Protecting ecology in Himachal Pradesh not on agenda of political parties
Dharamsala, May 29
Though Himachal Pradesh suffered massive disasters last monsoons in which over 500 people lost their lives and government pegged losses to state and the public infrastructure at Rs 12,000 crore, saving ecology is not on agenda of any political party during campaigning for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on six seats in the state.
In the ongoing election campaign, the ruling Congress has been blaming the opposition BJP for not providing any special financial package for Himachal to tide over natural disasters crisis.
500 people died in natural disasters in 2023
- During the last monsoon, 500 people lost their lives in natural disasters in different parts of Himachal Pradesh
- The government pegged losses caused by natural calamities to the state and the public infra at Rs 12,000 crore
- Political rhetoric on natural disasters limited to financial package and announcing measures to mitigate effects
The BJP on the other hand has been alleging that the Centre provided enough financial grant to the state, but the ruling Congress had distributed it among its own people.
Yesterday, the BJP national president, JP Nadda, during an election rally in Kangra said the Union Government provided Rs 1,782 crore to Himachal for tackling natural disasters. He blamed the Congress for distributing the financial grant received from the Centre among its own people.
However, in the election manifesto and vision documents released by political parties and candidates, saving state’s ecology and trying to prevent natural disasters is not their agenda.
Eminent geologists from Dharamsala, including AK Mahajan, a professor in Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), and LN Aggarwal and Sanjay Kumbharni, former scientists from Geological Survey of India (GSI), have been raising concerns over the unscientific cutting of hills and unauthorised constructions in the region.
The said scientists have raised concern over unscientific razing of hills on the national highway leading from the Gaggal airport to Dharamsala, which could lead to natural disaster in the future. A scientific study by Prof AK Mahajan has mapped the active sliding zones on hills surrounding Dharamsala. Scientists have advised the government that construction should be totally banned in active sliding zones. However, ruling politicians and bureaucrats have taken no notice of the scientific advice.
After natural disasters during the last monsoons, the government had announced various measures to mitigate …the effects of catastrophes in the future. It was proposed that the height of buildings would be regulated in the rural areas of the state. However, none of the measures have been implemented at the ground level till date.
During the election campaign, a manmade disaster struck the Multhan tribal area in Kangra district. After a penstock of private hydropower plant busted, Multhan village was filled with muck. Many private buildings were damaged in the accident.
Akshay Jasrotia, who runs an NGO in the area, said it was sad that none of the political parties took up the plight of the people despite massive losses suffered by them due to busting of the penstock. It was an irony that political parties were not concerned about people as there were very few voters in Multhan, he said. Officials of the district administration visited the affected area after one week of the accident, he said.
