Gajendra Singh Negi I Dehradun
Environmental alert
The highly unusual incidents of forest fires in the higher Himalayan ranges during winter months of December and January have left environmentalists and citizens worried. The near absence of rains and snowfall in the State in December and first fortnight of January has manifested in the form of forest fires in the Himalayas, including the picturesque Valley of Flowers. Linking the recent environmental events of excessive rainfall during rainy season and disaster triggered by it, forest fires in winters, deforestation, growing human wildlife conflict and ever worsening air quality in the cities, the founder of social development for communities (SDC) foundation Anoop Nautiyal has sounded a climatic emergency in the Himalayan State. The government should take immediate cognizance of the issue and prepare a comprehensive plan to save the Himalayas by reducing ever increasing stress on its fragile ecology. A developmental model which safeguards Himalayans and the interests of its residents is needed to be prepared and implemented without delay.
Congress’ chance
Paradoxical though it may seem, the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls could help in rejuvenating the Congress party in Uttarakhand. As part of the SIR activity, appointment of booth level agents, BLA -1 (one in every Vidhan Sabha) and BLA-2 (in every polling booth) is currently underway in the State on the directive of the Election Commission of India. The fortunes of the grand old party have received a severe battering in all the elections in the State since 2014, but if the party is able to appoint an efficient, motivated and trained BLA-2 in each one of the 11,700 polling booths of the State, its organisational strength will get a major boost ahead of the crucial 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections. Interestingly enough, the Congress party has consistently raised questions on the SIR and had put the ECI on dock by labelling it as a tool of the ruling BJP.
BJP’s worry
The aggressive assertion exhibited by former minister and Gadarpur MLA Arvind Pandey on the unfortunate suicide of a young farmer of Kashipur has brought into the forth the fissure lines of the ruling BJP in the Himalayan State. Pandey was a member of Dhami -I cabinet but was ignored by the CM in the second tenure for which he seems to be holding a grudge and his frustration finds a vent every now and then. The MLA is also targeting the local police and SSP of Udham Singh Nagar for the suicide of the farmer and has raised demand for a CBI probe in the case. Apart from the utterances of Pandey, the comments made by many leaders of BJP during the recent public outcry in the Ankita Bhandari murder case were not in sync with the official position of the BJP which clearly point out that all is not well in the saffron party known for its regimented nature and discipline.
