Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar has directed officials to examine documentations on the issues of Dehradun’s unresolved garbage problem, decreasing greenery, status of Rispana and Bindal rivers, Doon’s tea gardens and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) report ‘Carrying Capacity Based Developmental Planning of Doon Valley’.
He gave this instructions after receiving dossiers from a group of proactive youth from Dehradun on these important environmental and developmental aspects. The Minister is also reported to have expressed surprise on being informed by the youth about Government bodies like the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) purported to be unaware of the NEERI report.
Dehradun youngsters’ group Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD) met Javadekar at Paryawaran Bhawan in New Delhi. Group head Abhijay Negi said that considering Dehradun’s deteriorated level of sanitation and low ranking in the Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan, the group requested the ministry’s intervention to make the Sheeshambada waste treatment facility operational at the earliest.
Negi said, “Regarding the revival of Rispana and Bindal rivers, we spoke to the minister about threat to existence of these two rivers if encroachment is regularised in violation of Supreme Court rulings and the National Institute of Hydrology report which recommended a budget of Rs1 crore to push the revival process further. Our third dossier on the trend of decreasing green spaces in the eco sensitive Doon valley in violation of the notification which specifically provided that land use of the Doon Valley could not be changed without MoEF approval. Raising the issue of Doon’s tea gardens and the NEERI report, MAD requested the minister to ensure that the tea gardens remain a green area. When we informed the minister about civic bodies like MDDA claiming to not even know about the NEERI report, he expressed shock and said that it was not possible that the MoEF sponsored NEERI report was not with each of the civic bodies in Dehradun.”
The group further stated that Javadekar ordered officials concerned to examine the dossiers and prepare an independent status report on the same before briefing the minister again on the issues. Touched by the condition of Rispana and Bindal rivers, the minister stated that he would wait for his officials to report to him independently. Acknowledging the uniqueness and incomparable environment wealth of Uttarakhand, Javadekar agreed that this should not be destroyed in failed attempt to ape other States,added Negi.