Activists of the Save Himalaya Movement (SHM) have made several recommendations to conserve water, forest and land. They have stressed that factors like alcohol abuse, sub-standard ration, bad roads and human conflict with wild animals are creating conditions that are forcing people to migrate from the mountainous regions.
The farmers are getting dissatisfied due to low yield in the fields, which could prove a major problem in the coming days. The Save Himalaya Movement participants had conducted two foot marches to know the ground reality in the mountainous region and collected several facts from youth and farmers.
The villagers said that the rise in alcohol abuse is exerting a negative impact particularly on the youth. In the fields, the raids by wild animals like monkeys and wild boars are presenting problems for farmers who are also dissatisfied with the drop in agricultural lead which is presenting a livelihood problem.
In the absence of well organised enterprises based on local products, the youth are opting to migrate away from the mountainous areas. Samir Ratudi of Save Himalaya Movement said that to save the mountains and agriculture here, steps should be taken to augment the income of farmers.
Concrete steps should be taken to save the farms from raids by wild animals. The Government also needs to explore revenue sources other than alcohol. If the State Government seriously considers and acts on pro-active measures, the condition of people and environment in the mountainous regions can be improved and integrated development achieved in the mountains, he added.