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In her usual conscientiously careful fashion, Sunita Narain makes her point ironclad with understatement -- and thus all the more powerful.
Anyone paying attention to the deluge of clearances will know that MOEF's clearance decisions have not only continued at an unsustainable pace, but also seldom reflect any rigorous consideration of the real environmental costs of the projects. These failures continue apace because MOEF has paid little attention to the kind of thorough environmental evaluation intended and required by the Environmental Impact Regulations.
The mystery is why the Group of Ministers should bother themselves about further weakening the regulations when they already are getting all that they want through administrative disregard of the law. As urged by Ms. Narain, it is the latter that needs attention.
Crores of rupees is being spent in the pretext of bamboo development under bamboo mission. Officials may show progress (in terms of money spent). In the real sense that will be only in books! Even if farmer decides to grow bamboo in his own land (even with the species which is not native) say D. brandisii, they are doubtfull to get permission from the Forest department officals! Government should do something to come out of this problem. Then only we can achieve success in Bamboo mission! China is well ahead......?
Anathraj and Harish,thanks for your valuable comments. The facts presented by you about the ground realities in Bandipur should be enough to open the eyes of the people criticising this ban. According to the forest department at least 91 wild animals including a tiger, elephants, leopards and sloth bears have been killed in the road accidents on the two highways in Bandipur between 2004 and 2008. Dear Siva, RB, Priya Mr Ramaswamy and Rabi, thank you all for showing concerns for the inhabitants of Bandipur.
Hi Ananthraj,
It not as you think, We are from gudalur from past 75 years our family leaved in this place.i know the place very well and i know whats happening there.
you where telling i was one pecies who thinks that humans enjoy ownership and control over the whole earth, you are wrong anant I love nature and the animals. I was telling the suffering of people like us who stay in these places due to this ban and i have suffered too.
You may not understand it.
Mr Harish, I am from gudalur and i am working Bangalore. I know the difficulty to reach my house and you will only know the difficulty once you leave in such a place.
you where telling that there is 24 buses in this both route. but its less for gudalur its only 4 to 5 buses its like 2 volvos and 2 SETC and i think one Kerala state. there are around 7 lakh people in Nilgiris and its consist of major people from Karnataka also. Is it 5 buses enough for these many people or what.
I have suffered once i went for my aunts funeral. they will leave only ambulances but not other vehicles.
And you are right that no local buses where there but other vehicles where available for their transportation.
Its very difficult to get a ambulances at night always in places like masinagudi at the time of emergencies.
I agree that wildlife sanctuary has to be protected. I understand the seriousness also but the accident occurred above has happened after the ban its not only at night in day time also its happening.
And satyamangalam road its more than 200 km -300km to reach a place like gudalur.
before few years there were regular checking while a vehicle gets out of forest at night. it also can be done to reduce the pouching.
Harish you were telling that National highway, installing road humps are not permitted then the same NH road once entered into Tamil Nadu from Bandipur has lots of hump why not in Karnataka and Kerala to. In order to protect wild animals they can do this also.it not only helps the vehicle to slow down in night but also day time.so accidents can be reduced.
Even the forest department also take various precaution to save the animals by leaving vehicle at night. they are not ready to work at night and they need only money from WWF. they are trying to reduce their work by this ban.
so thing from both prospective put your self in my situation and think.
it don't mean that i dont love animals.. I love them.
but the situation is not same most people think.
Good point. Please work to implement traffic ban in other forest as well. Humps are not a solution. These days we have vehicles that go from 0-60Kmph in seconds. So even a small gap between humps is good enough to kill animals.
People do not follow the speed limit rules in national parks. I have seen cars, SUVs, bikes, trucks & buses driver at speeds greater than 80Km/hr. This includes educated as well uneducated people. So best thing to do is to avoid human intervention than providing patch up solutions like humps etc
And as far people suffering concerned, you have to look at suffering from all living beings point of view. If you look at other angle even animals do not want to suffer because of humans. We humans if cant go to Mysore will go to Ooty. Why are you addressing only these people problems. Near my place in Tumkur, Karnatake the nearest good hospital is 80Kms. Please come and show your concern here.
We can learn but animals can't. Will you take the responsibility of teaching animals about road crossing, how to live with humans. So live them at peace. These animals live in very few forests in our country. Let them live without any danger in these places.
Hi Pradnya,
Speed limit in Bandipur or in national park is 40Km/Hr. I rarely see people follow the rule in Bandipur.
please to all politicians
stop this nonsense, it is like robbing your own house.... you people have no right to utilize and degrade mother earth..
Senator John Kerry had written that "India is now the fourth largest emitter of CO2 emissions while China is the world's largest. India's energy consumption is projected to quadraple over the next 25 years and it is likely to be the third largest emitter in the world by 2015".While at the same time research is revealing about the global facts related to climate change. It is no longer a fallacy. Bangkok is flooded as never before. Precipitaiton is increasing in our part of the world. And Africa, of course, even though the least emitter, is the most affected and vulnerable. We cannot reverse climate change. But we need to do things - change our energy systems profoundly. And move towards renewable energy sources. On the other hand, we will need to look at methods of mitigation, plans to protect our cities and its teeming populace. Our future plans must take this into consideration.
Please read the following mythological story. I have added my interpretations.Yes, it's a long story with vivid imagery that went straight to the ' DIL LOGICAL HEART' by BYPASSING the 'LOGICAL HEAD'AND ELICITED REVERENCE AND ADHERENCE!
The Descent of the Ganges
This legend relates to the descent of the River Ganga from the heavens into the earth.
The ruler of Ayodhya, King Sagar, an ancestor of Rama, of the solar race performed the Aswamedha Sacrifice 99 times, where each time, the horse that he sent around the earth, returned to his kingdom unchallenged. Indra the King of Gods and also of RAIN, in an act of jealousy, kidnapped and hid the horse in the hermitage of Kapila Muni - when the 100th sacrifice was being performed.
The sixty thousand sons of Kapila came to the hermitage of Kapila in their search for the horse, and mistaking Kapila Muni to be the abductor, attacked him. An enraged Kapila Muni burnt the 60000 princes to ashes.
One of the grandchildren of King Sagar, hearing about the plight of his father and uncles, came in search of Kapila Muni and asked him for a solution to the problem, and was advised that the waters of the River Ganga would miraculously bring back the dead princes to life.
His descendant Bhagirathi, continued his efforts to bring the Ganga to the earth from the heavens to purify the ashes of his ancestors and bring them back to life. Bhagirata's prayers were rewarded and the Ganges rushed to the earth; however, the might of the river was too much for the earth to withstand. Fearing a catastrophe, Bhagirata prayed to Shiva, who held out his matted hair to catch the river as she descended, and thus softened her journey to the earth.
Bhagiratha patiently led the river down to the sea from the Himalayas; however, being unable to locate the exact spot where the ashes lay, he requested Ganga to follow her own course. The Ganga, therefore in the region of Bengal, divided herself into a hundred mouths and formed the Ganges delta.
Interpretation of the symbolisms in the story - by RAMANAND KOWTA
The ' Descent of Ganga ' is replete with symbolisms - about all LIFE and ECOLOGY.
- Indestructibility of Life
- Water is the essence of LIFE. How ? ' Burnt to Ashes ' normally is understood to imply the end of life and no hopes of revival \ resurgence. But life springs up again - when ' ashes ' come in touch with water ! Have we not seen
-luxuriant growth after a huge forest fire ?
- a ' defiant blade of grass ' rise up through an unused surface - road etc.?
- Ganga from heaven stands for ? ! - RAIN from the skies ! !
- so, what is the Jataamukuta of Shiva ?- that dampens the powerful descent of 'Ganga ' ?
- It is the FOREST - so thoughtfully provided to absorb the impact of the rain ! - and prevent ' destruction of earth i.e SOIL EROSION ! ! ( the roots hold \ bind the soil and also water together- in a huge underground ‘ water bank ‘ ! )
- in a forest, the excreta of creatures and the leaf litter, shelters the ' friends of the Farmer - the humble Earthworm together with other microbes ' - all of which ' till \ plough ' the soil into a porous sponge. Such soil ( thirsty Mother Earth ) gratefully accepts\ recieves the ' A - TITHEE ' from heaven \ sky \ clouds - and quenches thirst - of itself and all LIFE !
- the rainwater travels down the pores and ' replenishes the underground water bank'
- AND thus flows the ' perennial, eternal Ganga ( symbolises every drop of water, lake, river etc... )
- evaporation from all these Gangas leads to moisture - laden cloud formation.
- As these clouds drift along, the ' cooling effect ' produced by the natural ' air conditioners - the forest' , invite these 'pregnant' clouds, who happily 'deliver' the RAIN -
A - TITHEE (without appointment) here !
-AND thus, the Hydrological (Water ) Cycle goes ON and ON and ON ....
SO, the TREE and the FOREST PROVIDE ALL LIFE WITH ALL their NEEDS ! !
- Air ( Oxygen), Water and Food.-
-the 6 F's - Food, Fodder, Fuel, Fertiliser , Fibre and furniture !
The GREEN PLANT provides all our NEEDS while the INDUSTRIAL PLANT only transforms our NEEDS into WANTS, COMFORTS AND LUXURIES !
Hence the need to ' balance - NAMASTE ' between Forestry and Agriculture on one hand AND Industry and Urbanisation on the other.
Suno Shiva -GANGADHAR Ka KEHNA
Paani Ki Har Boond Hai GANGA !
Bhoo Mata Ko Nahin Karna NANGA !
Jungal Nahin TODNA
Paed Paudhein Khoob LAGAANA !
Vayu, Pani, Anna Hamesha PAANA !
JUNGAL Hai To MANGAL !
Nahin TO KANGAAL ! ! !
So, this story of the ' Descent Of Ganga ' is the complete \ total symbolism for Life and Biodiversity.
So what does deforestation achieve ?- soil erosion . This loose soil is washed down by the next ' descending Ganga ' - ( showers) into the river bed , reducing it’s effective depth. One heavy downpour leads to ' floods'. After the monsoons, the water is used up soon, leading to a ' drought '. !
AND
we pass the buck and call them - floods and droughts - Natural Calamities !
Are we honest ? ! NO ! !
They are ' Manmade Disasters ' ! ! !
Can we implement honestly the saying - A TITHEE DEVO BHAVA ?
We should live such that Mother Earth is able to recieve this ATITHEE - rain - without floods !
Rainwater harvesting means - welcoming and ensuring the hospitable stay, in your home( land), the A TITHEE from heaven - RAIN - as symbolically represented by the descent of the GANGA into the JATAAMUKUTA ( FOREST ) of SHIVA - and stored for future use in the underground ' water bank' -sustainably managed by the root systems and thus ensure the flow of the eternal, perrenial GANGA and all other rivers - big and small !
Thus we can truly apply the wise adage ' A TITHEE DEVO BHAVA ! '