SaveTheHills(STH) is a group of concerned citizens who are raising awareness about landslides in Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya.
Many landslides are the direct or indirect result of human interference and preventable if sufficient care is taken.
As such, unless we begin a comprehensive and sustained program towards landslide management, prevention and mitigation, the consequences of ignoring years of human callousness will, in the future be devastating.
The "Story in Pictures" leaves little room for doubt that the landslide in question is actually being caused by massive flooding of what used to be that idyllic little stream south of the farm, typical of what is happening all over the district.
One of the causes obviously is rampant felling by our own people whose clientele comprises of the well-heeled bourgeoise of the district's towns. Which of us has not been tempted by an offer of 'majjjjako ranichaap, 200 rupya kibi"?
Hence the next question: why are our people falling upon their own precious resources and putting unredeemable pressures upon the land ? Activism can scant afford the pious luxury of avoidance of politics.
The degradation of the environment is but a symptom of the degradation of man. It's time landslide activists looked beyond the mountain and addressed the real causes in order to bring about a change.
And I will say it, in case somebody's missed the point: The real cause for environmental degradation is the fact that our burgeoning hill population (itself caused by illiteracy and ignorance)has been deprived of all rights and opportunities by the fascist governance of the GNLF foisted upon us by the State of West Bengal for the last two tragic decades wherein all institutions were systematically eroded.
Unemployment, lack of education and opportunity, corruption coupled with our own traditional cynicism and self-pity has given rise to a huge population of the poor and the marginalised.
What are the answers? For one, it is time that people equipped with the tools and information to make a real change stopped pussyfooting about ngo activism and engaged in some real politics if only to put in place a governance that not only brings together the rag-tag remnants of a bombed-out society such as ours but demonstrates to the world that we are capable of self-determination.
Alongside, accountability, transparency and the courage to call a spade a spade.
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The "Story in Pictures" leaves little room for doubt that the landslide in question is actually being caused by massive flooding of what used to be that idyllic little stream south of the farm, typical of what is happening all over the district.
One of the causes obviously is rampant felling by our own people whose clientele comprises of the well-heeled bourgeoise of the district's towns. Which of us has not been tempted by an offer of 'majjjjako ranichaap, 200 rupya kibi"?
Hence the next question: why are our people falling upon their own precious resources and putting unredeemable pressures upon the land ?
Activism can scant afford the pious luxury of avoidance of politics.
The degradation of the environment is but a symptom of the degradation of man. It's time landslide activists looked beyond the mountain and addressed the real causes in order to bring about a change.
And I will say it, in case somebody's missed the point:
The real cause for environmental degradation is the fact that our burgeoning hill population (itself caused by illiteracy and ignorance)has been deprived of all rights and opportunities by the fascist governance of the GNLF foisted upon us by the State of West Bengal for the last two tragic decades wherein all institutions were systematically eroded.
Unemployment, lack of education and opportunity, corruption coupled with our own traditional cynicism and self-pity has given rise to a huge population of the poor and the marginalised.
What are the answers?
For one, it is time that people equipped with the tools and information to make a real change stopped pussyfooting about ngo activism and engaged in some real politics if only to put in place a governance that not only brings together the rag-tag remnants of a bombed-out society such as ours but demonstrates to the world that we are capable of self-determination.
Alongside, accountability, transparency and the courage to call a spade a spade.
Strong words, I know, but time is running out.
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