Bhubaneswar: The moment has come to reconsider our development policies that seek to benefit a few powerful ones at the cost of harming the environment, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk said here Saturday.
Wangchuk was in the Capital to participate at an event organised by Lohia Academy, to discuss the ecological interests of Ladakh region.
Expressing concerns about melting glaciers in Ladakh, he said, “This is happening due to rapid expansion by the industrial plants. Such practices have led to sudden climate change in the area causing flash floods thereby putting ecology and human lives at risk.”
“With an aim to safeguard the interest of my region, I was forced to sit on a peaceful satyagraha,” he said.
Moreover, Wangchuk said as Ladakh lacks a system for independent bureaucratic governance, the key decisions on environment and local issue face a hurdle. This needs a shift immediately in the coming days, he added.
He further said, “The people in the urban region of India must learn to limit consumption of natural resources such as water and fuel. This has a disastrous impact in the hinterlands of the nation. Besides, the denizens must leave alone the natural resources and minerals to its areas of origin and not interfere with it.”
The education reformist also shared his views on broader concept of ‘Vishwaguru’. “India’s quest to become a ‘Vishwaguru’ should never be limited within the progress of metropolitan states. Rather, it must target for holistic development, in terms of quality of life, across every nooks and corner of the nation,” he said.
Putting forth the concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, Wangchuk stated the practice of measuring overall development of an area through Gross Domestic Product (GDP), must come to an end. As the process ignores the ecological growth, by which it fails to recognise the increase in forest cover and animal species, he added.
Debadurllav Harichandan, OP