CORRUPTION AND ADMINISTRATIVE INACTION IN ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: A CASE STUDY OF INDUSTRIAL LICENSING AND COIR SECTOR REGULATION
AUTHOR – E KUMAR RAJ* & DR. SINCY WILSON**
* STUDENT AT SCHOOL OF LAW, VELS INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED STUDIES (VISTAS)
** ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT SCHOOL OF LAW, VELS INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED STUDIES (VISTAS)
BEST CITATION – E KUMAR RAJ & DR. SINCY WILSON, CORRUPTION AND ADMINISTRATIVE INACTION IN ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: A CASE STUDY OF INDUSTRIAL LICENSING AND COIR SECTOR REGULATION, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (6) OF 2026, PG. 619-643, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344. DOI – https://doi.org/10.65393/IJLRV6I6465
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the pervasive issues of corruption and administrative inaction undermining environmental governance in India, using the coir industry sector in Tamil Nadu as a case study. Despite a robust legal framework—including the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and judicial doctrines like the precautionary and polluter pays principles—enforcement remains weak due to bureaucratic inefficiencies, corrupt licensing practices, and regulatory failures. Focusing on industrial clusters in Pollachi-Coimbatore, the study highlights environmental degradation from water pollution, groundwater depletion, illegal resource diversion, and waste mismanagement in coir processing. Through doctrinal analysis, historical review, legislative examination, judicial interventions, and comparative insights from the US, EU, and Australia, it identifies institutional gaps exacerbating these problems. Key findings reveal that administrative lapses allow unregulated operations, harming rural communities and ecosystems. Recommendations include enhancing enforcement transparency via digital platforms, inter-agency coordination, stricter anti-corruption measures, public participation, and sustainable practices to bridge the law-implementation divide for effective environmental protection
.Keywords: Environmental governance, Corruption, Administrative inaction, Coir industry, Industrial pollution, Tamilnadu, Groundwater depletion, Judicial activism, Polluter pays principle, Regulatory enforcement