Opposition to tree felling at Rishikesh’s Saat Modh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 14 Aug: Environmentalists and local residents from Rishikesh and Dehradun held a joint press conference at the Uttaranchal Press Club, here, today. These are the people who have been protesting against tree felling at Saat Modh in Rishikesh for the past two to three weeks. Speakers at the press conference, primarily from Rishikesh, expressed serious concern over the destruction being caused by road widening and strongly questioned the government’s claims of development.
Environmentalist Himanshu Arora, opening the press conference, raised serious questions about the development model, saying, “We are continuously destroying the natural habitat of wildlife. On the one hand, expanding the Rishikesh Saat Modh road to four or six lanes, and on the other, widening the Thano Road—this is like enclosing elephants in a concrete trap. If we take away their habitat and walking paths, where will the animals go? They will be forced to move into human settlements, which will escalate human-wildlife conflict to dangerous levels.”
Referring to the grim data obtained through RTI, Anoop Nautiyal said, “In the last 25 years, since the formation of the state of Uttarakhand, 47 percent of the total deforestation in the state has occurred in Dehradun district alone. If trees and forests have been cut down on such a large scale in Dehradun in just 25 years, then the remaining forests will also be completely cleared in the coming years. After this, Dehradun will be reduced to just a concrete jungle.” He termed this so-called development model as environmental destruction.
Addressing the press conference, Rishikesh-based environmental activist Shaify stated unequivocally, “We will not accept the cutting of forests and trees at any cost. The Saat Modh road, which is being proposed for widening, does not have significant traffic pressure. The most important thing is that this area is a very famous and important elephant corridor.” She warned that, if road construction begins, the disturbance caused to the forest over the next four to five years will force elephants and other animals to leave their habitat. Speakers cited a recent incident in Doiwala, where a man was killed in an elephant attack just recently. If trees are cut at Saat Modh, such incidents will increase rapidly due to elephants being forced to stray.
Raising serious questions about the functioning of the NHAI at the press conference, Shilpi said, “When the four-lane highway from Nepali Farm to Dehradun already exists in excellent condition, why, and for what benefit, is the NHAI building another NH-7 highway parallel to it? This is a blatant waste of both government funds and the environment.”
Suggesting a very practical solution to this problem, the event’s speaker, Omni, said, “This route is extremely sensitive for wildlife. Just as the Rishikesh-Dehradun route was closed at night 50 years ago, we could completely close it to traffic from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. This would allow wildlife to travel safely at night. During this time, all night traffic could easily be diverted to the Nepali Farm-Dehradun four-lane road.”
Nitin, meanwhile, refuted the government’s claims of straightening the road and preventing accidents with statistics. He said, “If the administration thinks that eliminating Saat Modh and straightening the road will prevent accidents, they are completely wrong. Statistics show that all new four-lane or six-lane expressways, such as the Delhi-Jaipur Highway and the Delhi-Agra-Lucknow Expressway experience fatal accidents every day. Widening highways increases vehicle speeds, which instead of reducing accidents, increases them further.”
As part of their efforts to save Saat Modh, the youth also shared their strategy and programme outline for the next month. On 15 August, a special awareness and patriotic programme will be held at Saat Modh. A bike rally will also pass through the area. On Raksha Bandhan, a unique programme will be organised to tie Rakhi to trees in the forest, taking a pledge to save trees. On 9 September, on the occasion of Himalaya Day, a large event titled “Ye kaisa Himalaya Diwas” will be organised to question the government’s policies. Additionally, regular protests and awareness campaigns against tree felling will continue every Sunday at Saat Modh.
At the end of the press conference, all the speakers strongly demanded that the government immediately withdraw the road widening decision, which is being carried out at the cost of the environment and wildlife protection. Otherwise, the movement will be intensified and expanded. Jaya Singh, Ira Chauhan, Ruchi Singh, Anish Lal, Sanjay, Vasu Khanna, Shilpi, and Kanish were also present at the press conference.
