What lesson do we learn from The Uttarkashi tunnel tragedy?
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| AAPDA MEN AWSAR: The Uttarkashi tunnel tragedy provides a time for serious introspection of all the projects in the Himalayas |
The Uttarkashi tunnel tragedy provides a time for serious introspection of all the projects in the Himalayas
The safe return of the 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara
tunnel near Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, is a matter of great satisfaction for
the entire nation. Kudos to all those involved in the rescue operation for the
last 17 days. The tale must have been horrifying but the way we saw the smiling
workers coming out, reflected their energy level despite all odds. Yes, in one
sentence, these are the sons of the soil, who toil hard to make our lives
better.
There are three issues involved here. One, which has been
projected by the government, is the rescue effort to save the lives of
the people and we must give full credit to those who were involved in it. All
the agencies of the government did this herculean task with a great sense of
duty. The result is the government has been able to send a signal to the
families of the workers trapped that it cares for their lives and would go to
any extent to protect their lives. Perhaps, the government has succeeded in
communicating this message. Every government or party does that and the
government would take all the credit for the successful operation. So
Congratulations to all those who were involved in it.
The second part is the company engaged in the operation
which remained out of sight and out of scrutiny till now. Who gave them the
contract and whose company are this? Whether it flouted the norms of tunnelling
in the region where a safe passage must have been prepared in advance. Will
accountability be fixed to this company?
And the third is the most important part and it is the
policy level decision. How long will you rob the #Himalayas? Will the
government and its advisers ever think about maintaining the sanctity of the
Himalayas and that they cannot really claim victory over nature? Please don't
try to tame the Himalayas. If you feel your big machines and experts can tame
the Himalayas then you are grossly mistaken. At the end of the day, it was the
rat miners who took us to ultimate 'victory'. It seems that the government has
still not learnt its lessons from various disasters that have been occurring in
the Himalayas. This year, Uttarakhand saw terrific rains, landslides,
cloudbursts and floods but in the din of an unprecedented crisis that happened
due to Himachal rains, it was lost. The fact is that even in Himachal, the
massive devastation that has happened was not purely 'natural' but purely the
outcome of the concretization process and building of various hydropower
projects which we are unable to manage properly. 'Experts' with greed feel that
states like Uttarakhand are not able to use their maximum potential of the Hydro
Power projects and are advising the government to go for bigger projects. The Char
Dham High Way is not yet completed and most of the time the roads are getting
'thrashed' the mountains. We all need good roads but we have to understand the
fragility of the Himalayan regions. Anyone familiar with the Uttarkashi region
will vouch for how sensitive it is. Nobody deny making our roads comfortable but it
also need to be seen how much comfort we want to give to 'people'. Don't make
the region flooded by religious tourists which will ultimately bring
destruction. A small place like Kedarnath, where five thousand people at one
time is an extremely high number, hosts lakhs of people. Will it not
damage the sacred areas? How are you going to meet the daily needs of the
people? Where is the 'sewage' system?
It looks like we don't care for what is happening to local
people. After the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy, developmental projects have increased
and so have the disasters too. The 2021 disaster at the Raini-Tapovan area
particularly on the Rishiganga-Dhauliganga confluence has shown the might of nature
again when the entire hydro power project got swept away, apart from the lives
of several hundred workers mostly outside Uttarakhand. Joshimath and many other
towns in Uttarakhand are endangered. So far, not much has been done. After a few
months, we forget things.
We request policy planners to think seriously about all the
projects in the Himalayas. Maintain the dignity, sanctity and serenity of the Himalayas and its sacred rivers worshipped by all. Don't destroy our heritage,
for the Uttarakhand region, they are our identity.
The incidents also reveal that the projects in Uttarakhand
are so far not giving any employment to local people. Whether in Tapovan or
Silkyara tunnel, most of the workers and laborers working are outside the
state which reflects how the companies do not trust local people and bring the
outsiders to get their things done.
The servile media convert every tragedy into an event and
focus on these events so that people dont discuss the real issue of safety and
protection of the Himalayas. As the rescue operation has succeeded and thanks
to all those who worked day and night to do this task, it is time, the
government to seriously ponder over and order an audit of all the projects in
the Himalayan region.
I am still remembering the warning by legendary Girda about
this 'development. He was a visionary. He still reminds us about the Himalayas
and development. Says, Girda,
एक तरफ बर्बाद बस्तियाँ –
एक तरफ हो तुम।
एक तरफ डूबती कश्तियाँ –
एक तरफ हो तुम।
एक तरफ हैं सूखी नदियाँ –
एक तरफ हो तुम।
एक तरफ है प्यासी दुनियाँ
– एक तरफ हो तुम।
अजी वाह! क्या बात
तुम्हारी,
तुम तो पानी के व्योपारी,
खेल तुम्हारा, तुम्हीं खिलाड़ी,
बिछी हुई ये बिसात
तुम्हारी,
सारा पानी चूस रहे हो,
नदी-समन्दर लूट रहे हो,
गंगा-यमुना की छाती पर
कंकड़-पत्थर कूट रहे हो,
उफ!! तुम्हारी ये
खुदगर्जी,
चलेगी कब तक ये मनमर्जी,
जिस दिन डोलगी ये धरती,
सर से निकलेगी सब मस्ती,
महल-चौबारे बह जायेंगे
खाली रौखड़ रह जायेंगे
बूँद-बूँद को तरसोगे जब -
बोल व्योपारी – तब क्या
होगा?
नगद – उधारी – तब क्या
होगा??
आज भले ही मौज उड़ा लो,
नदियों को प्यासा तड़पा
लो,
गंगा को कीचड़ कर डालो,
लेकिन डोलेगी जब धरती –
बोल व्योपारी – तब क्या होगा?
वर्ल्ड बैंक के टोकनधारी
– तब क्या होगा ?
योजनकारी – तब क्या होगा ?
नगद-उधारी तब क्या होगा ?
एक तरफ हैं सूखी नदियाँ –
एक तरफ हो तुम।
एक तरफ है प्यासी दुनियाँ
– एक तरफ हो तुम।
Girda.
These wise words of Girda, the Jankavi of Uttarakhand are
still valid for all. Will we ever learn our lesson ? The Himalayas need our
attention. They enchant us and give us enormous joy, standing for us as our
borders. It is time, we bow to its might and respect it and enjoy its beautiful
localities for which a bit of inconvenience should be acceptable to all. You
can't have all your home luxuries travelling to the abode of nature. Let me
say, there can be no luxury then enjoying the beauty of the Himalayas and its
supremely pristine rivers and rivlets. Let us all protect and respect them.
Vidya Bhushan Rawat
November 29, 2023
(The author is a social activist and independent
commentator. These are his personal views.)
