Renowned water conservationist and Ramon Magsaysay awarded thinker Rajendra Singh has urged the Government and other stakeholders to become serious as early as possible for the conservation of environment in north-east States of India. He said that this geographical region so far had provided refreshed environment for its flora and fauna to grow, and the only challenge for the future was to maintain it in an era of inevitable development.
“North-east region of the country has started moving towards a new kind of development. But the matter of concern is that development doesn’t come with empty hands. It always carries displacement with it wherever it goes- displacement of knowledge, of soil, of greenery, of our historically structured water resources and so on. Then it turns to be distortion. Finally, it appears in its worst face of devastation which destroys nature and its habitat,” said Singh.
Famous as Water-Man of the country, Singh was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day event named ‘National Seminar on Environment and Development in Eastern India (NSEDEI): Status, Issues and Challenges’, on Saturday. More than two dozens of thinkers, social scientists, professors, environmental conservationists, Government representatives, and hundreds of participants have conversed to find the ways of conserving environment in an era of unavoidable, unstoppable and inevitable development.
The event has been organised by an NGO Yugantar Bharti, working on similar issues, in collaboration with all the universities of Jharkhand. Padma Bhushan Madhav Gadgil, RSS ideologue KN Govindacharya, UICN India Representative Priya Rajan Sinha, VCs of universities, ZSI Kolkata Director Kailash Chandra, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan and Research Centre (Patna) Research Department HoD Ashok Ghosh, CTRTI (Ranchi) Director AK Sinha, Utkal University (Bhubaneshwar) Geology Department Professor Madhumita Das and Ugantar Bharti Convener Madhu were among the prominent dignitaries sharing their views on the subject on the first day of the event.
Singh also said that wherever society remained careless and Governments turned irresponsible, a disaster was inevitable to occur. “Eastern India so far remained a green zone and to keep it the way it is, we need to prepare a 12-year plan. Any two or three-year plan will never lead to sustainable development,” said Singh. He categorically said that the solutions of all these pertinent questions related to environment were hidden in old philosophies within the country and India didn’t need to get it hired from western world.
laying the foundation of the purpose of seminar, Food and Civil Supplies Minister and Chairman of the national seminar Saryu Roy said that though present Union Government formed a separate ministry to look after such issues in eastern states, the region largely remained neglected except a few half-heartedly steps from different Governments and stakeholders so far. He stressed upon renovation of existing ports in the region to increase trade and other commercial activities. Roy said that the development was inevitable, hence the seminar was organised to reach out at workable solutions of maintaining balance between environment and development.
Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Amit Khare said that the Government was serious about taking development and environment together. “However, I believe that Government departments need to have more and more inter-departmental coordination as far as development programmes are concerned,” said Khare. He also stressed upon use of modern technologies in development activities which were less harmful to environment.
The event saw ideas pouring in during technical sessions based on subjects like Human Wildlife Conflict, Water Crisis and its Management, India: A Mega-Biodiversity Country and Resources for the Future World and many others during the first day.