Various activities are being held as part of the national Himalaya policy campaign launched from Gangotri in Uttarkashi district to elicit focus on the condition of the Himalayas and the Ganga. As part of the campaign headed by environmentalist Suresh Bhai, an all religion prayer meet was held on the banks of the Bhagirathi.
According to Suresh Bhai, "The condition of the road network in the region points at the various anomalies in the system. The problems of the disaster-affected should have been resolved on time but the necessary measures for this are being undertaken at the convenience of the builders. The condition of rural roads and link routes in the Gangotri area is still not as desired. The Central and State Governments had declared this area as ecologically-sensitive but the insensitiveness of the authorities towards the locals has fuelled conflict between environmental conservation and developmental efforts in the region. Consequently, the problems of the locals are not being solved and the rising discontent among the public is becoming a major concern for the cause of conservation in the Himalayas," he said.
The national Himalaya policy campaign will pass through Uttarkashi, New Tehri, Srinagar, Devprayag and Rishikesh before reaching Haridwar on October 30. Meetings and discussions on Himalaya policy will be held at various places as part of the campaign.
In its second phase, the campaign will move from Haridwar to Varanasi in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and in its third phase the campaign will move from Varanasi to Gangasagar in West Bengal. The dates for the second and third phases of the campaign will be announced after completion of the first phase. The campaign will be aimed at not only raising public awareness and consolidating public opinion but will also attempt to elicit attention of the Central Government on the need for a separate policy for the Himalayan region.
According to Suresh Bhai, the social and environmental activists had got the issue of Himalaya policy added to the election manifestos of political parties including the BJP for the 16th lok Sabha elections. The issue of a separate ministry for the Himalayas has already been debated in the Parliament while a campaign for cleaning the Ganga is also being undertaken by the government. However, the origins of rivers in the Himalayas are being affected negatively by destructive activities.