GREEN TERROR - ARE WE LOSING OUR BEARINGS
Just check the India Today Issue of October 15th. The headline says green terror and has photos of Jairam and Jayanthi, the past and present environment ministers.
And the debate is so compelling. Development stalls because a ministry is trying to do its job. A sentence inside goes ' The rage against the green license raj will no longer be tolerated'. What is it a joke or a statement on the times we live in. We, at a point of time in history are so intent in destroying our natural heritage because we must keep up with the pro-reform agenda of everyone concerned, because the Prime Minister needs to show that he has the iron in him. And what is more shocking.... forget the politicians and economists for a while.
What is more shocking is the view of most of us. One, most hardly relate the fact that rapid industrialisation brings in devastation for the countryside and second, most say that it is a necessary evil. And this malaise is spreading down to the villagers who are increasingly unconnected to nature. Devastation till their individual village suffers from asthma out of trucks bearing ore is OK. Only when they are hurt are some villagers rising. The rest are in a phase of suspended rest.
And the government takes advantage of it. It plunders the very earth in which Dr. Singh might have played as a kid, the environmentalists are confused as no one is taking them seriously, the industry honchos come up with statements mentioning the need to reform. The two people who did something are vilified... And this earth is soon going to surrender.
The biggest fear inside me is - Whether in my lifetime will I have the misfortune of seeing nature without clothes.
And the debate is so compelling. Development stalls because a ministry is trying to do its job. A sentence inside goes ' The rage against the green license raj will no longer be tolerated'. What is it a joke or a statement on the times we live in. We, at a point of time in history are so intent in destroying our natural heritage because we must keep up with the pro-reform agenda of everyone concerned, because the Prime Minister needs to show that he has the iron in him. And what is more shocking.... forget the politicians and economists for a while.
What is more shocking is the view of most of us. One, most hardly relate the fact that rapid industrialisation brings in devastation for the countryside and second, most say that it is a necessary evil. And this malaise is spreading down to the villagers who are increasingly unconnected to nature. Devastation till their individual village suffers from asthma out of trucks bearing ore is OK. Only when they are hurt are some villagers rising. The rest are in a phase of suspended rest.
And the government takes advantage of it. It plunders the very earth in which Dr. Singh might have played as a kid, the environmentalists are confused as no one is taking them seriously, the industry honchos come up with statements mentioning the need to reform. The two people who did something are vilified... And this earth is soon going to surrender.
The biggest fear inside me is - Whether in my lifetime will I have the misfortune of seeing nature without clothes.
