Unable to recall any impressive sounding ideas like those also used by professional ‘motivators’ and seamsters to state the obvious in a roundabout often conveniently misapprehended way, I will simply point to the ‘designated’ protest site near Parade Ground. This ground also called the old Raipur bus stand was, in the dim past, used for regular commercial transport service to upper Garhwal region among other areas has now degenerated into a blatant, noisy and waste generating display of human proclivities being exploited with ulterior motives in support of so called issues which may range from seemingly genuine grievances to the outright declaration of what might seem to some as blackmailing the powers that be along with explicit electoral tantalisation of politicians in an attempted and at times rehearsed cinematic manner for reasons ranging from stressing on an issue or demand, consolidating an individual’s position in the body to simply fulfilling some sort of a childhood fantasy by actually having a working microphone in hand and an audience bound by varied reasons to stay put and hear the person have a field day with electronic amplification of sound!
Those who recall the place even a few years ago won’t rejoice on seeing this small area in the core area of Doon turned into a full-time seemingly ‘sanctioned’ violation of civic laws to the detriment of public and State. Depending on individual opinion, this system perpetuated by the authorities is also a sad or hilarious exhibition of some of the aspects which prevent the State from achieving the development it was created more than 15 years ago.
This patch of land with tents pegged by different protesting bodies and police presence increased on specific occasions may appear like an apt example of how the actual purpose and priorities of public service and administration should not be distorted while also exhibiting how a mentality cloaked under the manufactured garb of ‘justice’ and ‘rights’ (read undue privileges) exerts a regressive effect on the society even at the subliminal level by consistently imprinting minds of public with a scenario of disorder, contamination and confrontation between the public and authorities-among the most prominent regular feature of this area. This contamination of authentic native culture and public ethos in Dehradun specifically and Uttarakhand in general was initiated some years ago. Perceived threats and ‘disturbance’ by protesters outside the assembly in session was cited for prohibiting protest there, later designating the old Raipur bus stand as the ‘approved’ protest site.
Being located adjacent to the Press Club, one has been observing this show of numerical strength, political backing and considerably undesirable consequences of making this a protest site for some time now as it grew from a nondescript spot into a putrid body of ideas and shows staged quite often by some of the protesters. It is possible that the bureaucrat concerned was simply following instructions, had miscalculated or hadn’t imagined that the periodic feature of protest demonstrations, rallies and meetings will turn into a hub for violation of noise pollution and sanitation norms, men urinating in the open and atrocious sounding monologues, verses and old Hindi film songs, not to forget the open blackmail.
On an active day, some organisation leader or anyone else taking the microphone may use it to either start rousing fellow protesters raising slogans and demands or to deliver drivel self-perceived as erudite and revolutionary. Firstly, one wonders why this noise generating activity was shifted from a harmless corner of town to a place in the heart of town a stone’s throw away from a government school, various departmental offices, the Doon library and Research Centre and the historic Pavilion Ground— many of which are specifically intended to be protected by law from noise pollution, as in the case of the nearby government school.
On occasions when different protesting bodies have bigger gatherings, there are up to three persons simultaneously delivering separate speeches amplified loud enough to cause pain apart from hearing damage. From the morning to later hours in the evening when some of the ‘protesters’ tend to sound drunk, the democratic right to non-violent protest appears abused to the detriment of public interest apart from achieving political motives of the politicians and others allegedly financing the protests. One is likely to wonder about the source of money spent to rent sound systems, maintain canvass shelter, power generator and sundry expenses for months by those, many of whom claim to be jobless, sans money and desperate for “justice”. The continued violation of norms and civic sense along with blatant forms of blackmailing and political allurement should not be allowed to continue in its present state to safeguard public interest.