Skip to main content

Call to urgently build resistance against mega projects causing havoc in Himalayas

By A Representative 
Sounding alarm over the recent devastating disasters that have wreaked havoc in Himachal Pradesh, civil rights group Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (HNA) at a review meeting in Kullu has expressed concern over the calamitous situation prevailing in the Beas River Basin and downstream. The meeting drew on extensive experience by activists in the Himalayan region.
Guman Singh, convenor, NHA, labeled the current crises in Himachal Pradesh as national calamity fuelled by unchecked development and greed. Pointing blame at the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the administration for permitting muck dumping and debris from construction and road projects in non-designated sites, he emphasized how this reckless behaviour has intensified the disasters.
Kulbushan Upmanyu, NHA president, expressed deep concern over the collective social and institutional failure, adversely affecting the region's economy and ecology. He urged immediate and long-term measures to prevent an even larger crisis in the future.
BR Kaundal and Joginder Walia of the Bhumi Adhigrahan Prabhavit Manch highlighted the colossal damage caused by the reckless procurement of over 300 JCBs funded by banks solely within the vicinity of Mandi-Kullu area and the building of unrealistic and unplanned 14 helipads concentrated in Janjhehli constituency.
They emphasized the urgency of building resistance against mega projects like the implementation of four-lane highways, as well as the proposed rail line to Leh.
Ramesh Negi, representing the Integrated Mountain Institute, stressed the necessity of forming a government commission of inquiry. Such a commission should assess vulnerabilities and develop effective disaster management strategies, aimed at safeguarding the vulnerable Himalayan region.
Geologist R Sreedhar from Environics Trust advocated a localized development model tailored to the unique Himalayan geography, spanning from plains to cold deserts. He also raised concerns about escalating competition with China, underscoring its potential implications for the region.
Environmental justice researcher-activist Manshi Asher, with Himdhara, questioned accountability for the national calamity, highlighting the pivotal role played by mega hydro and road projects with far-reaching impacts. She urgently called for level three disaster assistance from the Centre.
Archana Vaidya, an environment lawyer, emphasized the necessity of third-party audits to reveal the real picture to the public, acknowledging various factors contributing to the losses.
Former conservator of forests and All India Kisan Sabha leader Kuldip Tanwar stressed the importance of strictly enforcing regulatory laws on planning, carrying capacity, impact assessment, and monitoring to prevent further environmental degradation.
Dr OP Bhuraita, national treasurer, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), and executive committee member, All India Parivartan Sewa Samiti (AIPSS), called for a people's commission to conduct a comprehensive ground assessment and submit a white paper to the government. He emphasized the importance of a collective understanding and response, with communities and citizens at the heart of the process.
Uma Mahajan, an environmentalist, pointed out that the crony capitalist model, a capital-centric monopolistic approach, was responsible for the devastation. She called for challenging this destructive model.
Sandeep Minhas of the People for Himalayan Development vehemently expressed opposition to the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, citing concerns about its potential to exacerbate the current Himalayan crisis through deforestation and exemptions to strategic linear projects within 100 km of border areas.

Comments

Post a Comment

NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor

TRENDING

The farmer's burden: How oil, war, and climate are rewriting the price of food

By Vikas Meshram   The scorching flames of the Middle East conflict are now slowly reaching the kitchens of ordinary people. The true price of this war is paid in daily markets, vegetable shops, and in the shattered minds of farmers. Expensive crude oil, skyrocketing fertilizer prices, and rising agricultural costs are together creating the conditions for global food inflation — and this crisis is directly tied to what people eat and drink every day.
Post a Comment
»

India's nuclear euphoria: The hard economics policymakers ignore

By Shankar Sharma*  There is a sort of newfound euphoria sweeping India with respect to nuclear power — and in particular, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). In political speeches, policy documents, and newspaper editorials, the word "nuclear" has acquired a fresh, almost romantic glow, as though a technology once synonymous with catastrophe at Chernobyl and Fukushima has been quietly reinvented.  To be sure, the challenges of climate change and India's growing electricity demand are real and urgent. But enthusiasm is not a substitute for analysis. A hard look at the global evidence, the domestic cost picture, and the practical hurdles of nuclear deployment raises questions that this national conversation urgently needs to confront.
Post a Comment
»

Beyond the 'silent relocation' narrative in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts

By Dr. Mohammad Asaduzzaman*  In recent years, a narrative has emerged from the rugged and forested terrain of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), portraying the region as the site of a “silent relocation” — a mass forced migration of Bangladesh’s non-Muslim ethnic communities into neighboring India and Myanmar.
Post a Comment
»