Those who do not learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to make them in the future! Our politicians have not yet been able to appreciate the import of this truism. For instance, despite warnings by scientists that the Himalayas, being the youngest mountain range on the planet, displays extreme lithological fragility, they continue to impose unsustainable pressure upon it, Uttarakhand being a salutary example.
This State has been seriously ravaged due to human interference on the ecosystem, thereby contributing to increased disasters. The cumulative effect of human activities like indiscriminate construction, deforestation, illegal mining, hydropower projects, etc., has been to weaken the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, making it more disaster-prone.
This problem has been exacerbated in recent years by the unsustainable influx of tourists and pilgrims to popular pilgrimage sites like Kedarnath.
The increased foot- falls and infrastructure development associated with this have disrupted natural ecosystems, and made the mountains more fragile and susceptible to landslides and floods.
While the collapse of a portion of the Barkot tunnel in the Uttarkashi district while being constructed was a minor example, the biggest disaster had been, of course, the flash flood in mid-June 2013, which took a mind-boggling toll of over 10,000 lives and caused heavy damage to property, a grim reminder of the threat to the region due to insensitivity of the government while chalking out a development trajectory.
Despite experts attributing such catastrophes to unregulated tourism and unplanned construction, the current government in Uttarakhand has turned a blind eye to it, and instead is flaunting the huge increase in the number of pilgrims and tourists so far this year to Kedarnath since the shrine opened on May 2, "because of the improved facilities created for them at the temple as well as on the way to it."
According to an official release, 1,05,879 pilgrims have visited this Himalayan temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and drawing devotees every year, in the first four days, yet "another indication that the number of Char Dham pilgrims this season is going to break all previous records."
The government release also boasts that the Kedarnath Dham is a major centre of Sanatan Dharma, as also a symbol of India's spiritual and cultural heritage, while proudly reminding that the "Kedarnath Dham has been redeveloped under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The government has made extensive arrangements for a safe, smooth and convenient journey for pilgrims." Even more worrying is the Uttarakhand CM's assertion that the State government is determined to ensure that the Char Dham Yatra continues throughout the year, for which winter pilgrimage has also been started! It appears that the State government is determined to court disaster in its bid to "break records," given that there is no mention of the enhanced ecological hazards this might pose to the region!