With tacit support of the Congress, a group of environmentalists led by Chipko leader Sunderlal Bahuguna today launched a new “save Ganga and Himalayas” campaign at Haridwar, apparently to oppose new hydropower projects in the region.
As millions of pilgrims gathered at Haridwar to take the first bath of the maha kumbh on Makar Sankranti, the campaigners urged them to donate trees in their innovative endeavour to make the entire Himalayan region greener. Under the campaign, a donation of Rs 1,000 would be collected from each individual for planting a single tree, which is suitable to the environment of the region.
The campaign is a brainchild of Kishor Upadhyay, a Congress MLA from Uttarakhand, a known opponent of the mega Tehri hydropower project. “We want green Himalayas, not concrete Himalayas,” said Upadhayay. The main purpose of the campaign is to fill the region with green trees like oak and pine, which grow naturally in the Himalayan climate.
Upadhyay also asked the Centre to come out with a sustainable Himalayan-specific separate policy which helped the locals in generating new sources of income. He also urged the international community to lend support to the cause since the Himalayas helped in maintaining ecological balance for the entire world.
A signature campaign during the kumbh mela has also been launched.
