Degeneration through Development

By Just when the people were starting to feel the start of summer, the rain and snow experienced in different parts of the State brought about a change refreshing for some. However, while the authorities were earlier talking about the effects of drought on agriculture and water supply, the focus now will also have to be on the crop damage caused by the rainy spell, which might also be expected in the coming days before start of the heat wave forecast in northern States including Uttarakhand. As individuals we may not consider ourselves responsible for the change in weather but the combined effect of human activities might not be all that unrelated to the climate and its impact. Many a seasoned environmentalist here state that the recent change in weather is but a sign of the negative impact our unregulated activities continue to exert on the environment. But, given our track record, some might find it convenient to simply blame the climatic changes on the weather! It is another thing that simply allocating the blame seldom yields any productive results.

On the other hand, ignoring hard facts to execute logically questionable and disproportionate plans is not the best way to go about it either. The ‘ambitious’ Kedarnath reconstruction and all-weather road projects are prime examples of how it should not be done. I had read in an old book that Kedarnath meant lord of the swampy (daldali) land due to the site of the ancient shrine but the reconstruction appears to be changing the very character not only of this powerful pilgrimage centre but also of the way in which spiritual experiences like pilgrimage are observed.

The Government states that it wants to develop Kedarnath into a grand and divine place-a notion that appears foolish to say the least. What could be grander and more divine than the lord in the existing shrine in the high Himalayas? Those not happy with such works believe that covering the ground with tiles, broadcasting music from speakers and putting up a laser show –among other developments – will actually prove to be akin to bling that hardly enhances grandeur though in this case the effects will be more tangible that those of cheap baubles. While discussing this with a family friend who as a youngster had attended RSS Shakhas with Narendra Modi, I was told that the prime minister had good plans for Kedarnath as light and sound shows enhance attraction and increase visitors as in the Akshardham temple in Delhi. I disagreed as there are places other than Kedarnath for those wanting to view spectacles like light and sound shows.

There are many issues with the Kedarnath reconstruction but one will refrain from elaborating now as there are issues with the all-weather road project too. After months of complaining by local villagers, environmentalists and others about unscientific and illegal dumping of roadwork muck down mountainsides into rivers, the chief secretary recently instructed officials once again to ensure that the muck is dumped in designated sites as required by the law. This, at a time when thousands of trees have already been axed and many tonnes of debris from road cutting has already been dumped wrongly. However, since one seems to be so habituated to things being done in the wrong manner, this might not seem to be much of an issue till the damaging repercussions of such follies are experienced. While undertaking developmental works, there seems to be little focus on the probable negative effects of the ‘developments’ as in the case of all-weather road project. The focus seems to be on facilitating smooth and maximum traffic to boost business without there being proper focus on the very undesirable effects of the rise in human and vehicular traffic being expected. The provisional state capital Dehradun is considered to be most developed city in the state and even here we have failed to regulate traffic and ensure proper garbage disposal more than 17 years after state formation. Instead of acting seriously and effectively to resolve the problems, the authorities are focusing more on workshops and fantastic plans like automated pods on elevated tracks for public transport.

That in a town where the operation of city buses and three-wheelers remains marred by various anomalies continuing due to absence of corrective action, the authorities considering options like automated transport is an example that doesn’t instill much confidence in their intentions and approach.

It is no surprise that the authorities are already touting the expected benefits of all-weather road project without there being much focus on the plan for actually regulating traffic and ensuring scientific measures to tackle the toxics and waste generated by the floating population of visitors and vehicles in addition to that generated by the locals. The way to tackling such issues starts with acknowledgement of facts even if they contradict what we like. Those who point out such aspects are not necessarily pessimists or anti-development simply because they do not believe the general propaganda.

 Even if they are, the best way to silence them is to take actions which prevent the undesirable effects of skewed ‘development’ works. Since effort and resources are going to be spent anyway, it is obviously more sensible to do so in a manner that is really sensible unlike plans that simply appear sensible and beneficial to some. Whether the establishment will care to do so or not will start becoming more evident in a few months when the monsoon hits Uttarakhand.