Many say that the promised good days have not yet arrived more than a year after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India. In Uttarakhand, those who have seen the political work of the present Chief Minister, Harish Rawat, in the initial years after the State formation expected a lot more from him than has been done so far in the State. We need no reminding of our expectations from elected representatives and how many of these expectations are rarely met.
It is convenient to blame the politicians and Government machinery for failing to do their job efficiently to the detriment of public welfare. However, if one observes at least some of the major problems affecting us it would not require a rocket scientist to understand that a lot of our problems can be resolved or at least mitigated considerably if only we start using common sense and civic sense more often.
The heat wave that killed so many people in India this year is going to be forgotten soon till next year as the rains make their much-needed appearance. Application of common sense will tell you that with effects of climatic changes becoming more evident by the day, the summer next year might be worse if unplanned urbanisation and environmental destruction continue at the present rate. The Government may have plans to tackle this scenario but it might not be sensible to await the effects of Government efforts alone without the citizens taking on an active role themselves.
What is needed is not that tough — it is as simple as growing trees wherever possible, for a start, to mitigate the crisis. The present state of affairs in Dehradun is not that great. The city which was loved for its greenery and pleasant climatic conditions that did not require even ceiling fans in buildings is in a bad shape now. The authorities actually encouraged the people to erect ill-designed settlements in place of the greenery and slums on the riverbeds.
Such is the approach of the authorities that while construction of housing and commercial buildings is top priority, officials stated that there is no place left in town for proper tree plantation! Are we trying to further degenerate Dehradun — where only a few isolated pockets of about 4,000 hectares of litchi orchards reported in the past survive - into an example of how things should not be doneIJ Common sense will tell you that it is better to increase greenery and plan constructions sensibly rather than replacing the greenery with cement structures and installing power guzzling air conditioners in a city where power cuts are more regular than power supply.
Apart from the rising heat and pollution, the generation of waste and its disposal is another problem being faced in Dehradun and towns across the nation. We vent righteous anger when the municipal authorities fail to ensure efficient collection of garbage (most don't care how it is disposed as long as it is out of sight and smelling range). However, here again, we refuse to exercise common sense which tells us to focus on minimising waste generation. It is as if we consider it our right to generate rising waste while holding the authorities responsible for deteriorating sanitation levels.
Dehradun generates more than 200 metric tonnes of solid municipal waste a day. The trenching ground at Sahastradhara Road was filled with garbage beyond its capacity some years ago but we continue to enhance our capacity to create more garbage. It is as if the majority considers civic sense to be an inconvenience best avoided.
While garbage becomes more prominent and greenery fades out, traffic congestion exacerbates the problems being faced in town. Most of us are ignorant of traffic sense and cannot be bothered to use either common sense or civic sense. Generally only one person can be killed at a time by a person using a gun whereas many more can be killed at a time by bad driving.
But, we continue to ignore the need for road sense. Doon may be touted as an education hub, but considering the traffic congestion caused even outside reputed schools, the school authorities, students and their parents show the absence of desirable education. The adults can't be expected to teach sense to the children when they themselves remain oblivious to it.
The common thread running through problems caused by rising heat, deteriorating civic sanitation and growing traffic congestion is that these problems can be mitigated considerably and even resolved to some extent by the people themselves using common sense and civic sense. The advent of monsoon in Uttarakhand is not distant now.
The rains will bring about the ideal time for tree plantation and also the time to suffer from the consequences of our unplanned constructions and plastic waste choking sewers, causing water logging and traffic blocks. For those who care at least for their own welfare, the rains should also bring about the time for a fresh start with simple and sensible actions based on common sense and civic sense.