Jammu and Kashmir has been God gifted with natural beauty with numerous mountains, rivers, lakes and forest area of around 48%, one of the highest in India, but being greedy is human nature and the resultant devastation to forests and other God gifts have been indescribable. Lakes have been reduced to almost one fifth of their size, mountains devoid of trees, river banks and rain water nullahs encroached so much so that many species of birds, animals, fishes have just eloped and the resultant retaliatory fury of the nature in the shape of floods, landslides, sinking of villages/cities are mere indicators that we are dangerously playing with the nature beyond limits and well above natural resources capacity to absorb the despoliation and this depredation is really tragic. Nature gives back in its own way at an appropriate time again chosen by nature only. We have learnt least from the past tragic incidents like Kedarnath, Srinagar Jehlum inundation or more recently Amarnath tragedy, anything standing in path of nature will be wrecked, the message is simple. Time and again administrative failure to protect nature from obtrusion is really a serious matter to be ignored by higher authorities. Despite clear cut and strict rules of 1980 Forest (Conservation) Act, yet time and again efforts to detour these on one pretext or other is simply impermissible. But with the passage of time these illegal bypasses become prominent and brought in the notice of public or some nature lover or a seriously concerned citizen takes up the cause to protect the nature, tries to highlight the issue but when unable to get his grievance heard approaches the court for justice. Case after case unraveling story is same, forest land either grabbed or NOCs given clandestinely and all boisterous claims of protecting forests are just sham tokenism only. We have to protect our environmental and learn to live using natural resources without being on the other side of the law. Natural inhabitats can be built like bamboo huts or some other prefabricated way outs, raising concrete structures after cutting hectares of forest are neither permitted now nor permission will be granted in future. The intervention of HC in Sonamarg case is right and much appreciated but exemplary action against erring officials is much desired now, mere reprimands will no more work.
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