New Delhi, Jan. 8: A non-government organisation has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court seeking changes in India’s rules on genetically modified (GM) products, claiming that existing rules are deficient and non-transparent.

Gene Campaign, a Delhi-based group involved in food security and bioresources, has sought a moratorium on the commercial release of GM products until technically competent and transparent regulations are in place.

“Our biggest concern is the lack of technical competence and the shocking absence of transparency,” said Dr Suman Sahai, president of the group. In the absence of a competent and vigilant regulatory system, permission granted to GM products could pose a threat to India’s environment or public health, she said.

A top agricultural scientist has said India cannot afford to ignore GM technology, but added Gene Campaign’s demand for improved rules was appropriate.

“GM crops could have a lot to offer to India’s food security in the coming decades,” said Dr Satish Raina, a professor at the National Centre for Plant Biotechnology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. “We have to examine this technology, analyse potential risks and benefits, and then decide on a case-by-case basis.”

Sahai said Gene Campaign filed the petition only after repeated attempts to discuss its concerns about flaws in the existing rules with various government departments were stonewalled. “We spent 18 months seeking data about field trials and safety tests,” Sahai said. “There is no reason why such data should remain hidden, but they don’t even respond.”

The need for revised regulations to govern GM products in India had emerged at a national symposium in New Delhi last year. But the department of biotechnology (DBT) has said existing rules in India’s Environment Protection Act are adequate to cover GM products.

A senior department official has said guidelines to assess environmental and ecological impact for risk assessment are already built into the act and “they are not less stringent than anywhere in the world”.

Sahai said she was surprised that departments appeared unwilling to share information with even Parliament. The symposium had suggested that a review of decisions by the Genetic Engineering Advisory Committee (GEAC), the panel responsible for approving GM products in India, be presented to Parliament.

A biotechnology department official said: “Submission of GEAC decisions to Parliament is not a practical exercise.”

Sahai asked: “Whose agenda is being set here that the DBT thinks that even the Indian Parliament need not be informed about GEAC decisions?”

Although the committee has so far approved only GM cotton, several edible GM products are in the research pipeline. Protein-rich potatoes, iron-laced rice and, perhaps, edible vaccines too, all products of genetic engineering, are expected to come up for approval by the panel within the next two to five years.

Raina said there is no reason why details of safety and environmental tests should not be released. “There is nothing proprietary or secret about how tests were conducted and what the results were obtained — the public has a right to know,” he said.

Environmental scientists have been concerned over the abuse of genetically altered cotton in some states. Many farmers also failed to follow instructions on appropriate planting methods for the modified cotton.