[Reader-list] What Mughal Road didn't that shrine land-transferplans did

[radhikarajen at vsnl.net]

Hey, caught pants down, argumentative ? It happens to all humans, apologise more gracefuly.
Regards.

----- Original Message -----
From: Shivam Vij शिवम् विज् <mail at shivamvij.com>
Date: Monday, June 30, 2008 9:23 pm
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] What Mughal Road didn't that shrine land-transferplans did
To: Pawan Durani <pawan.durani at gmail.com>
Cc: sarai list <reader-list at sarai.net>

> Dear Pawan,
> 
> I was commenting on the article, I didn't even know your views.
> 
> best
> shivam
> 
> On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 9:11 PM, Pawan Durani <pawan.durani at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > Dear Friend Shivam ,
> >
> > I hope you would learn to identify between my views and the 
> views I have
> > posted with proper credit to the source.
> >
> > The story proves a point that for people of Kashmir , ecology is 
> a non
> > issue ..but providing facilities for hindu pligrim is a pain .
> >
> >
> > Pawan
> >
> >
> >
> > On 6/30/08, Shivam Vij शिवम् विज् <mail at shivamvij.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Thanks for posting this, Pawan. I think, as in the Sethusamudram
> >> project, the ecological issue is merely a political 
> smokescreen. It is
> >> laughable when politicians suddenly remember ecology when it is
> >> politically convenient. So the separatists and the PDP in the 
> Amarnath>> land case, and the BJP-VHP-RSS in the Sethusamudram 
> case, do make for
> >> strange ecological bedfellows.
> >>
> >> I think that the least politicians can do in such cases is be 
> honest>> about their politics, we would be able to appreciate them 
> better. It
> >> does not help me appreciate your point of view when you 
> suddenly show
> >> ecological concern when your only concern is the escalation of  the
> >> New Delhi strategy to increase India's stake in the Valley. 
> Even if
> >> your supporters and voters don't mind, ecologists would.
> >>
> >> best
> >> shivam
> >>
> >> On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 4:46 PM, Pawan Durani 
> <pawan.durani at gmail.com>>> wrote:
> >> > *What Mughal Road didn't that shrine land-transfer plans did*
> >> > **
> >> > 
> http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2&id=210771&usrsess=1>> >
> >> >
> >> > Kavita Suri
> >> > JAMMU, June 29: Three years ago, when the then chief minister 
> of Jammu
> >> and
> >> > Kashmir Mufti Mohammed Sayeed decided to revive the centuries-
> old Mughal
> >> > Road in the region, no one in Kashmir even uttered a single 
> word on the
> >> > massive destruction of environment in Pir Panjal mountain 
> ranges of the
> >> > Himalayas.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > The revival of the old Mughal Road which was once used by the 
> great>> Mughals
> >> > to travel to Kashmir from Lahore and its subsequent 
> reconstruction>> ordered
> >> > by Mufti Sayeed not only witnessed destruction of over 10,000 
> trees and
> >> 26
> >> > wild life sanctuaries but also fragmented the habitat of the
> >> > highly-endangered wild Markhor goat. India is estimated to 
> have a total
> >> > population of only 300-200 of this species, which is found in 
> southwest>> > Kashmir's Hirpora, Lachipora and Limber wildlife 
> sanctuaries falling on
> >> > Mughal Road.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Surprisingly, all the political parties remained silent over 
> the issue
> >> of
> >> > degradation of environment and destruction of the wild life 
> sanctuaries>> due
> >> > to the work on the Mughal Road.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > But when the Jammu and Kashmir government recently decided to 
> transfer>> 40
> >> > hectares of forest land at Baltal and Domail for the proposed 
> camping>> sites
> >> > located on the right side of the Sindh River for the purpose of
> >> constructing
> >> > temporary shelters for the Amarnath pilgrims, the political 
> parties in
> >> > Kashmir have opposed it tooth and nail on the pretext of 
> environment>> > degradation.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > The issue had deeply polarised the entire state. Politicians 
> and other
> >> > organisations in Jammu see it as a deliberate move to 
> suppress Hindu
> >> > identity and communalisation in the region. "When 10,000 
> trees were cut
> >> and
> >> > the habitat of the wild Markhor destroyed for the 
> reconstruction of the
> >> > Mughal Road, no one said anything but when SASB wanted to set up
> >> temporary
> >> > shelters for two months only, there was an uproar," Dr Nirmal 
> Singh,>> member,
> >> > national executive & former state president of the BJP said.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > The PDP, National Conference and other parties were playing 
> with fire by
> >> > communalising the whole issue of the Amarnath Yatra and 
> opposing the
> >> > decision to transfer 800 kanals of land to SASB for creating 
> facilities>> for
> >> > pilgrims, he added. To prevent environmental destruction due 
> to the work
> >> on
> >> > the Mughal Road, a Kashmir-based NGO, Bio-diversity 
> Conservation Trust
> >> had
> >> > gone to Supreme Court arguing that construction work would 
> affect the
> >> > region's biodiversity and the movement of wild animals, 
> especially the
> >> > Markhor goat.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > The Wild Markhor is on IUCN's Red List of highly endangered 
> wild animals
> >> and
=3E >> > is also named in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 
> 1972, and
> >> the
> >> > Jammu Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, 1978 (amended in 2002).
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > But in the case of SASB, the transfer of 800 kanals (40 
> hectares) of
> >> forest
> >> > land was no issue at all. The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board 
> had assured
> >> the
> >> > government that it would take all possible environmental 
> safeguards in
> >> > consultation with the State Pollution Control Board to ensure 
> that no
> >> damage
> >> > is caused to the ecology of the area. "The SASB camping sites 
> did not
> >> > involve any area of Thajwas Wild Life Sanctuary, which is 
> located on the
> >> > left side of River Sindh. The Shrine Board had to use 
> prefabricated>> > structures for the camping purpose of the 
> pilgrims and would not have
> >> gone
> >> > for construction of permanent structures," the Jammu and 
> Kashmir chief
> >> > minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad had pointed out.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Raising a few pertinent questions, Dr Singh asked as to why 
> no hue and
> >> cry
> >> > was raised when the Mufti government transferred over 5,000 
> kanals of
> >> forest
> >> > land to Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University at Rajouri which also
> >> affected
> >> > the environment badly. No one uttered a single word then.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > "Besides, Sharda Peeth university project was scuttled whereas
> >> government
> >> > gave free land to Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University project 
> and also
> >> free
> >> > land was transferred to Islamic University at Awantipora in South
> >> Kashmir,"
> >> > adds Dr Agnishekhar, president, Panun Kashmir. People in 
> Jammu believe
> >> that
> >> > all this points to the complete cleansing of the last 
> vestiges of Hindu
> >> > presence in the valley.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > "The protagonists of this vicious tirade dub the holy 
> Amarnath Yatra as
> >> a
> >> > cultural invasion of Kashmir affecting its ecology, cultural 
> identity>> and
> >> > demography. Whatever ecological damage Kashmir has suffered 
> is as a
> >> result
> >> > of illegal felling of trees by land mafia in connivance with 
> corrupt>> > administration over the years," said Dr Agnishekher 
> adding the
> >> systematic
> >> > reclamation of water bodies and continuous flow of waste 
> materials into
> >> > lakes like the famous Dal lake and uncontrolled construction 
> activity>> has
> >> > resulted in much more ecological damage than the Amarnath 
> pilgrimage.>> >
> >> >
> >> > "An environmental impact assessment report to the Jammu and 
> Kashmir>> > Pollution Control Board regarding the Mughal Road 
> clearly said that it
> >> would
> >> > cut through 67 hectares of the Hirpora sanctuary disturbing 
> the habitat
> >> of
> >> > the Markhor. The cutting of many trees would have a cascading 
> effect on
> >> the
> >> > associated biota. Besides, traffic on the road may cause 
> death of many
> >> > animals that utilise verge habitats or try to cross the road. The
> >> presence
> >> > of motor vehicles may introduce the potential for 
> contamination of soil,
> >> air
> >> > and water adjacent to the road and in the case of surface 
> water, well
> >> beyond
> >> > the immediate surroundings. Chronic contamination may become 
> a problem
> >> for
> >> > animal species, especially those at the top of the food 
> chain.why there
> >> was
> >> > no public outcry then," asks Dr Agnishekher.
> >> > _________________________________________
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> >
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