West Bengal polls 2026: Green concerns remain low on parties’ priority list

KOLKATA: With the 2026 Bengal assembly elections on the horizon, an all-party interface held at the Press Club, Kolkata, on Saturday sought to bring environmental issues into sharper political focus. However, discussions revealed that despite some scattered commitments, the environment remains a relatively low priority across party lines.

Organised by West Bengal Environment Journalists' Platform along with the Plurals and EnGIO, the meeting brought together politicians, scientists, civil society members, and media representatives to deliberate on integrating environmental concerns into electoral agendas. Notably absent were representatives from BJP, reportedly due to a prior engagement with Union Home minister Amit Shah.

While participants acknowledged growing challenges, like air and noise pollution, plastic waste, and river degradation, there was a broad consensus that these concerns have yet to translate into strong political commitments.

Trinamool functionary and agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said environmental and climate issues should transcend political divides. "Balancing environmental protection with development remains a challenge, but all parties must prioritise climate concerns in their manifestos," he said.

CPM state secretary Md Selim highlighted illegal sand mining and its ecological and economic impact. "The mafiosi-realtor nexus is destroying riverbeds, affecting ecosystems and livelihoods," he said.

Trinamool's Debasish Kumar pointed to the complexities of urban environmental management. "Cleaning canals is essential, but dense settlements along their banks make it difficult to manage excavation and waste disposal," he said.

Former MP and bureaucrat Jawhar Sircar cited the development of a bio-shield along the Bengal-Jharkhand border as a significant ecological initiative while warning about rising noise pollution due to unchecked use of loudspeakers. Senior Congress functionary Pradip Bhattacharya reiterated the need for stricter action against polluting industries, advocating for the "polluter pays" principle.

Environmental activist Subhas Datta questioned the absence of an environmental code of conduct for political campaigns. Academic Omprakash Mishra emphasised the role of technology in addressing environmental challenges while Bose Institute scientist Abhijit Chatterjee highlighted the need for community cooling centres to protect vulnerable populations from extreme heat.

Pulmonologist Arup Halder proposed an audit mechanism to track whether parties fulfil their environmental promises, stressing the urgency of implementing Kolkata's climate action plan.

Environmental campaigner Biswajit Mukherjee urged voters to reject candidates linked to environmental degradation. Despite these discussions, the overall sentiment suggested that environmental issues, though increasingly visible, are still treated as secondary to traditional electoral concerns.