9 months ago
RSS-backed yatra concludes to save trees near Gangotri
A group of about 100 people, including members from the RSS’s environment wing, recently finished a journey to protect trees near the Gangotri area in Uttarakhand.
They performed a special ritual to show their respect for the Deodar trees, which are important for the environment.
The group believes that the government's plan to cut down many trees for a road project is harmful.
They want the government to use a different, more sustainable way to build roads, especially in areas that are at risk of natural disasters.
Important leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi and Krishna Gopal supported this journey.
They said that protecting the Himalayas is very important for the safety and well-being of the country.
The group is also planning to challenge a court decision that allowed some parts of the road project to go ahead.
A yatra led by local citizen and environmental groups, supported by the RSS’s environment wing, concluded in Harsil, Uttarakhand.
Participants performed symbolic worship of Deodar trees to protest against the cutting of thousands of trees for the Char Dham road project.
BJP patriarch Murli Manohar Joshi and RSS senior functionary Krishna Gopal supported the yatra through video messages, emphasizing the importance of protecting the Himalayas.
The group advocates for a sustainable and disaster-resilient road-building model instead of blanket widening, especially in river valleys and disaster-prone areas.
The Uttarakhand government recently approved the widening of a 20-km stretch between Jhala and Bhaironghati, an area affected by a recent landslide disaster.
- Who
- Local citizen and environmental groups, supported by the RSS’s environment wing
- What
- A yatra to save trees and promote sustainable road-building models
- Where
- Harsil, Uttarkashi-Gangotri stretch, Uttarakhand
- When
- Concluded on Sunday
- Why
- To protest against the cutting of thousands of trees for the Char Dham road project and to promote disaster-resilient development
Key facts
- Location
- Uttarkashi-Gangotri stretch, Uttarakhand
- Participants
- Around 100, including RSS’s environment wing head Gopal Arya
- Key Supporters
- BJP patriarch Murli Manohar Joshi, RSS senior functionary Krishna Gopal
- Project
- Char Dham road project
- Recent Government Action
- Approved widening of a 20-km stretch between Jhala and Bhaironghati
- Recent Disaster
- August 5 Dharali landslide disaster, which killed 16 people
- Initiative
- Himalaya to Hum Hain
Quotes
Murli Manohar Joshi
BJP patriarch and former union minister
“We are not opposed to defence and strategic requirements. But we must be mindful that if Himalayas are not safeguarded, nothing is safe, including our economic interests, agriculture. If Himalayas are not protected, safeguarded, then the country can never be safe.”
indianexpress.com
Krishna Gopal
Joint general secretary of the RSS
“We will be safe only if the Himalayas are saved. If the Himalayas, our environment, our sacred trees are in danger, then the entire humanity will face a big crisis. Saving these trees will be like saving the Ganga, it will protect our glaciers and hence, this initiative is very important, which gives an important message on the current model of development that is being followed, alerts us about it.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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