The eminent environmentalists and the academics stressed on firming up a unified agenda to save the Himalayas.
They were addressing a symposium hosted by the National Union of Journalists Uttarakhand Chapter on Friday, a day before Himalaya Diwas is to be observed in the State. They said that those visiting the Himalayas with scant respect or knowledge of what the great mountain range stands for should be adequately sensitised about the import of saving the Himalayas for their own survival.
While expressing concern over the trend of the mountains being blatantly exploited for development, they said that a perfect balance is what is required to be maintained between the ecology and economy. Anil Joshi, Padam Shri and a noted environmentalist, said in his address that on the line of Delhi being called the political capital and Mumbai as the commercial capital of India, Uttarakhand should be called the ecological capital of the country in view of the state being synonymous with the Himalayas.
“We need to check consumerism from swallowing everything. In case we allow the Himalayas to be consumed by consumerism the warning of Chankaya that Ganga and Himalayas would vanish from the face of the earth on the completion of 5,000 years of Kaliyug would come true. We all must approach the Himalayas with the reverential awe it commands in us by its majestic immensity and not as consumers while claiming our rights on everything money can buy,” he said.
The District Magistrate Haridwar Deepak Rawat said that things should start with small steps like pledging not to use polythene, not to build houses on the hills and not to exploit the natural resources for personal use. Citing his own earlier experience when he was in Nainital, he said that every VIP craves to own a house in Nainital nestled in the Kumaon hills of the outer Himalayas.
“Building houses in the Himalayas means using natural resources like wood, land and water and disturbing the ecosystem consequently. If we wish to preserve the beauty of the hills, we can visit them but never nurture the idea of owning the hills for our use,” he said, adding that there must a law to restrict lands in the hills from being used indiscriminately.
He rued the lack of will among those living in Haridwar to make it polythene free. Conducting raids is a temporary solution, he said, adding that what is needed is a determination on the part of the people inhabiting the city or those coming on pilgrimage to stop the use of polythene.
Former principal of SMJN College, PS Chauhan said that three threats are looming large on the Himalayas — global warming, forest fires and human encroachment. Development must go hand in hand with the conservation of nature particularly in a mountainous state like Uttarakhand, he said.
Chairman of Mandi Samiti Sanjay Chopra said that to maintain ecological balance, fruit trees must be grown in the farmlands on a large scale so that the animals get their needs fulfilled from the trees rather than the crops. Besides, he laid thrust on tree plantation at the level of the individuals.