Ex-minister Karan Singh calls for setting up Himalayan authority to save mountain range

Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Karan Singh on Wednesday suggested the setting up of a Himalayan authority by Himalayan nations to help save the mountain range and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the initiative.

He also termed the four-laning of highways to connect the Char Dhams in Uttarakhand “reprehensible”, saying the Government of India must adopt a proactive role in saving the Himalayas from destruction.

Singh also expressed deep sympathy with the people of Nepal over the loss of lives after the disaster, saying he has a special attachment to the country as his late wife hailed from the place.

“The cataclysmic events in Nepal have led to a considerable loss of life and property. I would like to express my deep sympathy with the people of Nepal in this hour of tragedy,” Singh said, noting that his late wife was from Nepal, and thus, he has a special attachment to that “beautiful country” and its people.

“I must add that the event that triggered the disaster took place in Tibet. In a way, the episode has once again reminded us of the fragility of the Himalayan region. This is why many lovers of the Himalayas, like myself, have constantly been urging that the Government of India must take some proactive role in saving the Himalayas from destruction,” said the veteran leader, who is also the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The destruction that four-lane roads in such delicate areas, as the Char Dham in Uttarakhand, is reprehensible. This involves massive blasting and widening of the roads. In my view, four-lane roads should be totally banned in the Himalayas. There is no reason why tourists and pilgrims cannot travel on two-lane roads,” he asserted.

“I have been suggesting for some time that the Himalayan nations should set up a Himalayan authority. This would include Pakistan, Tibet, India, all the way to Bangladesh and Bhutan. Only then can a uniform policy be adopted. It would be appropriate if Prime Minister Narendra Modi were to take the initiative in this regard with the prime minister of Nepal,” the former Union minister said.

The death toll from Nepal’s devastating flash floods rose to 1,127 on Wednesday as rescuers are racing to find thousands still missing a week after the Himalayan disaster, police said.

According to the Nepal Police, 348 more dead bodies were recovered from Chitwan, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 190 from Nawalparasi West and 155 from Nuwakot.

Similarly, 66 bodies were recovered from Gorkha, 59 from Dhading, 45 from Rasuwa, and 38 from Tanahu.

So far, security forces have rescued 6,541 people from the affected areas while search operations continued for 4,858 missing people, the police said.

Flash floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26. The continuous rain in Nepal is disrupting search and rescue operations in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.