DISSERVICE TO GAURA DEVI AND SUNDERLAL BAHUGUNA:
I have often said that it is deeply tragic that the land of Uttarakhand which regularly invokes the names of Sunderlal Bahuguna and Gaura Devi in the cliched speeches of its netas is today witnessing the open, broad daylight plunder of its natural resources.
How else can one explain the audacity with which forests are being cleared, hillsides are being carved up and resorts are being constructed in and around many forest areas including reserved forests?
What makes this even more disturbing is that many such instances are unfolding not in some remote corner of the state but within close proximity to Dehradun and Mussoorie. If this is the scale of environmental destruction taking place near the capital city, one can only imagine what may be happening across the remaining 50,000 square kilometres of our state of Uttarakhand.
Equally concerning is the massive disconnect between those in power and the concerns being raised by citizens. Public feedback appears to have zero impact. There is clear perception that vested interests are working to destroy the environmental safegaurads.
This cruel assault on Uttarakhand's land, forests, rivers and mountains bodes badly for the future of the state. At present, the only limited hope seems to lie in judicial intervention and the oversight of certain national institutions. Expecting meaningful corrective action from the state government and many of its agencies is foolhardy, to say the least.
PS : As an example, the below, recent video right on the Dehradun-Mussoorie road is not an isolated incident. Social media platforms across Uttarakhand are flooded with similar images and reports almost every day. It would be helpful to know if MDDA, Forest Dept, PWD etc. have given approval to this resort. Video Courtesy is Deepak Joshi.
#Mussoorie
#Dehradun
#Uttarakhand
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