Writing this on the occasion of Guru Poornima dedicated to the Guru and enlightening knowledge received from such a source, one’s focus appears to be stuck on the anomalies that keep us enmeshed in the mundane. The past month or so has been replete with incidents and developments that make one wonder whether those in the establishment are too sly to be wise. On the other hand, one also wonders whether the general public is too distracted to realise facts until forced by circumstances to do so.
As it is every year during the rainy season, the road network in the mountainous regions is blocked at various places due to landslides, debris and other factors supposedly resulting from rains. However, there are some who state that it is not the rains alone but the unscientific tree felling, questionable methodology of road works and mismanagement that actually fuels such blockages. For years now, one has been hearing almost similar instructions being handed out from the level of the Chief Minister and senior bureaucrats down to the subordinate officials on what to do and how to act in such situations. Apart from deploying heavy machinery close to landslide prone areas, officials are also being instructed to keep raincoats etc in their official vehicles! If one has to be told to keep raincoats handy during the monsoon, it makes one wonder about the level of common sense and efficacy of the numerous meetings and training workshops held regularly by the departments concerned to tackle such scenarios. One also tends to become skeptical about the priorities when purchasing satellite phones and drones purportedly to enhance disaster management ends up having little effect when communication with the authorities is delayed by hours even after a major accident as in the case of the recent bus mishap in Pauri district which killed 48 persons. Reading the official Press releases in English marked by factual and spelling errors raises more questions at the priority accorded by the authorities to communication of correct information.
The priorities of the establishment and some members of the public again appear odd when one considers the ordinance brought out recently by the State Government to prevent eviction of slum dwellers from areas they have been encroaching on. life in a slum is not that good with health issues, law and order aspects and even the threat to life from disasters like floods in case of slums located on the banks of a river. One would think that in a welfare State, the public representatives and Government would be focusing on shifting slum dwellers to legitimate homes where they can lead a secure and decent life instead of ‘regularising’ the slums. Successive State Governments approved plans and spent crores of rupees on providing facilities in slums on the one hand and constructing flats meant for rehabilitating slum dwellers in Dehradun on the other hand. But, the intended relocation to such flats has not been facilitated yet due to varied issues. In stead of focusing on measures to overcome such follies without further delay, the authorities appear to have made provision to delay the required measures by a few more years. Considering the past record of the authorities, there are some who are concerned about where and how the rehabilitation would take place as the powers that be have a knack for building habitations that turn an otherwise decent area into a ghetto-like locality.
Actually, the Government machinery has for quite some time enabled and even encouraged the public to make a mess of things. To see an example of this anomaly, venture out on the city roads when the schools close and you will get stuck in a jam. It appears as if the school authorities, guardians of the school children and the authorities are not bothered about the problems their illogical functioning creates for the public. Various types of vehicles from two and four-wheelers to SUVs and buses are parked often wrongly on already narrow roads. Even the comparatively wide East Canal Road suffers daily traffic jams due to this reason. Though a couple of men in uniform may be posted to tackle the resulting mess, one cannot escape the congestion resulting from ignorance and apathy sprouting from institutions meant to educate and an establishment meant to resolve problems instead of abetting them. Such examples of complementary ineptitude of both the authorities and the general public can be seen across the nation including the national Capital where people either approve of or ignore facts until the advent of winter makes the air too toxic or a spell of rain causes water logging, traffic jams or worse. However, when sensible citizens are frustrated by persistent incompetence of the authorities they end up taking the power back in their own hands within the legal framework. In Chamoli district where cloudbursts in the recent past had destroyed infrastructure including some bridges, residents of one of the affected villages repeatedly sought construction of a small bridge washed away in a torrent. After waiting for about a week for officials who didn’t act as required, the capable villagers took matters in their own hands. The men and women of the village themselves laboured to build a bridge across a mountain stream using logs. In the face of persistent incompetence of the establishment, it is mainly the apathy or incompetence of the citizens which prevents them from taking legitimate corrective actions. From the Chipko Movement to examples of farmers and self help groups, at times working against follies of the establishment or proactively assisted by the government, Uttarakhand has examples galore of citizens doing the right thing. There may be more examples of sensible villagers doing so than educated ignoramuses city life has turned most of us into. But for sensible citizens wanting to lead decent lives in surroundings not ruined by collective failures, this is the time to act instead of simply blaming the establishment and waiting for the incompetent to suddenly become competent.