Renowned environmentalist Dr Ranjit Bhargava has expressed the need to accelerate the process which would finally have the Upper Ganga Region in Uttarakhand declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
He had taken up the matter with Uttarakhand Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi who recently wrote to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, urging him to get the area examined by a team of experts thoroughly and then proceed in the matter.
In his letter to the PM, Dr Qureshi wrote, "I do agree with the need of conserving man-made and natural heritage of the region. However, the mode of conservation, perhaps, is a matter of wider debate and consultation that too mainly with the local community. Perhaps, you may like to assign the work of funding an appropriate mechanism to some agency which can suggest ways by which both conservation of the heritage that
fulfills unmet developmental aspirations of the local communities too."
The Governor has said that once the State had settled down a little after the effects of the natural disaster, this matter would see progress.
Dr Ranjit Bhargava told The Pioneer here that in early August, when Tarun Vijay, Rajya Sabha member from Uttarakhand, put a question in parliament regarding the conservation of ancient shrines of the State, Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch answered that no ancient place or shrine of Uttarakhand had been declared a world heritage site and also, there was no process underway to make any place or shrine a world heritage site.
Tarun Vijay said that not just Badrinath and Kedarnath but also shrines like Gangotri, Rudranath, Jageshwar and Baijnath deserved to be made world heritage sites.
Dr Bhargava said that their efforts to have the Ganga declared as a UNESCO world heritage site was definitely a process which was underway. He said making the Ganga a world heritage site was a far more meaningful concept than the eco-sensitive zone idea. He has urged the Governor to request the PM to take up the matter with UNESCO.
"When UNESCO requires a detailed project report ,it can be made with the help of the state department of culture, Roorkee university, ASI, Botanical Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology WII FRI Mountaineering Institute of Uttarkashi, Ganga Action parivar and INTACH," he said.
A meeting and a seminar on the issue were held at Parmarth Niketan (Rishikesh) which was attended by Swami Chidanandji, Professor DS Bhargava (Retd. Prof. IIT Roorkee), Atul Bhargava (Superintending Archaeologist, ASI), Dr AN Shukla (Botanical Survey of India), Dr Anil Gupta (Director Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology), Dr VC Tiwari (Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology), Dr PS Negi (Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology), RK Acharya (FRI), and
Raj Deo Singh Chandella (Environmentalist and Social Activist). Discussions were held with presentations by ASI and Ganga Action Parivaar.
Dr Ranjit Bhargava said that if the Upper Ganga Region was declared as a world heritage site, development would not be hampered.
"It will rather be developed in a proper manner with funding and under the observation of UNESCO," he said. This has been ably supported by eminent scientist and an extensive researcher on Ganga Prof DS Bhargava from IIT, Roorkee. Raj Deo Singh Chandella has been involved actively with Dr Bhargava and Prof Bhargava. Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh joined in supporting this drive and has been a driving force organising meetings and seminars. Swami Chidanand Saraswati of Parmarth Niketan formed GAP (Ganga Action Parivaar) to support this drive that was started by Dr Ranjit Bhargava.
The Ganga and its tributaries are the lifeline of the Ganga valley which sustains forty per cent of India's population and are the bedrock of India's civilization and heritage. The flora of this area also acts as a major carbon sink of Asia and has a unique climate diversity right from the upper Himalayas to the plains of Uttarakhand.
With a cluster of ancient religious townships and rich tradition of fairs and festivals, the Himalayan and sub-Himalayan surroundings of the Ganga are among the richest fountainheads of the culture of mankind.
Making this area a world heritage site would encourage international tourism as well as local heritage tourism, handicrafts, floriculture, health camps and non-polluting industry, resulting in the economic benefit of the people of Uttarakhand.