[Reader-list] Amaranth Yatra

[Pawan Durani]

Shuddha ,

I hope you have an idea of how land belonging to Kashmiri Hindus were handed
over to muslims in Kashmir under the garb of land reforms .

I know that is very convenient for you to ignore ...

Pawan


On 6/30/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>
>  Dear Pawan,
>
>
> That is your opinion, not a substantiated fact. As far as I have seen,
> there has not been a single statement made against Hindu pligrims by anyone
> in the leadership or the constituency of the movement against land transfer
> in Kashmir. And until such a statement is made, we cannot say that it arises
> out of a 'resentment towards hindu pligrims'. People across the spectrum of
> political opinion in Kashmir have taken pains to point out that they welcome
> pilgrims. And the question of the acquisition of land has nothing to do with
> pilgrims. There is a long history of arbitrary acquisition and occupation of
> land, including orchards, schools, meadows, pastures, grazing comons and
> private homes in Kashmir, especially by the Armed Forces and paramilitaries,
> it is possible that the movement we see crystallizes the pent up feeling of
> anger against this long history of land acquisition.
>
>
> An audit of the impact of land acquisition on the ecology and social fabric
> of Kashmir (on both sides of the line of control) is still pending.
>
>
> best
>
>
> Shuddha
>
>
>
>
>  On 30-Jun-08, at 9:24 PM, Pawan Durani wrote:
>
>  Dear Shuddha ,
>
>
>
> While I may trust your belief in ecological fallout , i completely disagree
> with your understanding that the issue is not about the resentment towards
> hindu pligrims.
>
>
>
> It is all about that , non tolerance towards so called hindus or what they
> love to call...."Kufr".
>
>
>
> Pawan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 6/30/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>>
>> Dear Pawan,
>>
>>
>> Just because a terrain does not have trees, or that the altitude it is
>> located in happens to be above the treeline, does not mean that it is not
>> ecologically sensitive.
>>
>> Often, it is precisely terrain of this nature, such as for instance is at
>> the vicinity of the mouth of the Gomukh glacier above Gangotri,(again above
>> the treeline) that is extremely fragile and needs very careful nurturing.
>>
>>
>> I know for a fact that the ecosystem of the Gomukh glacial region is very
>> badly threatened because of the completely haphazard way in which access to
>> this region (and the logistics of pilgrimage and tourism) has been managed.
>> I can very easily see that something similar can happen in the case of
>> Amarnath.
>>
>>
>> I would urge you not to make the discussion of this question into a
>> 'Hindu' question. It is not one, it is about the way in which State managed,
>> so called, 'Temple Development Boards', enter into schemes to grab land, and
>> about the ecological consequences of their land-grabbing propensities.
>>
>>
>> You might recall that some months back you tried to pose the question of
>> the building of a shipping canal between India and Sri Lanka as a matter of
>> hurting Hindu sentiments. I endorsed your opposition to the so called
>> 'Sethu-Samudram Shipping Channel' scheme, because to me it represented a
>> threat to a fragile marine ecosystem, not on the basis of its alleged injury
>> to Hindu sentiments. I also pointed out to you and to others on the list
>> that the protectors of Hindutva, while proposing a Panama Canal style
>> waterway cutting through the apex of the Deccan peninsula as an alternative
>> to the 'Sethu-Samudram' plan were  also proposing what was certainly a
>> blueprint for an ecological disaster.
>>
>>
>> Opposition to the proposed (and now rescinded) land grab proposal by the
>> SASB in the Amarnath case does not automatically translate into partisanship
>> across the Hindu-Muslim question in Kashmir. Those who translate it as such,
>> whether they are Hindu, or Muslim, are needlessly confusing a
>> straightforward matter by bringing their own secterian biases to bear on the
>> issue. No one should be misled by such attempts at confusion.
>>
>>
>> best
>>
>>
>> Shuddha
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  On 30-Jun-08, at 4:44 PM, Pawan Durani wrote:
>>
>>  Hello Shuddha ,
>>
>>
>> Lemme just inform everyone that , the land may have belonged to Forest
>>
>> Department , but there is no single tree over there.
>>
>>
>> Even when you reach Amarntah , there are no trees over there , becuase of
>>
>> high altitude.
>>
>>
>> I visited the site, Baltal , two years back.
>>
>>
>> Unfortunately the issue is not about ecology ..... the way it has been
>>
>> treated is a pure indicator that anything related to Hindus is not
>> tolerable
>>
>> in Kashmir, and proves once again that it is not "freedom" but Islamic
>>
>> fanaticism which rules the shot in Kashmir.
>>
>>
>>
>> Pawan
>>
>>
>>
>> On 6/30/08, Shuddhabrata Sengupta <shuddha at sarai.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Dear Sonia, Dear Rashneek, dear all,
>>
>>
>> Thank you, Sonia and Rashneek for the debate on the Amarnath Yatra
>>
>> issue. The question of temple boards and their closeness to power,
>>
>> and their lust for acquiring forest lands is not unique to Kashmir.
>>
>> It also happens, as you will see below, (see the report - Sabarimala:
>>
>> The Faith in Spate, by K.A. Shaji) in distant Kerala. The ruling left
>>
>> front government in Kerala is as involved in this game as anyone
>>
>> else, because 'Temple Boards' are gold-mines and no state government
>>
>> wants to close an operation that earns them the gold that can be
>>
>> mined in these gold mines. I am appending below a report on the
>>
>> question of the Sabarimala Temple boards desire for even more
>>
>> reserved forest land. The story is remarkably resonant of the
>>
>> Amarnath issue. A local, highly culturally specific, syncretic
>>
>> pilgrimage turning into the road-show of a revivalist 'Hinduism',
>>
>> with lucrative revenue spin-offs.
>>
>>
>> I live in an area in Delhi where I have witnessed every year, for the
>>
>> past few years - 'Chalo Amarnath Chalo' (Let's go to Amarnath)
>>
>> posters and banners being put up by local RSS functionaries. And
>>
>> there are active fundraising drives which culminate in a cavalcade of
>>
>> Tata Sumos with the local 'Youth' blaring 'bhajans' from their
>>
>> booming auto-sound systems taking off to go do 'darshan' of the
>>
>> melting lingam. I don't think they (the Sumo Pilgrims of my
>>
>> neighbourhood) really care whether or not the forests of Kashmir go
>>
>> up in smoke.
>>
>>
>> I also know that the Sabarimala pilgrimage has been twisted out of
>>
>> shape in a similar way, both by Hindutva enthusiasts, and by
>>
>> construction contractors close to the ruling Left Front. Fragile
>>
>> forests can barely sustain the burden of so much sudden faith.
>>
>>
>> Incidentally, revivalist Hindus are by no means alone in their
>>
>> disregard for the local heritage and environment. The ruling
>>
>> dispensation in Saudi Arabia has effectively turned the pilgrimage
>>
>> sites of Mecca and Medina into an air-conditioned cultural wasteland.
>>
>> it has systematically destroyed shrines that were considered holy by
>>
>> millions of Muslim pilgrims, especially from South Asia, and
>>
>> completely transformed the intricate urban fabric of Mecca and
>>
>> Medina. There is a long history of protest, including in India, by
>>
>> Muslims against the way in which the Saudi Government, in cohorts
>>
>> with the Wahabi establishment has wrecked the topography of Mecca and
>>
>> Medina. Similarly, the Israeli state's policy of expansion, through
>>
>> settlements, and building high security segregated roads that cut
>>
>> through the west bank of the Jordan river are often camouflaged under
>>
>> an appeal to scriptural sanction for 'Greater' or 'Eretz' Israel.
>>
>> There is a great deal of money to be made in pilgrimage, and it
>>
>> affords everybody an opportunity to make some quick transformations
>>
>> of the landscape in the name of 'infrastructure development'  and
>>
>> 'settlement' , both of which are euphemisms for speculation in real
>>
>> estate.
>>
>>
>> I am also appending a detailed report on the environmental impact of
>>
>> what was proposed by the erstwhile governor Gen (Retd) Sinha of Jammu
>>
>> and Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra by Gautam Navlakha that appeared
>>
>> recently in the website of a journal called Kashmir Affairs. Finally,
>>
>> it is not my case that the acquisition of land for the Amarnath Board
>>
>> (SASB) is wrong, and the acquisition of land for the so-called
>>
>> 'Mughal Road', which has been pointed out by Aditya Raj Kaul, in a
>>
>> recent post is wrong. Both are equally disastrous from the
>>
>> environmental point of view. And the silence of political formations
>>
>> (of all persuasions) on the environmental impact of the revived
>>
>> Mughal Road and their recent discovery of environmentalism (in the
>>
>> case of the Amarnath land transfer issue) does make their commitment
>>
>> to environmentalism somewhat suspect. The PDP's stance is
>>
>> particularly hypocritical, as the original decision has been ratified
>>
>> by its own minister, (for Forest) in the (Indian Held) J&K state
>>
>> government. Still, even if the commitment of all the protagonists is
>>
>> suspect, I must say that I have rarely seen a popular movement
>>
>> reverse a state-driven decision on an 'environmental' issue, and the
>>
>> recent success of the agitation in Kashmir (whatever be the motives
>>
>> that impelled it) which has resulted in a reversal of the Land
>>
>> Transfer issue is something to be grateful for.
>>
>>
>> These are issues that need to be seen quite separately from secterian
>>
>> concerns. I hope this debate can help us see them in that way.
>>
>>
>> best
>>
>>
>> Shuddha
>>
>> -------------------
>>
>>
>> 1. Sabarimala: The Faith in Spate
>>
>> by K A Shaji
>>
>>
>> http://www.boloji.com/society/115.htm
>>
>>
>> Legend has it that when Lord Ayyappa set out to seek solitude, he
>>
>> settled upon Sabarimala. Its sylvan surroundings and undulating
>>
>> terrain had made it an ideal retreat for the bachelor god. The
>>
>> pristine monsoon forests had wrapped like an ornament around his
>>
>> hermitage at the top of the hill. The Lord believed to have called
>>
>> the area with tranquil atmosphere as his poonkavanam (sacred forest).
>>
>>
>> A shrine inside the forest and a deity who chose the calm ambience of
>>
>> hills and valleys has few parallels in the country and outside. But
>>
>> now, it seems, all of the glories of Sabarimala were a thing of the
>>
>> past. When mythology meets present-day reality, Sabarimala is no more
>>
>> a chosen abode of the hermit God. During January-February each year,
>>
>> more than 50 million devotees, as claimed by the temple authorities,
>>
>> are thronging this forest temple for annual pilgrimage, putting the
>>
>> fragile ecology of the region under severe stress. Now, the holy hill
>>
>> is a synonym of increasing inflow of pilgrims, inadequate
>>
>> infrastructure, a devastated environment and a hapless wildlife.
>>
>>
>> While the entire hill and the adjacent river Pampa, the third largest
>>
>> river in Kerala, are stinking due to sewage pollution and
>>
>> accumulation of garbage, the situation is not much different in the
>>
>> administrative and spiritual circles of the hill shrine. First, it
>>
>> was a controversy involving Kannada film actress Jayamala and a group
>>
>> of orthodox Hindus, who questioned her claim of touching the idol of
>>
>> the bachelor god defying the barricades meant for preventing sexually
>>
>> active women from entering the hill shrine. Then one of the highly
>>
>> revered traditional priests of the temple was robbed of a large
>>
>> amount of money and gold ornaments during his visit to the house of a
>>
>> woman engaged in flesh trade by a mafia gang. And now, it is the turn
>>
>> of aged father of a senior priest to allege that his son is under
>>
>> influence of a powerful Ezhava community leader with shadowy nature
>>
>> and the leader's followers are using his son to pocket the temple
>>
>> money. In the meantime, the Left Front Government has disbanded the
>>
>> existing administrative body of the temple citing corruption at high
>>
>> level and is preparing to enact a legislation to keep the corrupt
>>
>> community leaders out of the administrative body forever.
>>
>>
>> On monetary grounds, the temple is the third largest in the country,
>>
>> standing very close to Tirupathi and Guruvayur. The cash-strapped
>>
>> Kerala Government, despite its leftist moorings, is depending very
>>
>> much on the income from the temple to meet salary needs of its
>>
>> employees. In order to increase the revenue, the successive
>>
>> governments and the so-called proponents of development are
>>
>> vociferous of implementing multi-crore construction plans in
>>
>> Sabarimala clearing forests and building a concrete jungle in its
>>
>> place. But nobody in the spiritual and administrative levels of the
>>
>> temple as well as the government establishment are apprehensive of
>>
>> the increasing level of pollution and the extreme level of
>>
>> deforestation. Their focus is entangled only in the growing number of
>>
>> controversies and the commissions to be available after the beginning
>>
>> of the construction work.
>>
>>
>> Located about 467 metres above sea level, the Sabarimala temple is
>>
>> surrounded by 18 hills and situated inside Periyar Tiger Reserve, one
>>
>> of the few safe havens for tigers in the country. According to bird
>>
>> watcher B.Sethumadhavan, as many as 2000 species of flowering plants,
>>
>> endemic and medicinal, have been identified among the region's flora.
>>
>> `` About 63 species of mammals, some of them endangered like tigers,
>>
>> elephants and lion tailed macaque live here. So far, 223 species of
>>
>> birds and 45 species of reptiles including King Cobra have been
>>
>> identified in this area,'' he said. The ever- expanding number of
>>
>> pilgrims and mindless construction works are posing severe threat to
>>
>> their very survival. Devotees of a Lord, who believed to have loved
>>
>> the flora and fauna and their safekeeping, are now on a rampage in
>>
>> the name of development forcing the wildlife to move out of their
>>
>> traditional habitat.
>>
>>
>> As per legends, the vehicle of Lord Ayyappa is tiger. But,
>>
>> astonishingly, neither the tiger nor the surrounding evergreen
>>
>> forests do not come in the list of priorities before the |Travancore
>>
>> Devaswam Board, which administers the shrine. ``There was an increase
>>
>> of 35 per cent in revenue while comparing with last year during the
>>
>> November-December period. In the number of visitors, the increase is
>>
>> of 19 per cent. These figures show the need for immediate
>>
>> developmental works in Sabarimala. But there are agencies like Forest
>>
>> Department which cry for tigers and forests,'' alleges G.Raman Nair,
>>
>> outgoing president of the board.
>>
>>
>> However, environmentalists and forest officials are countering the
>>
>> allegation. ``The development works so far at Pampa have made it
>>
>> impossible a soul-filling holy dip in river Pampa. At least, two
>>
>> scientific studies conducted by Government's own agencies had found
>>
>> that landslips and tremors would take place at the holy hillock any
>>
>> time largely because of the extensive concrete flooring at the temple
>>
>> premises. The devaswam is only interested in money making. It has no
>>
>> concern for the impending dangers for both nature and devotees,''
>>
>> pointed out Sumesh Mangalassery, a member of the environmental group
>>
>> Kabani.
>>
>>
>> According to Sumesh, a panel of Kerala Legislature on environment led
>>
>> by RSP leader A V Thamarakshan had submitted 32 proposals to the
>>
>> Devaswam Board to protect Sabarimala around five years back. But none
>>
>> of them were acceptable to the board. Even the suggestions of Kerala
>>
>> State Pollution Control Board to minimise the pollution of river
>>
>> Pampa were paid scant regard by the board. A visit by Tehelka to
>>
>> Sabarimala found that river Pampa continues to remain the main victim
>>
>> of the callous attitude of the authorities. It gets choked in the
>>
>> temple area as solid waste including human excreta; plastic bags,
>>
>> empty water bottles and coconut husks block the free flow of water.
>>
>> About 35 million people took a holy dip in the river between November
>>
>> and January, which is the major source of drinking water for three
>>
>> districts.
>>
>>
>> According to a study by the pollution control board, the total
>>
>> coliform count recorded at the river portion close to Sabarimala is
>>
>> about 1,14,000 per 100 millilitres (ML) during the peak of
>>
>> pilgrimage. Just before the pilgrimage season, it is merely 380 per
>>
>> 100 ml- well below the permissible limits of 500 per 100 ml.
>>
>> According to local people, the overflow of human faeces from sceptic
>>
>> tanks around the temple stands the major reason of the pollution of
>>
>> the river. ``More than 3,000 temporary toilets are functioning close
>>
>> to the temple in addition to about 600 permanent toilets. The
>>
>> capacity of the sewerage treatment plant is very limited,'' pointed
>>
>> out K.Anirudhan of Sabarimala Samrakshana Samithy.
>>
>>
>> Most of the experts, who had conducted studies on the pollution and
>>
>> environmental problems prevailing in Sabarimala, point to the need of
>>
>> regulating the ever- increasing number of pilgrims. ``Sabarimala is
>>
>> bursting at the seams with millions of devotees now. Thirty or forty
>>
>> years ago, only around 50,000 pilgrims visited the temple. Today, the
>>
>> number is fifty million and is rising at the rate of 20 per cent
>>
>> every year. The ever-swelling flow resulted in a major mishap on
>>
>> January 14, 1999, when 100 pilgrims died in a stampede at the site.
>>
>> Indications are that Sabarimala is a disaster waiting to be happen,''
>>
>> warns noted Kerala based environmentalist P K Uthaman. According to
>>
>> him, almost two thousand tonnes of human waste are deposited in crude
>>
>> earth pits and outside in Sabarimala every year. These wastes are
>>
>> finding their way into not only the river Pampa but also to river
>>
>> Periyar by underground as well as over ground rivulets, posing a
>>
>> threat great health hazard for the pilgrims as well as those living
>>
>> downstream.
>>
>>
>> In addition, the lack of post pilgrimage cleaning drives often result
>>
>> in unabated flow of hazardous waste into the rivers. The temple area
>>
>> has already been converted into a concrete jungle where guesthouses
>>
>> and other structures are constructed haphazardly all around. They are
>>
>> meant for temple officials, priests, VVIPs and police personnel.
>>
>> According to M.Gopal, a pilgrim from Bangalore who visited Sabarimala
>>
>> this year, human excreta and plastic waste were found strewn just
>>
>> outside the Sannidhanam (the main building of the temple). As per
>>
>> data available from forest department, over 2.5 lakh empty plastic
>>
>> bottles of packaged water were collected from inside the tiger
>>
>> reserve. The number of tetra packs collected would come around 4.5
>>
>> lakh. The temple complex of the hermit, who believed in renunciation
>>
>> of earthly attractions, is now filled with commercial shops selling
>>
>> products ranging from gold ornaments to dress materials. All these
>>
>> shops were constructed by clearing forests.
>>
>>
>> ``The total time available for darsan as of now is a total of 1431
>>
>> hours, i.e. 515160 seconds. If a darsan goes on one at a time basis
>>
>> and a devotee gets a second, the total strength of the pilgrims can
>>
>> only be 5,15, 160 per year. If ten people could somehow cluster
>>
>> together per second for darsan, the maximum number would be
>>
>> 51,51,600,'' points out a document prepared by |School of Social
>>
>> Sciences at Mahatma Gandhi University on behalf of Kerla Forest
>>
>> Department. The document also questions the claims of the board that
>>
>> over 50 million people visit the temple annually. But anyway, the
>>
>> number of pilgrims' visting Sabarimala is many times more than its
>>
>> capacity.
>>
>>
>> ``The authorities must find out some mechanism to regulate the
>>
>> alarming increase in the number of pilgrims. Sabarimala is not only
>>
>> an environmental but also a social disaster,'' opined Dr.Rajan
>>
>> Gurukkal of School of Social Sciences. Now a day, the uncontrolled
>>
>> flow of pilgrims from various entry points is resulting in people
>>
>> swarming all around the protected sanctuary leading to man –animal
>>
>> conflicts. Recently, an elephant trampled upon one pilgrim. Then it
>>
>> was found that the pilgrims were sleeping in the corridor used by the
>>
>> elephants for going to the river to drink water at the night. A large
>>
>> number of such corridors were already disrupted due to the
>>
>> construction works undertaken in the recent past.
>>
>>
>> According to Sedumadhavan, the authorities are even paying scant
>>
>> attention on the safety of pilgrims. As many as 12,000 litres of
>>
>> diesel are being stored just above the sannidhanam without any
>>
>> storage licence or safety parameters. They are also keeping a large
>>
>> number of crackers near the sanctum sanctoram without any safety
>>
>> concern. The only solution on the part of Trvancore Devaswom Board
>>
>> for all problems plaguing Sabarimala is denudation of nearby forests
>>
>> and setting up new amenities. According to Rajan Gurukkal, such an
>>
>> attempt would be disastrous as all the existing problems of
>>
>> Sabarimala can be viwed as the after effect of deforestation.
>>
>>
>> The devaswam board has already ruined about 55.09 ha of forestland in
>>
>> the name of sabarimala development. In the opinion of
>>
>> environmentalists, they demand more forests to cut and smuggle out
>>
>> precious trees and construction of further concrete strctures with
>>
>> ulterior motives. Maintaining the sanctity of the shrine and the
>>
>> precious eco-system never appeared a priority before them. So far,
>>
>> the devaswam board was constituted once in five years by nomination
>>
>> of people with no administrative acumen at the behest of successive
>>
>> governments.
>>
>>
>> Rajan Gurukkal and his team at School of Social Sciences have
>>
>> prepared a long-term action plan for saving Sabarimala from the
>>
>> sequence of disasters in the offing. But the lobbies of corrupt and
>>
>> communal elements are not allowing the devaswam to look into them.
>>
>> Even the small step of Left Government in disbanding the existing
>>
>> devaswam committee is being interpreted as an attempt by atheists to
>>
>> interfere in Hindu religious matters. The move by left government to
>>
>> appoint experts in place of politicians at the board also facing
>>
>> opposition from Sangh Parivar organisations, who claim as custodians
>>
>> of Hindu places of worship.
>>
>>
>> The board and its corrupt administrators were not able to get their
>>
>> hand on the forest so far due to stringent central acts and Supreme
>>
>> Court rulings. But even the outgoing members are repeating their old
>>
>> slogan of `no development in Sabarimala would be possible without
>>
>> deforestation.' Unless the authorities change their attitude from a
>>
>> revenue-centred approach to a pilgrim centred aprach, there is not
>>
>> much hope. But they still repeat that development (read
>>
>> deforestation) could not be stopped for the sake of a few birds and
>>
>> animals. ``The board had neither faith in environmental protection
>>
>> nor in religious sanctity,'' opines Rajan Gurukkal.
>>
>>
>> Decongestion of base town Pampa by increasing facilities at a
>>
>> relatively distant town of Nilakkal, demolition of unauthorised
>>
>> concrete structures at Sannidhanam and Pampa, cleaning of the river,
>>
>> better waste disposal facilities and provisions of basic facilities
>>
>> for pilgrims without affecting ecology are the urgent needs of
>>
>> Sabarimala. The tigers and elephants must be protected.
>>
>>
>> If there is no mechanism to check the number of pilgrims, that would
>>
>> increase to two to three crores within years. Moderate elements among
>>
>> the Hindu community are favouring a statutory body for Sabarimala in
>>
>> line with Tirumala-Thirupathy Devasthanam and Amarnath temple. Such a
>>
>> body consisting of experts from different fields can change the
>>
>> course of priorities of the forest temple.
>>
>>
>>
>> -----------
>>
>>
>> 2. Amarnath Yatra: The Pilgrimage to Eco Disaster
>>
>> Gautam Navlakha
>>
>> http://www.kashmiraffairs.org/gautam_amarnath%20yatra.html
>>
>>
>> Should one question the propriety of promoting pilgrimage in a
>>
>> ecologically fragile area or wink at it in the name of devotees right
>>
>> to free movement and worship? This question comes to mind when
>>
>> looking at Amarnath Yatra especially the phenomenal increase in the
>>
>> number of pilgrims. This increase is not of few hundred or few
>>
>> thousand but runs into hundreds of thousands. There has been a
>>
>> doubling of the period for pilgrimage from one month to two this year
>>
>> as well as forty times increase in number of pilgrims, from 12,000 in
>>
>> 1989 to 450,000 in 2005 (this year it is set to cross 500,000) are
>>
>> cause for concern. In fact the actual period is longer because a
>>
>> fortnight before the official yatra is reserved for army men and
>>
>> their families to visit the Amarnath cave through ecologically more
>>
>> vulnerable Baltal route. Moreover, in order to provide security for
>>
>> pilgrims who come out in large number, the paramilitary forces have
>>
>> to be deployed in large number. The current deployment will be in
>>
>> excess of 20,000 for the entire period. Their presence and stay
>>
>> cannot but affect the rise in pollution levels. Inclement weather too
>>
>> is an issue because rains in the plain means snow in the higher
>>
>> reaches. This results in crowding at the camps, straining services
>>
>> including disposal of waste. But worse things can happen as in 1996
>>
>> when unexpected heavy snowfall resulted in death of 243 pilgrims and
>>
>> injuries to hundred more due to avalanche.
>>
>>
>> The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), recently in a 37 page
>>
>> report warns that generation of waste by pilgrims, absence of waste
>>
>> disposal sites, open dumping of garbage, air pollution, sewage
>>
>> generated by hotels, yatri camps and local residential areas makes
>>
>> its way into Lidder river. The SPCB warned that waste generated by
>>
>> pilgrims more than the local average and primarily contains plastics,
>>
>> polythene and leftover food packets all along the route. According to
>>
>> their calculation 55,000 kgs of plastic waste is generated every day
>>
>> during the pilgrimage. Besides, thousands of open toilets erected
>>
>> along the banks of Lidder river ensures that effluents enter the
>>
>> river. Thousands of vehicles ply up and down the mountains around
>>
>> Pahalgam all the way up to Chandanwari spewing carbon monoxide. The
>>
>> Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which came into existence on
>>
>> February 21, 2001, has been dismissive of such claims. They assert
>>
>> that 230 pre-fabricated toilets being raised in Nunwan base camp and
>>
>> human waste disposal off in leach pits with micro-organism technology
>>
>> using Bokaslin powder and other chemicals would take care of the
>>
>> problem. However, the issue is more than the supposedly effective
>>
>> modern methods to manage waste. The sheer presence of large mass of
>>
>> people is a cause for concern. Department of Science and technology
>>
>> through its principal investigator on glaciology has argued that "the
>>
>> ecology, the environment and health of the glacier can be under
>>
>> severe threat in case the Baltal route to the Holy Cave was
>>
>> frequented by thousands of pilgrims". And pointed out that "depletion
>>
>> and degradation (of glaciers) are the result of human breath, refuse
>>
>> and land erosion". (The Tribune July 5, 2005).
>>
>>
>> It is disconcerting to note that opening of Baltal route for pilgrims
>>
>> on foot and those using helicopters has crossed several thousand
>>
>> every day. Apart from the Department of Science and Technology of J&K
>>
>> government even the Nitish Sengupta committee, which was constituted
>>
>> to look into the deaths of 243 pilgrims in 1996 due to the snowstorm,
>>
>> had recommended that number of yatris be restricted to 5000 per day
>>
>> for a period of one month and the total number of pilgrims be capped
>>
>> at1.5 lakhs. According to them Baltal route should allow 1500
>>
>> pilgrims and Pahalgam 3500 per day. However, the General JR Mukherjee
>>
>> committee, which looked into the cause of death of 35 people, due to
>>
>> cross fire, during the 2000 yatra, focussed on security arrangement
>>
>> and wanted the duration of the yatra to increase as security scenario
>>
>> improved. But neither report looked at the environmental impact of
>>
>> the yatra. Thus when the SASB invokes the recommendations of the two
>>
>> committees what it does is to use it selectively and link the number
>>
>> of pilgrims to the issue of managing security for them. In this sense
>>
>> they underplay the question whether the eco-system can bear heavy
>>
>> influx of pilgrims. This emphasis on encouraging larger number of
>>
>> pilgrims shows its impact on the environment in unexpected ways. Such
>>
>> as the SASB contemplating "air conditioning" to preserve the shiva
>>
>> lingam from melting. The recent controversy over the pilgrims
>>
>> alleging that the SASB has been constructing the "snow lingam" is now
>>
>> being passed off as due to change in the course of the water channels
>>
>> after last year's earthquake and global warming. Without ruling this
>>
>> out human contribution to this phenomenon cannot be ignored when
>>
>> glaciers are rapidly receding. As a matter of fact yatra was never
>>
>> undertaken in June precisely because formation of shiva lingam does
>>
>> not always take place then. Incidentally the local people speak of
>>
>> "human" intervention in restoring what is a natural phenomenon, as
>>
>> something that has happened in the past too. This apart large number
>>
>> of pilgrims means that going gets tough as one draws close to the
>>
>> cave with traffic jam being the order of the day. At times pilgrims
>>
>> have to wait for hours for their turn. Increase in dust in atmosphere
>>
>> too is caused by crowds of people as well as helicopter service. The
>>
>> dust raised is visible from long distance away. All this also means
>>
>> that individual pilgrims, that is other than VIPs, are disallowed
>>
>> from spending more than seconds inside the cave. Above all carbon
>>
>> dioxide levels shoot up warming the area all around.
>>
>>
>> It cannot be that the SASB is unaware of the environmental concerns.
>>
>> If it receives short shrift it is because the yatra has come to
>>
>> symbolise Indian government's determination to promote its claim in
>>
>> J&K. That pilgrimage is being heralded as victory against a movement
>>
>> demanding azadi from India is available in the news portal of Indian
>>
>> government, Press Information Bureau. It says that "yearning for
>>
>> moksha (salvation) can move the devotees to the challenging heights
>>
>> of Kashmir and will be a fitting gesture of solidarity with our
>>
>> valiant soldiers who have been fighting the enemy to defend our
>>
>> borders". (pib.nic.in/feature/feo799/f1507992.html). Thus what is
>>
>> otherwise merely a religious pilgrimage of the Hindus has been
>>
>> elevated to represent a patriotic enterprise. Besides, the SASB is
>>
>> headed by the Governor and his principal secretary is the CEO of the
>>
>> SASB. Thus the Government of India is clearly in charge of organising
>>
>> the yatra. And it is the SASB which has been pushing for larger and
>>
>> larger numbers of pilgrims and challenging the right of the state
>>
>> government from interfering in anyway with the schedule announced by
>>
>> the SASB.
>>
>>
>> It is true that not everyone who goes to Amarnath accepts this
>>
>> association of religion with patriotism. But the fact of the matter
>>
>> is that official perception of pilgrimage as patriotic duty has
>>
>> allowed the communal fascist elements to join in organising their
>>
>> supporters. Little wonder that frequency of conflict between section
>>
>> of such 'pilgrims' and local population due to their obnoxious
>>
>> behaviour has shown an increase. What is equally disconcerting is
>>
>> that the SASB presided over by the Governor has also been engaged in
>>
>> controversial transactions. The CEO of SASB is the principal
>>
>> secretary to the Governor. Present CEO's wife, in her capacity of
>>
>> Principal secretary forest department granted permission to SASB on
>>
>> May 29, 2005 to use forest land. But this provision was not in
>>
>> accordance with the provision of J&K Forest Conservation Act 1997
>>
>> and, therefore, the state government withdrew the order. However,
>>
>> thanks to a stay order by a division bench of the J&K High Court the
>>
>> withdrawal of permission to occupy forest land, was suspended. Any
>>
>> visitor to Pahalgam can observe how this forest land is being cleared
>>
>> to setup camps for the yatris. In fact now the SASB has asked the
>>
>> state government to give them land in the radius of 5kms of the cave.
>>
>> This arouses local passions precisely because Indian security forces
>>
>> and other entities have transferred large tracts of land to house
>>
>> camps for security force personnel, or for central projects, as well
>>
>> as for schools which are run by army among others. Even a pro-Indian
>>
>> National Conference party has protested such transfers of land since
>>
>> 1989. Not very far from the camp for the pilgrims in Pahalgam, in
>>
>> Lidru (opposite Kulan village) what locals describe as one of the
>>
>> finest meadows, spread over 550 kanals (one kanal=one eighth of acre)
>>
>> in area, has been given to the army to run a school! Local population
>>
>> feels helpless at being unable to stop this. Therefore, when SASB
>>
>> wants large tract of land transferred to it under the claim of
>>
>> providing accommodation for lakhs of pilgrims it must be weighed
>>
>> against this local concern. Were the numbers of pilgrims to be
>>
>> brought down the pressing need for transferring large areas to SASB
>>
>> or for providing carpet security and thus deployment of force, can be
>>
>> brought down.
>>
>>
>> This apart the SASB has also been involved in other controversial
>>
>> acts. One such was the recent attempt by the SASB to bring down the
>>
>> involvement of local people in the yatra. When on June 5, 2006 the
>>
>> local pro-India Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that SASB was
>>
>> ignoring livelihood of locals, the SASB countered by claiming that
>>
>> such criticism would generate controversy and thus "jeopardise"
>>
>> tourism in Kashmir. Quite apart from the fact that promotion of
>>
>> pilgrimage for commerce flies in the face of proclaimed concern for
>>
>> people's faith PDP pointed out that if local porters and ponywallahs
>>
>> can strike work at Vaishnodevi Shrine against the (mis)management of
>>
>> the Shri Vaishnodevi Shrine Board (SVDSB) and seek support from local
>>
>> Congress leaders then what is wrong if local people from Pahalgam and
>>
>> Kangan areas seek their help to protest against the practises of SASB
>>
>> which discriminate against them. In fact the Pithoo Workers Union at
>>
>> Katra have protested the suspension of six of their leaders, alleged
>>
>> manhandling by SVDSB officials and demanded recall of its additional
>>
>> CEO. Neither the Governor as head of SVDSB nor the Board issued any
>>
>> statement chastising the Congress party!
>>
>>
>> Arguably, when yatra was halted between 1991-96 due to threat of
>>
>> section of the militants it played into the hands of the extreme
>>
>> right wing elements in Indian society who have since then become an
>>
>> integral part of mobilising large numbers of pilgrims. Thus a form of
>>
>> competitive communalism came into play. Thus when section of the
>>
>> militants represented earlier by Harkatul Ansar and now Lashkar-e-
>>
>> Taiyyaba or Jaish-e-Mohammed threaten to disrupt the pilgrimage it
>>
>> only gets the backs up of the devout Hindus opens them to vitriol of
>>
>> the rabidly anti-Muslim Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Shiv Sena etc.
>>
>> and accentuates the communal divide. However, it is equally important
>>
>> to note the actual fact that more people have died in yatra due to
>>
>> inclement weather and cross fire than at the hands of the militants.
>>
>> Besides, the main indigenous militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen
>>
>> has always supported the yatra and has consistently demonstrated its
>>
>> opposition towards those who have tried to disrupt the yatra.
>>
>> Moreover, prior to constituting SASB the state government, local
>>
>> people and social activists provided aid and assistance to the
>>
>> pilgrims. However, threat of environmental damage has become a matter
>>
>> of utmost concern because the central government under the cover of
>>
>> SASB remains unrelenting in its pursuit of ever larger numbers to
>>
>> come for pilgrimage.
>>
>>
>> In a way the Amarnath yatra illustrates the way in which the Indian
>>
>> government injects communalism in our body politic. And also
>>
>> represents how secularism in India has been perverted to mean state
>>
>> patronage of religion/s. This patronage is not equitably distributed
>>
>> since Hindus outnumber others by more than eight times. Which is to
>>
>> say that between un-equals equality ends up promoting Hindu religious
>>
>> practises. In Amarnath yatra, in fact, the India government even
>>
>> discarded its pretended neutrality by publicising the yatra as a
>>
>> patriotic duty! Consequently, the likelihood of Amarnath pilgrimage
>>
>> getting mired in controversy, over environmental damage and
>>
>> eventually feeding into further alienation of people because they can
>>
>> do little to save damage to their lived environment, has increased.
>>
>> Trouble is the Indian government cares little for people and prefers
>>
>> to pander to the extreme rightwing by projecting the yatra as a
>>
>> patriotic enterprise to boost the morale of the Indian paramilitary
>>
>> forces. The very same force which the local population regards as
>>
>> symbol of their oppression. Thus a bigger mess is in the making right
>>
>> before our own eyes.
>>
>> ---------------
>>
>>
>> Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>>
>> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
>>
>> Raqs Media Collective
>>
>> shuddha at sarai.net
>>
>> www.sarai.net
>>
>> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>>
>>
>>
>> _________________________________________
>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
>>    ...
>>
>> [Message clipped]
>
>
>
>  Shuddhabrata Sengupta
>
> The Sarai Programme at CSDS
>
> Raqs Media Collective
>
> shuddha at sarai.net
>
> www.sarai.net
>
> www.raqsmediacollective.net
>
>
>