The Cry from the Hills

THE CRY FROM THE HILLS 

Our hills are in the news. And for all the wrong 

reasons...

Or should I say, for all the right reasons... 

Had they been in the news when it mattered , 

and had the news troubled the ears of our policy 

makers, we would have avoided this 

cry from the hills. 

Temporary relocation of affected population is 

not a big deal by Disaster Management authorities, 

whenever there are forewarnings of any impending 

natural fury like cyclones in coastal areas. Local 

residents know that and they are ready for that.

But what we are seeing in Joshimath in the name

of planned relocation is nothing but murder of 

our local culture, history, family values and heritage.

Every family being relocated away from their 

houses in Joshimath will be given a relief of 

Rs 1.5 Lakh each. 

Seriously ??

So, is Rs 1.5 Lakhs the figure planned for each 

family by our advisors to the government and 

our policy makers to

* demolish their existing homes or livelihood in 

front of their eyes ;

* set up new homes out of a new enforced place of 

residence ;
* wipe away the memories of your ancestors who 

lived and died in the same house for decades ;

* forget forever the memories of joys of the 

festivals and marriages and birthdays and... 

which you celebrated in that house ;

* forget forever the memories of those tears in 

your eyes when you had your shared moments of 

family tragedies in that house; the memories which 

remain embedded forever ;

* forget forever the childhood friendships and the 

neighborhood uncles and aunties ;
* forget forever the neighborhood schools and the 

morning greetings to the teachers therein...

Someone needs to clarify as to what all will be 

relocated in this Rs 1.5 Lakhs....

..... And all this because some government 

functionaries decided to conveniently ignore 

scientific studies and reports whose recommendations 

had the road map to prevent this subsistence. 

Not today, not yesterday, not in last one year...... 

They did so consistently in last 40+ years. 

Whom should we hold accountable ?

I remember an incident from the summers of 2019. 

One of my Indian Army friends posted in Delhi, 

started with family by road for a short vacation in 

Mussourie. Besides his family of four, there was 

another friend with his family in a second vehicle. 

They comfortably drove till they crossed 

Dehradun when they had to come to a halt enforced

by a traffic jam ahead. After being stuck up for 

about 15-20 impatient minutes, he enquired about 

the details. To his horror, he realized that this traffic 

jam, which he was a part of just short of where the 

hills were beginning, actually went all the way up 

till Mussoorie. Imagine a traffic jam from Dehradun 

till Mussoorie !!

They took a decision just in the nick of time to turn 

back and return to Delhi. Had they delayed that wise 

decision by another 15-20 minutes, they could not 

have turned back also and they would have remained 

stuck there for next 6 to 8 hours and still not reach 

Mussourie. 

So much for a family vacation in Garhwal hills.

Another incident, this time from Kumaon region. 

I had travelled with family for a short vacation from 

Meerut to Nainital in 2018. The traffic police personnel, 

deployed just short of the beginning of Nainital city, 

were turning back all the vehicles unless you had a 

proof of a hotel booking with dedicated vehicle 

parking. Everyone was being turned back because, 

that day, Nainital city did not have any space to 

accommodate any more vehicles on its roads !!

Our most famous hill stations are, simply put, dying. 

The onslaught of people in these cities in the name 

of tourism has to be stopped. They just can't take 

it anymore

"Stop. Cancel your Hills holiday. Do mother nature 

this favour", screamed Chetan Bhagat in TOI 

editorial page on 14 Jan 2023. He could not have 

been more forthcoming of the realities staring us.

Is it difficult to realise that construction sharks are 

buying the decision makers who are simply smiling 

away to personal wealth at the cost of sustainable 

development ?

Is it difficult to realise that reports after reports 

have seen dust because of a poisonous combination 

of inefficiency, apathy and greed ?

Is it difficult to realise that our greed and apathy is 

leading to a balancing act by mother nature, at the 

cost of helpless locals ?

Dear Policymakers, Save our hills, please... 

You can do it, if you want to.

Dear Tourists, The Great Himalayas stand for much 

more than just a few cities like Shimla, Manali, 

Dharamshala, Mussoorie, Tehri, Joshimath, Auli,  

Rishikesh, Lansdowne, Nainital, Ranikhet, Pithoragarh, 

Darjeeling, Gangtok and Shillong etc. 

These cities are tired, look beyond them. There is no 

dearth of beauty beyond these cities.... 

And within your families, please generate discussions 

on responsible tourism before embarking on 

that trip.

Dear Activists, please do not stop your crusades till 

"Sustainable Development", and not just 

"Development", becomes a buzz word in the 

corridors of power. 

The Great Himalayas are pleading to us ,

"Wake up, before I open my third eye".

Images : Courtesy World Wide Web

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