Context
Unprecedented flood situations occurred in many cities of the country and the world this year, severely affecting urban life. Today urbanization has become synonymous with the conversion of cultivable lands and commons into dense webs of concrete and asphalt and their transfer to private corporations. Cities have been built in such a way that they generate horrific amounts of different types of waste, and all the technocratic methods for its disposal or management, such as generating electricity from the waste, have proved to be useless. The pace and direction of such urban development is anti-people and anti-nature and will only add to the existing problems of cities in times of climate crisis.
For example, at present, projects for the ‘development’ of riverside areas are being made in many cities of the country. On the lines of the riverfront built on Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, such plans are being prepared in many cities. The People’s Resource Center is trying to understand the impact of these projects in many cities from an ecological, social, economic and political perspective. An important question in this context is what are the ways in which civic groups can review their city’s riverfront projects and make them accountable to the public and the environment.
Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Gujarat has taken these matters to National Green Tribunal (NGT) and have actively pursued interventions. In this meeting, members of PSS will talk about the NGT orders that can be taken advantage of by citizen groups taking legal action in other cities.
Citizen groups and movements active on urban issues and the environment are requested to join this discussion.
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रिवरफ्रंट परियोजनाएं और जन आंदोलनों के लिए हरित प्राधिकरण के आदेशों के अभिप्राय
समय: 12 सितम्बर, सुबह 11 बजे
चर्चा का संदर्भ
इस साल देश और दुनिया के कई शहरों में अभूतपूर्व बाढ़ की स्थिति आई जिससे शहरी जीवन काफी प्रभावित हुआ। आज शहरीकरण का मतलब खेती योग्य जमीनों को कंक्रीट और तारकोल के जंगलों में बदलना और कारपोरेशन कंपनियों के हवाले करना हो गया है। शहर ऐसे बनाए जा रहे हैं जिनसे भयानक मात्रा में अलग अलग तरह का कचरा पैदा होता है और उसके निस्तारण या प्रबंधन के लिए कचरे से बिजली पैदा करने जैसे तमाम टेक्नोक्रेटिक तरीके बेमतलब साबित हुए हैं। इस तरह के शहरी विकास की गति और दिशा जन-विरोधी और प्रकृति-विरोधी है और जलवायु संकट के दौर में शहरों की मौजूदा समस्याओं को और बढ़ाएंगी।
जैसे, इस वक्त देश के कई शहरों में नदियों के किनारे के इलाकों के ‘विकास’ की परियोजनाएं बनाई जा रही हैं। अहमदाबाद में साबरमती पर बनाए गए रिवरफ्रंट की तर्ज पर कई शहरों में ऐसे प्लान तैयार किए जा रहे हैं। जन संसाधन केंद्र पारिस्थितिक, सामाजिक, आर्थिक और राजनीतिक नजरिए से कई शहरों में इन परियोजनाओं के असर को समझने की कोशिश कर रहा है। इस संदर्भ में एक जरूरी सवाल ये भी है कि नागरिक समूहों के पास क्या तरीके हैं जिनके जरिए वे अपने शहर के रिवरफ्रंट प्रोजेक्ट की समीक्षा करते हुए उन्हें जनता और पर्यावरण के प्रति उत्तरदायी बना सकते हैं।
पर्यावरण सुरक्षा समिति, गुजरात के साथी राष्ट्रीय हरित प्राधिकरण में इस मुद्दे को लेकर सक्रिय रहे हैं और वे प्राधिकरण के उन आदेशों के बारे में बताएंगे जिसका लाभ अन्य शहरों में कानूनी कार्रवाई करने वाले नागरिक समूह ले सकते हैं।
शहरी मुद्दों और पर्यावरण पर सक्रिय नागरिक समूहों और आंदोलनों से इस चर्चा में जुड़ने का अनुरोध है।
River Front Development is like taking our old unwell mother to a beauty parlour instead of taking her to a hospital.
Save people
Would like to attend this join this event.
GREEN REVOLUTION
All these earnest and genuine appeals till these years have been proving almost meaningless and like every activist working in water conservation /encroachment on flash flood prone areas mentions,that lobbies governing political -builders nexus, will ne overpowering the issues to their own benefits .And As usual the rivers will continue to flow.
That is
THE SHOW WILL GO ON
(irrespective of anybodys desires)
how to change the theme of the show with changing times is a million dollar question.
Can then we think on these lines???
Like a financial/commercial principle successfully puts up the principle of “VERTICAL GROWTH” in terms of high rise buildings, to contain successfully the growing problem of housing needs of urban India ,why cant all “green revolution”people together put the ” DEEP GROWTH” principle to treat every available water stream to deepen further to
1.hold more water in blueline marked area
2.will reduce encroachment in blue line areas.
3.Will give logical and legal hold for “green revolution “people to officially run a mass movement to keep preserving /protecting area of blue line with all there”AWARE”force of volunteers (to participate physically for deepening of every water stream) ,as well as funding earth mover equipments with financial assistance gathered/collected.
4.Thus more the water collection every season in non monsoon period,more is rise in subsoil water level rise,and less water scarcity.
5.Also more trough capacity of water stream basin will arrest the flash flood menace during the monsoon period.
more cusecs water can be let out with the same deeper basins of all water streams.
6.All non productive /and regularly allocated funds of developement and funds of MNREGA and other drought relief funds can be utilized in a big way to work on “WATER SOURCE CONSERVATION” sustainably.
7.Lastly some kind of all forces working in scattered way can be focussed /united to have one common achievable goal.
I take this opportunity to “CHALLENGE” all the experts of ministry, NGOs, and experts of water conservation, as to why this is not possible, as it is flawlessly people participative, spread over all the lands of water stream locations in entire country, and beneficial to people, and environment too.!!
I appeal all people, to either deny this proposal on logical grounds, OR
Pl comment for “ALTERNATIVE” of this proposal.
Arun Bandi
8554842433.