Before the matter progressed further, I was transferred from the Urban Development Department, thus relieving me of my Forest responsibilities.
Later, I learned that my affidavit was upheld, and the contempt petition was dismissed — vindicating the department’s position.
Incidentally, the date of that historic G.R. (17 October 1988) remains etched in my memory — it happens to be my elder son’s birthday.
Forest Department’s Grasslands (Vidi)
The grasslands (vidis) of the Forest Department were a great support to the Government of Gujarat in managing drought relief.
Having earlier served as Relief Commissioner, I was well aware of the difficulties faced during drought years in procuring fodder for livestock.
As Collector of Dahod and Kutch, I had firsthand experience of the fodder needs of those regions and the importance of grasslands such as Rampura and Devgadh Baria in Dahod and the vast grasslands of Banni.
We collected data on the average yield of each vidi and set a target to double the production.
For Banni, we prepared a special project to reclaim the area that had been overrun by Prosopis Juliflora (gando baval) and restore it to tall native grasses.
A pilot project was launched to implement this initiative.
In other grasslands, we improved irrigation facilities, fenced off the vidis, and introduced mechanized cutting tools to enhance productivity.
Earlier, much of the Forest Department’s fodder used to lie in the open, becoming unfit for use or losing weight due to drying, resulting in stock losses of 25% or more.
As Relief Commissioner, I had learned to account for at least 50% actual availability against the reported stock.
To prevent such losses, we approved a new item for constructing fodder storage godowns under the department’s budget.
The enthusiastic DCFs, CFs, and CCFs took up the task, and soon fodder storage facilities began to be constructed across the state.
Tree Cultivation
In some villages, due to a shortage of agricultural laborers, and in others where farmer families had migrated to cities, fields were left unattended.
This led me to recognize the strong potential for tree-based farming.
I remembered a farmer in Kheda district who had funded his daughter’s wedding by cutting down just four babul trees from the edge of his field.
In drought years, trees can become a farmer’s financial safety net.
To encourage farmers to grow trees, we initiated reforms.
Previously, farmers were harassed — even if they cut trees from their own fields, tractors carrying timber were seized unless they obtained permits from the Mamlatdar or RFO.
We called a meeting of forest officers specializing in social forestry and rationalized the permit system —
Restricted the list of trees requiring prior approval,
Exempted most farm-grown tree species (commonly planted on field boundaries) from permit requirements,
thereby liberalizing tree cultivation and making it farmer-friendly.
Lion Census
That year, we conducted the Asiatic Lion Population Census.
The region was divided into small zones, and teams were deployed to conduct the count.
Counting lions, unlike counting birds, is easier but demands great skill and precision.
Each team had to identify individual lions based on physical markings, location, and movement patterns, ensuring the accuracy and credibility of the census results.
The Lions of Gir — A Magnificent Species
The lions of Gir are truly extraordinary creatures.
Could it be that — just as Lord Krishna was driven by Jarāsandha from Mathura to the coast of Saurashtra — the tigers of India, while expanding their domain, might have driven these lions westward, finally confining them to Kathiawar?
The four lions on Emperor Ashoka’s Sarnath pillar remind us that the Asiatic lion is a part of India’s ancient heritage.
Moreover, their smaller size and distinctive mane make them clearly different from their African cousins, and uniquely our own.
Yet, their exclusive presence in Junagadh, the historic trade routes between Junagadh’s ports and Africa, the Abyssinian (Habshi) wife of the Nawab of Junagadh, and the African-origin Siddi families living near Gir forests, as if appointed to watch over the lions — all raise the intriguing possibility that these lions may once have been brought from Africa, adapting over generations to local conditions and evolving into the Asiatic subspecies we know today.
The King of the Jungle
The lion is, without doubt, the king of the jungle.
Its territory spans roughly 20 square kilometers.
The male lion guards this domain, while the lionesses — sisters and mothers — raise the cubs together.
Their teamwork in hunting is remarkable.
They first decide which deer or antelope to target; one chases, while others lie in ambush.
The lioness’s agility plays a key role.
A lion’s paw strike can generate a force between 2,000 and 12,000 kilograms — enough to fell any prey instantly.
After a successful hunt, the dominant male eats first, followed by the lionesses that participated.
Any young male who didn’t contribute must wait at a distance, feeding only on leftovers once the pride has finished.
Life and Legacy
When a young lion reaches maturity, the mother drives him away from the pride.
The aunts may plead, and the sisters may sympathize, but the mother remains firm, forcing the son to leave and establish his own territory.
The young lion must now seek a new kingdom and start a family.
He may wander into another lion’s domain, challenge the older male, defeat him, and claim both the territory and the lionesses.
The lionesses are pragmatic: once their old mate is defeated, they accept the victor.
Even if the new male kills their cubs, they forgive and accept him, in keeping with nature’s law — survival of the fittest — ensuring that only the strongest genes are passed on.
The Lion’s Reproductive Prowess
The reproductive vitality of the lion is astonishing.
After each act of mating, the male quickly regains arousal and continues repeatedly to ensure successful fertilization.
One observer reportedly counted over a hundred mating attempts in a single session during the lioness’s ovulation period.
During the mating season, after a victorious duel, the dominant male lives in isolation with his mate, focused on reproduction.
Once the lioness becomes pregnant, the entire pride helps protect and feed her.
When the time for delivery arrives, the lioness seeks a safe, secluded place, lives in solitude, and nurtures her cubs, feeding them milk and preparing them to be the future kings of the forest.
The bond between mother and cubs, her strength and devotion, are a living manifestation of nature’s divine feminine — Bhavani herself.
When the father returns and the family reunites, their playful affection is beyond description — an awe-inspiring sight that must be experienced, not narrated.
Conservation Success
Thanks to the Forest Department’s dedicated conservation efforts and the cooperation of local communities, the lion population has steadily increased.
They are now expanding beyond Gir and Amreli into new regions, and the day is not far when lions may once again roam along the banks of the Sabarmati River — a majestic return of Gujarat’s living emblem.
Tourism Development and Lion Conservation
The lions of Gir are the crown jewels of Gujarat, vital not only to the state’s natural heritage but also to its tourism development.
To ensure that tourists are never disappointed by a missed lion sighting, we developed captive safari parks. Gir already had the Devaliya Safari Park, and during my tenure, we established the Ambardi Safari Park in Amreli. We also introduced a pair of lions in Barda (Porbandar) to develop it as a new wildlife zone and proposed a safari park in Shihor (Bhavnagar).
Near Kevadia, a panther park was also planned.
However, one challenge with such government-run safari parks is that if lions live there too long, they forget how to hunt, growing dependent on government feeding — turning into permanent state guests. Hence, it was essential to release them periodically back into the wild.
Human–Lion Coexistence
In Junagadh and Amreli, lions and humans have developed a mutual coexistence.
Lions feed on nilgai (blue bulls), which otherwise cause significant crop damage to farmers. Thus, the lion indirectly protects agriculture.
When a lion kills a farmer’s domestic cattle, the government compensates the farmer under a special scheme. Interestingly, there are even cases where lost cattle seem to take refuge near lions, as if seeking protection!
Ecological Balance Beyond Gir
Across the Gujarat belt — from Sabarkantha to Vadodara — nilgai populations are abundant.
But these animals seem instinctively aware not to wander south of Vadodara, where the forests are largely barren — “nothing remains there except crows.”
Tigers from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh once ventured this far, but with no prey left, how could they survive? Humans had already taken away most of their food sources.
To restore balance, we initiated efforts in South Gujarat to create small wildlife pockets aimed at increasing the population of deer and birds.
However, capturing and transporting strong animals like nilgai proved difficult — tranquilizers often killed them.
Therefore, a new scheme was introduced: installing wire fencing around farms to protect crops from nilgai.
That project was later transferred to the Agriculture Department, leaving us, as the saying goes, “bathed but still unclean” — since I had to confront it again later in that department!
Tourism Pressure and Regulation
When lions roam outside the sanctuary, private operators often lure tourists by offering unauthorized private lion routes, which can disturb both animals and locals.
On one hand, there was pressure to expand tourism — building new hotels and promoting homestays; on the other, there was the need to ensure lion safety and habitat conservation.
The Gujarat High Court directed us to formulate a comprehensive policy within a fixed timeframe.
Accordingly, we drafted a policy balancing lion conservation and tourism growth by creating a protective ring zone around the sanctuary.
Within this buffer radius, strict controls were enforced, gradually relaxing them farther away — ensuring both sustainable tourism and secure lion habitats.
Gir Lands (Forest Rights)
In Gir, the land ownership belongs to the Forest Department, but the Ness villagers—the local farmers—reside there.
This created a challenge: how to provide them development facilities such as roads, water, and healthcare while still maintaining forest protection restrictions.
The land records of this region were under the Forest Department, so we launched a campaign to record the farmers’ names from these Ness villages in the Revenue Department’s land registry.
During my visits to Sasan Gir’s Ness villages, I personally met and listened to the villagers, helping resolve their issues.
I was surprised to learn that many of these residents were Patels, originally Halaris from the Jamnagar region. In earlier times, they suffered oppression from local landlords and rulers, and to escape that, they sought refuge with the Muslim Nawab of Junagadh.
The Nawab had granted them free settlement rights in the Sasan Gir area, and since then, these families have made Junagadh–Gir their permanent home.
Sasan Camp and the Arrival of Riya
Every year, a National Lion Conservation Camp is held in Sasan Gir.
That year, on 18 September 2015, I was delivering my speech at noon during the conference when I received the joyful news that my granddaughter Riya was born in Ahmedabad hospital.
I have told her —
“Grow up to be as royal as a lioness. And if ever you fall short of courage, remember our 14-year-old Charan girl of Gir, who ran with a stick shouting at the lion, ‘Stand still, O lion of Gir!’ — stand tall like her before the world.”
Lions of Girnar
While visiting Girnar in Junagadh, I felt that the lions there possessed an even sharper glow and stronger vitality than those of Sasan Gir.
That night, after a lion hunt, we sighted around eleven lions—a full family group including the male lion, lionesses, and cubs—and on the return route, we saw another nine, making a total of about twenty lions.
To support tourism development, I advanced the proposal for Girnar Safari, and for the long-delayed Ambaji Ropeway Project, we finally obtained environmental clearance from the Supreme Court.
Peacocks, Bears, and Flying Squirrels
When you visit the forest, don’t just see the King of the Jungle — the lion.
Also admire the other monarch — the peacock, and its majestic beauty.
If you visit Ratanmahal, don’t miss the bears feeding on mahuda flowers or the flying squirrels gliding from one tree to another — they are wonders of nature.
And while you’re there, do taste the tribal families’ maize flatbreads (aanta na paniya) and vegetable dishes cooked on teak leaves.
Their food, flavored with forest herbs and natural air, is a remedy for digestive ailments.
If you go to the Vadnagar lake, the elegance of the swans and their graceful play on the water will enchant you so much — you won’t want to leave.
Pirotan Island
When you travel along the Saurashtra coast, don’t forget to visit the sea turtle breeding center on the Madhavpur–Porbandar route — it’s an unforgettable sight.
And if you ever go from Jamnagar’s coast to Pirotan Island, you’ll feel you’ve stepped into paradise itself.
Standing barefoot on its white sandy shores, watching the seagulls gliding above the turquoise sea, you lose all sense of time.
Just remember to plan your visit according to the tide timings — otherwise, you might end up spending the night on the island!
The area forms part of the Gujarat Marine National Park and Sanctuary, dedicated to protecting the rich aquatic ecosystem.
The sea there is home to dolphins. If you pray to Dariyalal before your trip and call upon the dolphins, you’ll surely see a few performing their graceful dives and jumps for you.
Nearby, the Shivrajpur beach — with its soft white sands — is breathtakingly beautiful.
We prepared its development plan, and today, it has become one of Gujarat’s most popular tourist beaches.
Gujarat — The In-Laws’ Home of Birds
For migratory birds, Gujarat is their in-laws’ home — their piyar.
From as far as Siberia and Mongolia, these birds fly 1,500 to 2,500 kilometers to reach the coastal wetlands of Gujarat.
Their ancestors must have chosen Gujarat centuries ago — a land where brackish water, protein-rich food for breeding females, and safe nesting grounds for their chicks are found.
Generation after generation, the birds faithfully continue this journey, returning every winter.
When I was Collector of Kutch, I once saw at Shirani Vandh village near Rapar a sight that left me awestruck — hundreds of thousands of flamingos forming a vast pink city as far as the eye could see.
Every winter, flocks of cranes, pelicans, and flamingos descend upon Gujarat, painting the landscape with beauty.
They are joined by cranes, seagulls, swans, egrets, and many others — making Gujarat’s winter scenery uniquely enchanting.
I often wondered — Pakistan too has a coastline; why do the birds prefer Gujarat?
It’s because the people of Gujarat, with their deep-rooted ahimsa (non-violence), offer these birds and their chicks a sense of safety and freedom.
Here, the birds live like daughters visiting their parental home — cherished, protected, and free to thrive and multiply before flying back.
And when winter returns, so do they — guided, perhaps, by a mysterious instinct and ancient memory, passed down through generations.
Surely, even among birds, there must exist families, communities, leaders, and a social order that sustains this grand cycle of migration.
Velavadar Blackbuck National Park
Who could forget Velavadar National Park near Bhavnagar?
The blackbuck (kaliyar) there mesmerizes — sitting gracefully in the grass, rising and lowering its elegant head as if posing for admiration.
To see the harriers soaring and gliding in groups with their gentle humming, visit in October — it’s a sight to behold.
In the royal days of Bhavnagar State, cheetahs were kept and trained specifically to hunt blackbucks in this region.
Today, the Great Indian Bustard, once found here, survives only in Jaisalmer, though a few still remain in Kutch.
Watching them take off or land feels like witnessing an aircraft in motion.
Unfortunately, the power lines running through bird habitats have become a major threat to them.
Balancing bird conservation with electricity supply for people and industries has been a persistent challenge.
Bird Census
In January 2016, the Forest Department conducted a bird census at Nal Sarovar and Thol Sanctuary.
To observe the work of the census teams, I visited Nal Sarovar myself.
Nal Sarovar, being close to Ahmedabad, is a favorite destination for bird lovers and tourists.
However, there had been complaints that fishermen from Nal village used nylon fishing nets to trap birds under the cover of darkness.
As the Fisheries Commissioner, I decided to stop the government’s 90% subsidy on those nylon nets.
During the Forest Department’s bird census, we took the opportunity to appeal to the people on moral and spiritual grounds to refrain from harming birds.
We invited Morari Bapu to Nal Sarovar for a special program aimed at spreading this message.
That was the first time I met Bapu in person.
I had heard him on TV narrating the Tulsi Ramcharitmanas, but meeting him face-to-face was an entirely different experience.
He was gracious, wise, and deeply humble — a person of great warmth and simplicity.
Whenever a saint visits, the locals naturally wish to serve him a traditional meal.
Bapu said he had no objection to caste or community differences, and mentioned that he loved eating bhajiyas (fritters).
His only request was that the water used in cooking — especially for making the bhajiyas — should be mixed with Ganga water from a bottled source available in the market.
He would say:
“Once Ganga water touches it, everything becomes pure — it no longer matters whose home it was prepared in.”
Through his influence and our joint efforts, we successfully persuaded the local people not to harm the birds,
and helped them understand how bird conservation and tourism could bring them far greater economic benefits.
Mangrove Forests
Mangrove forests and Coastal Regulation are important environmental issues.
The mangrove trees — thriving in saline and oxygen-poor soils — play a crucial role in preventing saltwater intrusion into coastal lands.
However, there lies a development dilemma: if mangrove plantation expands, that area becomes restricted for industrial development.
Central Powers Granted to the Forest Department
The 42nd Constitutional Amendment of 1976, though criticized by many, greatly strengthened the Forest Department.
The subjects of Forests and Protection of Wild Animals were shifted from the State List to the Concurrent List.
This allowed the Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers to exercise direct authority for implementing the Wildlife Protection Act and the Forest Conservation Act, under the supervision of the Central Government’s competent authorities.
This change effectively reduced local interference in matters of forest and wildlife protection.
Chairman, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB)
Managing both forests and industrial pollution made the role of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) particularly significant.
States like Bihar and others remained industrially backward, whereas Gujarat and Maharashtra flourished in the chemical industry, partly because they had more lenient norms allowing discharge of treated effluents into the sea or other water bodies.
Over time, regulations have tightened — but in the past, many industries profited by skirting effluent treatment rules.
The textile industry consumed large quantities of water and released colored effluents, which polluted nearby wells and groundwater sources.
Villages around Jetpur constantly complained about polluted, tinted water.
In Morbi, the ceramic and tile industries boomed.
To curb air pollution from coal-fired boilers, gas-based boilers were made mandatory.
However, since coal was cheaper, some industries kept playing the catch-and-escape game — getting caught, fined, and returning to old practices later.
Administrative Reforms in GPCB
After the term of the previous non-official chairman ended, I was given additional charge as Chairman.
Every evening, a few piles of files would arrive for urgent decisions.
These involved timely judgments — such as ordering temporary closure of polluting units (for 15 days) pending hearings.
In deciding closures, we had to consider employment, GDP, and economic implications.
If the unit corrected its deficiencies, we promptly allowed it to resume operations.
A particularly effective mechanism was this:
Once GPCB ordered a 15- or 30-day shutdown, the electricity company would immediately cut off power supply, compelling industries to take pollution-control measures seriously.
Efficient and Transparent Governance
As Secretary of the Board, I had a highly capable officer, Hardik Shah, who joined the IAS through special selection and now serves as Secretary to the Prime Minister.
With his expertise and the dedication of regional officers, we made the Board efficient and transparent.
All processes were made IT-enabled, and separate online modules were created for approvals like:
Consent to Establish (CTE)
Consolidated Consent and Authorization (CCA)
Applications were processed in chronological order, preventing staff from withholding files or engaging in any malpractice.
Inspections were also made real-time and online.
Inspectors had to upload inspection reports directly from their laptops, recording the exact time of inspection and report submission, leaving no room for manipulation.
That year, GPCB scored a perfect 100/100 in Ease of Doing Business rankings.
Persistent Challenges
Despite such robust systems, illegal dumping of chemical effluent tankers in remote farmlands still occurred occasionally.
To reduce pollution in Ankleshwar GIDC, we enforced stricter effluent treatment controls and launched a project to build a new marine pipeline for treated discharge.
We also encouraged industries to shift to nearby Sachin GIDC, to reduce industrial density in Ankleshwar.
In Ahmedabad, older chemical waste disposal pits had been used earlier.
Once filled, they were sealed off, and construction was prohibited within a 30-year radius.
However, as the city expanded, dense housing grew around those old sites, causing resentment among landowners due to continued restrictions.
Yet, the law remained firm — restrictions stayed in force to protect public safety.
Chairman, Ecology Commission
I also served as the Chairman of the Gujarat Ecology Commission.
As part of its project to establish an Oceanic Aquarium, I had the opportunity to visit and study the world-renowned Churaumi Aquarium located in the Ocean Expo Park at Motobu City, on Okinawa Island, facing Japan’s Kuroshio Sea.
Okinawa was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen — before or since.
Though I stayed there only one night, the experience was truly unforgettable.
Other Institutions
In addition, I served as the Chairman of several key environmental organizations:
Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation
Gujarat Environment Management Institute (GEMI)
Coastal Regulation Committee
These roles gave me the opportunity to understand their functioning deeply and accelerate their progress.
Journey to the Urban Development Department
Working amidst forests, wildlife, and nature was such an inspiring field that neither working nor writing about it ever felt tiring.
But just as I was about to complete a year there, the Hon’ble Chief Minister felt the need for my services in the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department.
So, I left behind the lap of nature and wildlife, and set forth on a new journey — into the heart of the city.
12 October 2025
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