No govt has ever tried to fathom problems plaguing the Yamuna and illegal encroachments were allowed along the Yamuna’.
New Delhi
A decade after the Kedarnath catastrophe, nature is again in ferocious form in what amounts to a clear-cut warning to human beings that it is time to mend ways now. The message is that human beings must stop wreaking havoc on rivers and mountains. If the Himalayas start showing its wrath, the entire country will be in trouble.
As of now, only a few states are facing the fury of nature. This time round even national capital Delhi is facing a ferocious form of river. In a bid to save their faces, the governments are dismissing the floods as just natural calamity. But the message is that if exploitation of rivers and mountains does not stop, people should be ready to face catastrophe of more serious proportions.
Therefore, the governments are responsible for such calamities. Unfortunately, the governments have been unable to take action against mining, forest, hotel and liquor mafias. In other words, these mafias do have sound rapport with the functionaries in the government. Agents present in Delhi and other adjoining areas do play a major role in getting tender for construction works in these states sanctioned in favour of one mafia or the other. These elements are hardly bothered about the fate of the natural resources. What is more lamentable is that elected public representatives do not also care about the plight of the mountains. Mountains are subjected to massive exploitation. As a result, these mountains finally wreak havoc on human lives. The rivers such as Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Ganga and Yamuna, which originate from the Himalayas, get uncontrollable from time to time in what can be viewed as ‘expression of their anger’. But governments continue to remain mute spectators. Now since the situation has taken a turn for worse in Delhi, the government may go into some sort of a huddle. There is no denying that the governments are responsible for what is happening in Delhi. No government has ever tried to fathom the problems plaguing the Yamuna. Only customary discussions on one scheme or the other took place. The present bad scenario could have been averted in Delhi if Yamuna embankments had been properly built. Moreover, the river should have been cleaned properly. Illegal encroachments were allowed along the Yamuna for vote bank politics. This is what has happened to the rivers in the hill regions. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) does not give permission for construction in the area falling within 25 meters from the edge of the river. But the rules are being thrown to the winds in regions from Delhi to Himalayan states such as Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Illegal encroachments are ubiquitously seen on the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi. Similarly, the hotel mafia has captured the areas adjoining the rivers in the hill states, with public representatives having share in business. The local police and administration are allegedly bribed not to take action.
Secondly, the mining mafia is also on the prowl. Even the flamboyant Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is finding it difficult to rein in the mining mafia. Cities such as Dehradun, Haridwar, Kotdwar, Kashipur, Ramnagar, Kichha and Haldwani, which are close to the UP border, have dozens of rivers originating from Uttarakhand. Throughout the year, mining mafias remain active for extracting sand, bajri and stones from these rivers. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami knows about these mafias better than anybody else, as his past constituency Kichha is notorious for mining. Kotdwar and Garhwal also became safe areas for mining activities. Last Wednesday, a bridge across river Malan which connects Bhabar was washed away. Several roads were destroyed due to landslides. Kotdwar falls in Pauri district which Adityanath, NSA Ajit Doval belong to. Yogi graduated from Kotdwar. There are more than half a dozen rivers near this city. The UP border is also close to this city. But mining mafias have captured the regions along rivers here. The river Malan has been dug by mafias. Even trucks can enter these ditches. Even sand from around the pillars of bridges were stolen. As a result, the bridge came crashing down. Leaders such as CM Dhami, MLA and Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri are very well aware of what is going on there. But the governments are helpless. The road between Nejibabad and Kotdwar remains broken always because of heavily loaded trucks moving on them all 24 hours. Most of the part of this road falls in UP.
Similarly, indiscriminate illegal construction activities are taking place on the hills on the pretext of development. Mining mafia illegally supplies sand and bajri for construction. Thirdly, the hotel mafia has flooded the hills with hotels, resorts and what not in the name of tourism development. All this is happening without requisite approval. These hoteliers have not spared any bank of the rivers flowing around hilly regions. They have encroached on banks of the rivers, squeezing the water flow. This is also one of the reasons for the flood in Delhi. There was a sudden and speedy flow of waters of the Yamuna to Delhi due to encroachment on the river in the hills. Forest mafia also plays a key role in the flourishing of this hotel industry. These mafias cut trees to clear the land, paving the way for encroaching on government land.
For example, the hotel mafia purchases land measuring 300-400 yards from a nearby road or river. Rest of the land close to this plot is captured by hotel mafia with the help of forest mafia and other government agencies. This is how hotels are constructed on a big tract of land. After this, the earnings from the hotel business is shared among all of them. This is the case with most tourist centres in Himachal and Uttarakhand, like Joshimath, Mussoorie and Nainital. Governments have been responsible for landslides from mountains in Uttarakhand. Dozens of projects were installed in the name of power generation in Uttarakhand. Dams were constructed at the cost of mountains and hills. The natural catastrophes will continue to happen until governments and elected representatives feel the agony that mountains are facing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a great affection for Uttarakhand. Illegal construction and mining mafia need to be reined in to save the hills and mountains. Only a government with will power can do it.