Abolition of eco-sensitive zone will endanger Ganga & Himalayas: environment activists
PNS/ UTTARKASHI
Social activists and eco warriors based in Uttarkashi warned that the plan to abolish the eco-sensitive zone in Gangotri region if implemented would prove dangerous for the ecology of the fragile Himalayas, in general, and Ganga, in particular. They alleged that
some people have been trying to set up hot mixer asphalt plants and stone crushers at various places across the picturesque Himalayan valleys to earn hefty profits at the expense of the region’s ecology.
Speaking on the issue, an environment activist Navneet Uniyal said that these people have been pressuring the government to do away with the eco sensitive zone for their commercial interests. “They are now misleading the people, saying that the status is hindering construction of roads in their villages. However, the truth is just the opposite. It is their commercial interests that are goading them to empathise with the villagers,” he alleged.
Echoing the same view, another social worker said that despite being clearly mentioned in the provisions of the eco-sensitive zone that road construction is allowed in villages where there is no road, roads are not built in the villages. “They are now out to incite people in the name of roads their sole motive being to reap commercial benefits out of the plants they are eager to set up to pave way for unhindered illegal mining. If the government falls in their trap it will bode ill not just for Ganga and the ecology of this sensitive region but for the villagers themselves in the long run,” he added.
They warned that if the government decides to collude with the profit mongers it would face stiff resistance from the people. “We are resolved to resist this appalling plan tooth and nail,” said Uniyal.
