Having survived on coalition Governments for the past 30 years, India now aims at a stable regime under a resolute leadership. This will help revamp the polity as a whole and have a positive impact on eco-conservation
Riding on an astounding victory resulting in an absolute majority, Prime Minister-designate and leader of Bharatiya Janata Party Narendra Modi remarked on Twitter that “good times are coming”. The tweet went viral and sent waves of positivism across the country resulting in even the die-hard critics to acknowledge the achievement. Mr Modi subsequently dedicated the win to the nation.
For a country that survived on coalition Governments for the past 30 years, India now earnestly looks forward to a stable Government under a resolute leadership that is not dependent on coalition support and politics. This, in turn, will help revamp the polity, statecraft, and have a positive impact on the environment as well. The ‘Gujarat Model’ has proved that economic growth need not be at the cost of the environment and that a fine balance between prosperity and judicious use of natural resources can be achieved. Today, India looks forward to a nationwide implementation of the same.
It is of crucial importance that our leaders have a connect with real-time issues on the ground. This paves the way for effective problem-solving and, hence, superlative governance. For instance, while campaigning from Varanasi, Mr Modi raised the pertinent issue of degradation of the Ganga and expressed his intent to clean the river which is an integral part of the historic city and the nation. The river runs for some 2,500km with more than 24 major urban centres located on its banks. Along its course, many factories and businesses dump toxic chemicals into the river, and to make matters worse, the sewage flow into the Ganga has compounded the situation. An estimated three billion litres (8,00,000 gallons) of sewage is released into the Ganges each day, of which treatment plants process only a third. Besides this, agricultural units are also draining the river basin and adding toxic pesticides and fertilisers into the river system.
Environmental issues such as these have a deep affect on the people and their livelihoods, not to forget the impact on the fragile ecology. leaders of tomorrow need to be activists today and flag these issues on a priority basis. Mr Modi’s campaign did just that and provided hopes for a city that was out of depth in dealing with the river pollution problem. A wide spectrum of activists ranging from spiritual leaders and scientists from Varanasi who have been working for decades on the Ganga clean-up initiative have been heartened at the focus the MP from Varanasi and the incoming Prime Minister has shown on this critical issue, as the river is a lifeline that affects nearly 45 crore Indians.
However, depending on the local factors and extent of the pollution, the new Government needs to formulate a customised plan for Varanasi in particular, be it development of a riverfront near the ghats on the lines of Sabarmati in Gujarat or urban rejuvenation of Varanasi’s municipal areas. The key to embarking on an effective river clean-up initiative can begin with increasing the river flow, not allowing big dams and not letting lift irrigation suck up too much of Ganga waters.
In fact, cleaning the Ganga being an integral part of the BJP vision document and its Varanasi manifesto as well, ensures that the new Government may even carve out a ministry of rivers. with special focus the on Ganga. This step would encourage international quality research and development that would complement the Ganga conservation efforts and spawn further similar initiatives for other rivers in the country.
The recent political developments have also made clear the fact that political parties cannot put environmental conservation and concerns on the back-burner. For instance, the recent election in Bastar constituency in Chhattisgarh registered 38,772 votes for None of the Above option. This was on the account of unresolved environmental matters the local population, such as the Rowghat issue, where people have been opposing mining activities by National Mineral Development Corporation, face. Similarly, across the country, over 5.9 million voters, seeking solutions to local environmental and pollution problems, did not favour any candidate and exercised the NOTA option. It demonstrates that ecological issues need as much representation and attention as any other pressing issue. This has to be ingrained in the political ideology of the parties at the helm of affairs and needs articulation in the Government’s functioning.
Given the ecological sensitivity and resolve for initiative, the new Government is bound to hit the ground running, which means the beginning of good times for the environment and our rivers in particular.