The police and administration implemented various measures to prevent raucous visitors from violating regulations to the detriment of public and environment during the Kanwar Yatra currently underway.
However, observers point out that noise pollution, littering and increased human movements in or near forest areas has been exerting a detrimental effect on the environment not only due to brash visitors during such periods but also due to continued violation of the law in different commercial and societal activities taking place throughout the year.
In the past few years there have been incidents at various places involving people donning the ‘garb’ of Kanwadias violating various regulations riding atop mini-trucks with speakers blaring loud music, forest areas being affected by unregulated movement and varied forms of pollution and disturbance being generated by actions of such persons during the Kanwar period.
The path to Neelkanth Mahadev temple in the Yamkeshwar region, popular among Kanwads, passes through protected forest areas of the Rajaji tiger reserve landscape. A senior official on condition of anonymity said, “For years we have been trying to regulate such activities in a manner which minimises environmental damage. Such activities also heighten the probability of human-wildlife conflict in certain scenarios apart from damaging the environment and disturbing the wildlife. We have managed to exert some control with community feasts being proscribed in the Neelkanth forest area with the police seizing sound systems on Kanwad vehicles entering the state. However, the effective implementation of law needed to prevent detrimental effect of some irresponsible visitors is often hampered by factors like political interference and scope for inflaming public sentiment by those with ulterior motives,” said the senior forester.
A regional activist working in Uttarakhand for years opines that the Kanwad Yatra is at times liable to be exploited by some elements posing as pilgrims while using the opportunity to access forest areas for poaching and wildlife contraband.
“The thing is that the authorities fail to act against such seasonal problems also because they have ignored other violations and illegal constructions that take place throughout the year in areas including forest and revenue lands. There have been inspection reports and complaints made in past few years about alleged encroachment and illegal construction in forest and revenue lands in the Rajaji landscape but no action has been taken. Such stance of the State authorities has encouraged blatant violations and distortions due to which there has been a rise in detrimental effects of such mass movements during such periods,” said the activist.