Is it not ironic that Dev Bhoomi
suffered the wrath of the gods and people, most of them devotees suffered like
no human should be allowed to?
Uttarakhand the newest state of
the republic went through one of the severest natural catastrophes the nation
faced since it came of its own. Hundreds have died as per official figures though the number
is expected to go up many times once the disaster relief and restoration
efforts, hampered by the terrain and extent of damage, pick up in the right
earnest. Sad it is that this catastrophe happened enroute the abode of the Lord Shiva!
Trying times for the new state and
the nation, the episode would definitely go down in the annals of history as
one of saddest that the nation ever faced. Our heart goes out to those who
perished and those who suffered. At such times one indeed looks forward to a
humanitarian touch and an efficient handling of the post disaster scenario from the authorities. Is
it indeed asking for the moon?
While there is absolutely no
doubt that extremely heavy rains and perhaps a cloudburst led to a massive flow
of water causing this catastrophe, it is also amply clear that haphazardly mushrooming
growth of housing and commercial structures, both authorized and unauthorized
in the mountain state have hindered the natural flow of water down the hills.
Had the pristine nature and ecology of the mountain state been preserved, the
extent of damage would have been far less. This failure to preserve ecology borne
out of rampant prevalence of unethical practices in the governance machinery of
the nation is a sad yet true scenario.
The rank inability on the part of the
administration to efficiently deal with catastrophes, the disaster and its
aftermath generally stinks. The sloth and the rot in the sarkari tantra that lies at
the root of the reasons behind such catastrophes in the first place also
envelops disaster relief efforts. Restoration works thereafter also leave much
to be desired.
Good governance is indeed the
answer to all such issues and one eagerly hopes that this sad incident would indeed push
the state and its mandarins to provide the much needed good governance. During
one of my recent visits to the capital city of the mountain state I was aghast
at the extent of infrastructural rot and deficit besides the widely visible
symptoms of a city allowed to decay. With its various hill stations also bursting
at the seams, it is apparent that the pressing need to develop newer ones has perhaps failed to
find acceptance and also the will of the powers that be.
The images of the abode of the Lord
Shiva, the holy shrine of Kedarnath both before and after the catastrophe
present a sorry picture. The area around the holy shrine that earlier buzzed
with a mushrooming growth of ill conceived shanties now looks like a devastated
settlement. Perhaps the incident is a way of the gods conveying their unhappiness
with the way ecology was being treated in the area around and leading to their
abode. Ecological balance would indeed
need to be maintained, even at the cost of the so called developmental and
political compulsions.
While the extensive loss of lives
and damage to infrastructure and property is an irreparable loss, the need of
the hour is to take steps to plan and implement a balanced growth of the entire
affected belt. The surroundings of the Kedarnath shrine, the approach road and
Gauri Kund, all should be developed in an organized manner in keeping with the
divine environment, pristine surroundings, need for hygiene and comfort of the
devotees. Perhaps the establishment of a shrine board on the lines of Vaishno
Devi would mark the perfect beginning of restoration efforts.
The opportunity for a proper positioning of the shrine and the welfare of hordes of devotees should not be allowed to wither away.
The opportunity for a proper positioning of the shrine and the welfare of hordes of devotees should not be allowed to wither away.
Respected Sir,
ReplyDeleteA cash award of Rs 50,000/- is available with you for further distribution among your staff. While the staff is in no trust to hand over the amount to the union people, I suggest you to donate this amount for the relief work through some agency that really work for the betterment of the society. Donating to PM relief fund is not a good option as the amount is not certain to reach Utterakhand. Our honest and capable silent politicians and capable and hard working wide heart bureaucrats may divert it to Swiss bank.
It would not be wise to donate the money that one holds in trust. Charity should invariably be out of one's own pocket and also anonymously and that is what one should do.
DeleteGood Governance - its really important but not only in state affairs but also in railways. JUST keeping yes men around oneself does not ensure the good Governance.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to know reality is to break the circle and realise the ground position as anonymous.
Merely forwarding the paper down level for comments/ early action etc. is not a good governance.