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Part-2: Land of God is facing ire of God! Is development activities cause of this? An overview of disaster in Uttarakhand due to rain in June 2013

Click here to read the previous part ….and making hullabaloo to irrationally stop the much needed projects for state development and employment directly or indirectly.
There has to be balanced approach and those affected must be taken into confidence before taking any decision. It is easier to waste public money in projects and then suddenly stop it for politics.
Imagine if money had been there from their own pocket, no one would have taken such topsy-turvy decisions. That Allahabad person was sleeping earlier and now crying foul.

For one; decision for Uttarakhand peoples must be by our peoples not outsiders.

It should not be based on the whims and fancies of so called ‘Saints’ from outside who even don’t know the ground realities and problems being faced by the local peoples.

See if local peoples can be taken into confidence then they can be of much help during such devastation also. Perhaps they are more aware of those cracks in the mountains, part of land about to slide or dangerous turns prone to accidents, coming “Gaderas”, safety places besides other help in case of disasters.

Perhaps administration could engage local youth and volunteers (even pay them for this as one can get many unemployed youth in our state) as guide and help at different places on the whole route and camps during start of the Pilgrim seasons or after any such calamity (landslide, earthquake etc.). They can be given basic training and material for such situations beforehand.

I would like to quote Sri Dev Suman, who in a conference (1938) in Srinagar attended by the likes of Pandit Nehru and Vijayalakshmi Pandit has emphasized the concept of unity of Garhwal when he said that-
“Agar Ganga Humari Maa hokar bhi hume apas me milane ke bajaye do hisson me bantati hai to hum Ganga ko kat denge”
If river Ganga, in the capacity of a mother divides us into two parts rather joining us then we will cut Ganga apart
.
The literal meaning of the quote can be very upsetting but not going into that the thing is economic development, stopping migration, creating employment  in  is caused by “Electricity, Roads and Water” in layman’s language. And all these have some repercussions which can be minimized and managed with proper pre planning and maintenance and timely action.

Environmentalist and scientist can sit over and rather only pasting gloomy picture must contemplate on some middle path. It is easier to criticize (like I do most of the time here) than suggest some practical concrete measures.

A kind of sustainable development is need of ours. Cost benefit analysis approach is needed not only in the monetary terms but in terms of social and cultural perspective.

The views expressed here are personal and not intended to hurt anyone personally and last but not least- your comments are solicited.

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