The former President of Uttarakhand Rajya Andolankari Samman Parishad and BJP leader Ravindra Jugaran has threatened to launch an agitation if the famous tea gardens of Dehradun are acquired in the name of developing a smart city.
He said that Dehradun was once famous for four Cs viz Chai (tea), Chuna (limestone), Chini (sugar) and Chawal (rice) but due to apathetic attitude of Government and lack of planning the city is losing all the above mentioned things which used to be its identity.
The BJP leader said that the unholy nexus of industrialists, politicians, bureaucrats and tea estate owners is determined to finish 175 year old heritage of tea gardens in the name of developing smart city.
He said that the attempt would be opposed tooth and nail and if the need arises a struggle from streets to court would be started on the issue.
"Dehradun lies in an extremely sensitive environmental and seismic zone so the need of the hour is to develop Eco-friendly ventures here. The Government should understand nefarious designs behind the proposal to acquire tea gardens for the sake of smart city and instead develop the tea farming as an industry," he opined.
The BJP leader said that it is surprising that the CM of U’khand who regularly harps about preserving local herbs and linking them with employment is silent on the destruction of tea gardens of Dehradun in the name of smart city.