Large cracks are visible on the walls and roads and the wall leading to Vishnupuram has developed cracks in more than 570 houses and many families have been displaced. , Photo Credit: Krishnan VV
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) on Saturday said several “over-ambitious” projects underway in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand are causing irreversible damage to the state and its people and hence should be stopped. In a resolution passed during a roundtable organized by the organization, participants said that the government should declare the entire Himalaya as an “eco-sensitive zone” and ensure that no further damage to the environment occurs.
The round table meeting, chaired by SJM national co-convenor Ashwani Mahajan, was also attended by veteran environmentalist and director of People’s Science Institute Ravi Chopra and social expert Hemant Dhyani, who spoke at length about the devastation taking place in Joshimath. and the reasons behind it.
Seeking to declare the Himalayas as an eco-sensitive zone, the participants of the conference said that various rivers originate from Himalayan glaciers. In the past, there was opposition to “interrupting the continuous flow of the Ganges, one of the many Himalayan rivers, by tampering with nature in the name of building dams on the river”.
“Pro. After protests and agitation and fast unto death by many including GD Agarwal, the central government declared the area of Bhagirathi as an eco-sensitive zone. Declaring an area of 4,179.59 sq km from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone, there was no incident of natural calamity in the area. Therefore, the government should consider declaring Yamunotri, Alaknanda, Mandakini, Kali and Dhauli – all Ganges tributaries – as ‘eco-sensitive zones’ to prevent future disasters in Uttarakhand.
Shri Mahajan said that the Ganga basin is the collective property of the entire country and the cultural sanctity of the Himalayas is inviolable and should not be compromised at any cost. It is therefore important that these “ecologically and culturally sensitive areas should be taken care of, preserved and protected as an inter-generational equity”.
He further said, “The present governments, both at the Center and in the states, have to show extreme sensitivity towards nature, otherwise the coming generations will never forgive them.”
Speaking about the measures to be taken immediately, the participants of the conference said that the Char Dham road widening project should be regularized and the width of the road should be changed to an “intermediate standard” to minimize damage to the locality.
“The Char Dham Rail is an over-ambitious project that will wreak havoc in the Himalayas and put more burden on the tourism-centric state of Uttarakhand. The project should be re-evaluated and re-looked at,” demanded the SJM.
The organization also said that a detailed assessment of the carrying capacity of the state of Uttarakhand should be done to ensure that the number of tourists at these places is accounted for and the activities do not burden the environment.