It was in the Braj area along the river Yamuna that Lord Krishna is traditionally believed to have spent his childhood, and it was in the stretch between Bateshwar and Vrindavan that he performed the "Raas Leela".
But, say locals, if Lord Krishna were to be born again today, he would certainly relocate to some other place due to the pollution, stink and vanishing ghats of the Yamuna, and large-scale deforestation and disappearance of thousands of community ponds in the area.
And, it is this colossal damage to the biodiversity and ecosystem of the region that over 4.5 million voters of Braj will focus on during the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls.
"Vrindavan residents are agitated at the Akhilesh Yadav government's flawed 'River Front Development Project' along the Yamuna. Luckily, the high court has stayed the scheme, which would have been a threat to the river, ancient ghats and the ASI-protected temples," Friends of Vrindavan Convener Jagannath Poddar told IANS.
Poddar said social activists in the area have interacted with the candidates and asked them to commit themselves to "restoring the past glory of Braj Dham" by conserving nature's beauty and resources.
"In the name of development, a lot of damage had been done to the environment and, once known for its green and dense forests, the whole area is being denuded of precious mangroves and holy green shrines from Govardhan to Barsana, Gokul to Vrindavan," said Madhu Mangal Shukla, a petitioner in the Allahabad High Court, which has now ordered demolition of an incomplete bridge across the Yamuna in Vrindavan.
In Agra, environmental groups have been holding meetings and organising rallies to draw attention to the sad state of the environment in the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone.
River Connect Campaign member Dr Devashish Bhattacharya told IANS: "Despite restrictions by the Supreme Court and detailed guidelines by specialised agencies, the encroachments on the Yamuna flood plains continue. 'Petha' (a local sweetmeat) units in the city continue to pollute the environment.
"A large number of polluting industries continue to run without permission. The green cover around Agra is fast dwindling. One wonders where the resources are being siphoned off. The Keitham Lake sensitive zone is under pressure of colonisers and land grabbers."
This has forced residents to adopt a resolution to hold candidates accountable. Shravan Kumar Singh, an eco-activist, told IANS: "We have 'Sankalp Patras' (resolution papers) signed by people and are now pressuring candidates to come clean on environmental issues. We want them to clearly state their vision and commitment to Agra's environment."
Ranjan Sharma, another activist, said that political parties must clearly state how they plan to develop Agra in an eco-friendly manner. "If the Supreme Court directives can be flouted openly, you can imagine the level and degree of rot. Candidates have been asked to clarify their stand on these critical issues."
Added social activist Shailendra Singh Narwaar: "It's sad that our community ponds are disappearing as land grabbers have usurped community resources. For the past 30 years, politicians have been promising a barrage on the Yamuna river, but so far nothing has been done."
For the past two years, environmentalists working to save the Yamuna river have been daily conducting puja and aarti to connect the locals with the river.
"During this period, thousands of citizens have joined our movement and pledged support. This time we have openly told the candidates that those with a clear-cut plan for Yamuna restoration will receive our support," said Shashi Kant Upadhyaya, an activist connected with the Yamuna movement.
Responding to pressure from activists, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, Srikant Sharma from Mathura, has committed himself to restoring the past glory of the Yamuna and ensuring there is enough water in the river revered by millions of Vaishnavs, who visit the Braj shrines round the year.
Pavan Gautam, a social activist of Mathura, said: "Rapid urbanisation in Vrindavan, Govardhan and other areas of religious importance in the Braj area is a matter of serious concern. The Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority, Braj Heritage Board and the local bodies have no clear-cut plans and are often seen working at cross-purposes.
"We had high hopes from our BJP MP Hema Malini, but even she has failed to give a sense of purpose and direction to the developmental activities. Her adopted village Rawal, the birthplace of Radha ji, is crying for attention," Gautam told IANS.
Each year, the number of domestic tourists visiting Agra and Mathura is rising, but facilities have neither been broadbased nor streamlined, complained activist Jugal Kishor Shrotriya of the Sri Mathuradheesh Temple in Agra.
"More than five million people of Agra and Mathura are thirsty for safe drinking water. The Yamuna is a mere trickle, carrying industrial effluents and waste from upstream cities. The canal system has been encroached upon.
"One wonders what successive governments have been doing all these years!" added Rahul Raj and Deepak Rajput, representing citizens groups in the city.
Thousands of crores of rupees have been spent on the Yamuna Action Plan and on about a dozen infrastructural projects in the Taj Trapezium Zone since the 1993 Supreme Court judgement on the public interest litigation (PIL) of eco-lawyer M.C. Mehta in the Taj pollution petition, said Surendra Sharma, President, Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.
"But sadly, neither the condition of Yamuna -- reduced to a vast sewage canal -- has improved, nor has the air pollution level shown any appreciable decline in the SPM, RSPM percentage. The city represents civilisational decadence," he lamented.
(Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in)
--IANS
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