INDUSTRY CAUSING ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE- A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO STUDENTS OPINION

Industrial growth has brought jobs, income and infrastructure to India, but it has also left polluted rivers, contaminated soil, toxic air and, on occasion, disasters whose victims waited years for relief. This paper asks whether an industrialist should be held liable for the damage that his or her activity causes to the environment and, if so, how far that liability should extend. The question is approached in two steps. First, the paper reviews the economic and legal ideas that support industrial liability, including the polluter pays principle, absolute liability and the statutory schemes created by the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991 and the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010. Second, it examines what a small group of respondents think about the same issues. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 50 respondents and analysed in SPSS through frequency and percentage tables. The paper concludes that liability of the industrialist is well justified, provided it is proportionate to the harm, aimed at restoration and prevention, and backed by effective enforcement.