By Sunil Sonker
Mussoorie, 9 Aug: Former Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Pradeep Tamta launched a major attack on the central and state governments over the recent disaster in Dharali area of Uttarkashi. While talking to journalists here, today, he clearly said that this disaster was not a natural phenomenon, but a man-made tragedy, for which the government’s negligence and faulty development policies are responsible. Pradeep Tamta demanded that the BJP governments at the Centre and the state to strictly respect the eco-sensitive zone, implement the zonal master plan with immediate effect, improve disaster management standards, provide adequate and respectable relief amount to the victims, stop unplanned development, and make a sustainable and balanced development policy for the hilly areas.
Pradeep Tamta recalled that, in 2010, when the Congress government was in power at the Centre, a high-level committee headed by the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, along with Jairam Ramesh and three other Union Ministers, rejected three major projects proposed in the Himalayan region. These projects posed a serious threat to the environment. He said, “If those projects had been implemented at that time, the devastation seen today would have been many times more horrific. After this, in 2012, an area of about a thousand square kilometres was declared an eco-sensitive zone, which also included sensitive areas like Dharali and Tharali. Under the scheme, the state government had to make a zonal master plan, so that a balance could be maintained between development and environment.”
Tamta alleged that as soon as the BJP government came to power in both the Centre and the state, the concept of eco-sensitive zone was sidelined and unplanned construction and activities were given a free hand in the area. He said, “In the name of development, the BJP government cut down mountains, destroyed forests and played with the natural balance. Today’s Dharali disaster is the result of that negligence.” Pradeep Tamta also directly targeted Prime Minister Modi and said that politics of destruction is being done in the name of development in the country. He said, “The Modi government is messing with the mountains and the environment just to benefit a few big industrialists. The people of Uttarakhand are constantly suffering the consequences of this.” He put the Dhami government of the state in the dock regarding the Dharali disaster and said that despite four days having passed, the government does not have any official figures of the dead and missing people. This shows the complete failure of the state’s disaster management.
Tamta termed the relief amount of Rs 5000 being given to the victims by the government as a joke and said that by giving such a small amount to those who lost everything in the disaster, the government is making fun of their suffering. He claimed that many victims have rejected this insulting relief. Pradeep Tamta also expressed concern about the religious identity of Uttarakhand. He said that the BJP government is promoting unplanned construction and overcrowding by developing religious places as centres of tourism, which is not only insulting faith but also endangering the geographical structure of the region. He said, “Uttarakhand is being ruined by those who make money in the name of religion. We have to be cautious of capitalists.” Tamta revealed that the BJP leaders of the state are busy in manipulation and horse-trading in the Panchayat elections instead of helping the disaster-affected areas. He added, “When the entire state is in crisis, the BJP leaders are busy only baking their political bread.”
Tamta demanded that all the activities that cut the mountains and destroy the green forests should be stopped immediately. He said that the people of Uttarakhand should be given a respectable life through natural resources and not put them on the brink of destruction in the name of development. Social worker Jabar Singh Verma was also present on this occasion.
