Title: Fwd: [WaterWatch] Re: Govt to ease approval
norms
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 14:40:42 -0600
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
From: Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [WaterWatch] Re: Govt to ease approval norms
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bcc:
X-Attachments:
Mr. ( my apologies if I am erring on the
appellation) Shadi Katyal DOES raise some pertinent questions. I agree
with quite a few.
But I have one here that piqued my
curiosity:
>we are lazy people and have no
plans except from day to day
** WHY are 'WE' so?
** WHO are included in that
WE?
** How is it that this 'WE' are lazy, but
some, perhaps including Mr. Katyal, have escaped the curse, and are
not so, and thus have been able to see the laziness of the
rest?
** I am from Assam ( and live in the
USA). Most of my peers -- you know the so-called "EDUCATED"
lot ( like we describe ourselves) , professionals, NRI-types, doing
real well abroad, tell me the same the thing that 'WE' meaning the
people of Assam, are "LAZY' people ( presumably a genetic flaw ),
as opposed to the rest of the people of the sub-continent not to
mention those from the west and so forth.
When I ask them how THEY themselves
escaped the curse ( as could be surmised from how well they are
doing), they go silent.
So I am surprised to all heck to hear
this explanation from an industrious non-Assamese (from my Assamese
peers' perspective), that perhaps others are "LAZY'
too.
** Or could it be that this 'we are LAZY
people' bogey is bogus, spurious as a three rupee note? That it is an
intellectually lazy assessment?
No offense meant here. I am putting this
forth to see if there might be a better explanation. Better
explanations are direly needed, because unless we know what the REAL
the causes are for the litany of effects Katyal holds forth,
justifiably, there will be no solutions, like we have seen going on
for decades on end.
Best,
Chandan Mahanta
St. Louis, USA
At 11:30 AM -0800 1/29/06, shadi
katyalsearch wrote:
Moderator's Note: The question and
the subject is/was whether easing of norms for hydro-power projects is
good or bad on the part of Government.
Moderator
Shadi Katyal wrote:
Dear Mr. Krishna,
I recognise the facts as you so nicely pointout but
one must recognise that certain envoirnment facts are
local and not international. I gave you simple example
of our neieghborhood which are our own and not
interntional. When such facts are brought we try to
avoid and change the subject.
It is well know that Global warming is there and we
are all responsible and yes Industrial nations have
contributed more. The quesion which I ask when I look
back to human history is that wuch phenomena have
happened before and will happen again and again. The
difference now is that we have data and figures
available immediately.
Unfortunately we are so antiWest tht anything
mentioned about USA or West becomes an irritant. what
I said is that as we industrialise we should learn the
pitfalls of US where she has failed. No one is forcing
us to follow any model. we have meddled along for 58
years and created more envoirnmental problems like
living in cities withour any proper water or
sanitation. We should be looking first what we are
doing to our immediate envoirnment before we run to
Kyoto orother places.
We sign these treaties to prove that we are a nation
and living in the world and having UN needs such
protocol. Would you kindly shed some light about a
recent spill in china, how did this effect us.
The Indian ranking 20th is not World problem or have
anything to do with Kyoto treaty. It is our own fault
as we are unable to keep our envoirnment clean. what
signing of a protocol can help you and how? The
question to ask ourselves is that why are we pouluting
our own envoirnment. How can we ask the world to
follow certain norms when we have none?
Why is India envoirnemtnal policy of 2004 a secret? It
will be nice to learn what secrets we carry to help
the world.
I have raised one simple question to our own people
and that is why cant we keep the city
or villages
clean. why cant we start taking steps to clean our
envoirnment while we go around giving lectures to the
world. If some Envoirnmental group visiting India
asks
this question what have you to
reply.
I often feel that we are not ready to face the TRUTH
and try to pass the buck or change the subject.I
repeat again why are our cities so dirty and why our
own envorinment is so filthy?
We are blessed with lot of rivers and plenty of water
and yet we cannot afford drinkable or potable water
for our nation. How does that have anything to do with
world Treaties? Why are our water so poulouted? You
are against utilisation of river water for irrigation
but rather see floods every year and villages
decimated? what kind of emvornmental planning is that?
You cannot mixup cleanliness of European cities with
Hydal projects? try to seperate chaff from wheat.This
is no answer to our filty cities. You tell me why this
is so.
as for what is wrong with us. I can give you many
answers and I hope I dont offend anyone as truth is
hard to swallow.
we are lazy people and have no plans
except from day
to day i.e
Thee is s dip infront of my house and during rainy
season I put a brick and a wooden plank and go through
life but have I ever thought to fill that once for
all? We clean our own house and throw garbage outsied
but have we thought of keeping a can to throw it in
it. Animals roam our streets but have we tried to
drive them out from our neighborhood and keep our are
clean?
we think that what we dont see doenot exist or will go
away. We are not ready to take responsibilities and
let others do so no one does.We are people who belive
Chalta Hai. That is what we are.We feel if the nation
have lived through centruries it will survive again.
Clean your own envoirnment and your areas where you
live and do business before asking others to clean
theirs. Maybe this is why no one listens
regards
shadi
--- mediavigil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Dear Mr Katyal,
>
> You would appreciate the fact that environmental
> acts of omission and
> commission do not follow national boundaries.
> Factors which adversely
> affect environment are travellers without passports.
> That's why we are
> concerned about global warming.
>
> As long as India follows American model of
> development in total
> disregard for environment one will have to talk
> about their follies
> and as you rightly say learn from it.
>
> You say that you fail to understand as to how
> whatever is happening in
> other lands affect us. If whatever is happening in
> other countries do
> not affect us then why did we sign/ratify Kyoto
> Protocol, Basel
> Convention and other multilateral environmental
> agreements. Even the
> Indian Draft National Environment Policy-2004 (the
> final draft is a
> secret document) is obliged to make explicit
> reference to them.
>
> How do you react when India is ranked among the 20
> lowest-scoring
> countries in meeting a set of critical environmental
> goals such as
> clean drinking water and low greenhouse-gas
> emissions, according to a
> Pilot 2006 Environmental Performance Index produced
> by a team of
> environmental experts which was released on 26th
> January, 2006 in Davos, Switzerland.
>
> Nature does not create garbage. If you will mix salt
> with sugar it
> becomes garbage. Environmentalists across the
> country suggest
> segregation and then composting for soil health and
> recycling for
> resource recovery. But the policymakers follow the
> perverted path and
> even Indian President Dr Abdul Kalam gives consent
> to it by failing to
> notice how it distorts sane waste management
> practices.
>
> Cleanliness of Europe is a result of strict
> enforcement of
> environmental guidelines which you seem to oppose by
> your support to
> the easing of approval norms for hydel power plants.
>
>
> I also ask: what is wrong with us.
>
> Regards
> Gopal Krishna
>
>
> --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], shadi
> katyalsearch
> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > I would be more than happy to discuss with
you
> about
> > mother India but it seems you are more or less
> > interested in another nation's envoirnment laws.
> Most
> > of your letter deals with Bush which is good
> because
> > we can always learn from their follies and
protect
> our
> > nation. What I fail to understand is that whatever
> is
> > heappening in other lands how does it effect us.
> >
> > Let us start with our envoirnement. Have you seen
> the
> > pile of garbage around on your street or on the
> roads.
> > does that garbage not seep into our waters and
> flies
> > bring the diseases. Next what about our habit of
> > spitting,urinating and defecating at will. does
> that
> > not effect the envoirnment? Why are we so lazy
> that we
> > let such garbage pile up.
> >
> > What about animals roaming around the streets and
> > leaving dung everywhere which creats not only foul
> > smell but also flies? do you realy think that is
> > better than stupid Bush envoirnment laws?
> >
> > I am not talking of cows only but pigs and
> monkeys?
> > When we travel abroad and see the cleanliness of
> > Europe we wonder what is wrong with us. We are
> > resembling underdeveloped and neglected nation
> every
> > year.
> >
> > My remkarks about dams are to increase not only
> power
> > for the nation to development of industry but also
> > irrigation. I have given you an example of Punjab.
> > Irrigation by canals also bring water level in
> draught
> > prone areas as it builds up underground water. Go
> to
> > some areas in Haryana and Rajsthan. As for
> > salinisation of the soil, it is not due to
> irrigation
> > but non-existing knowldge of how to manage such
> water.
> >
> > If you feel that let India remain poor and
> movement of
> > povertry from villages to cities for betterment of
> > nation by living on the side walks or building
> shacks
> > on unauthorised land is better for India than I
> think
> > I can predict the future of the nation.If you
> think
> > British Rule was bad, than wait 25-50 years with
> this
> > attitude and let India become the World supplier
> of
> > human labour than industrial products.
> >
> > Regards
> > shadi
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- mediavigil <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > > Dear Mr Katyal,
> > >
> > > Do you mean to say that either one can keep
> mother India in poverty or follow the norms for hydel
> power projects?
> > >
> > > In that case, why have the norms in the first
> place.
> > > >
> > > Aren't you suggesting that we should get rid of
> > > these norms for the sake of mother India and
> destroy mother nature?
> > >
> > > What makes you think that industrialisation and
> > > protection of ecology are not co-terminus.
> > >
> > > Do you want us to believe that dams protect us
> from flood? In that case how would you explain the
> permanently waterlogged areas in India.
> > >
> > > One thought Bush's war on environment is an
> obvious fact since it is not for some of us, please
> check the facts below.
> > >
> > > Bush has rolled back virtually every environmental
regulation and turned environmental decision-making over to the major
polluters.
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