Dear All, I am repeating my comments posted else where some time back. Incidently only Mr. Oudhia responded with concern on it (Loss to Iphigenia stellata). In the recent pictures no car is seen off the road and inspite of all the inconvenience they seem to be parked in descipline. When you are within a crowd of 37K, no point complaining about mob mentality. Please excuse me for this comment but instead of pointing at the 'other idiot' (just a phrase) each one should refrain from visiting on a peak flowering day. I refused to go as a resource person with 3 groups and all went on the same Sunday. Kas is a great place to go any time and many times.
First of all pls trust that I am with the sentiments of members over conservation of Kas heritage. I have been watching this location for the past 35 years for its flora. I wish to assure everyone that Kas flora diversity and distribution has not changed a bit in the last 35 years. This is in spite of trampling, burning, grazing and other local interventions over infinite years. Most of the plants here have rhizomes, tubers or bulbs that remain safe under the ground to sprout in the next monsoon. Plants regenerating from seeds are abundent and plucking by a few over enthusiasts makes a little or no difference to their re-appearance. Plants said to have some use are plucked the most. The only plant that may be facing a threat is Iphigenia stellata. In July when other plants are not in bloom and Kas is deserted, several people arrive at Kas early morniing and dig out plants with tubers. A plant per 1 sq m is dug out and taken away for medicinal use. Its fortunate (?) that the plant still sprouts each year to be collected next year. I am hence srictly against spelling out any uses for any plant; and on top of it people think wild plants have more potency than the cultivated ones. Why can't they grow such plants in their fields? The most concerning part is the thronging of enthusiasts in great numbers on a particular day. The facilities certainly can not cope up to accomodate 5000 vehicles and 20,000 visitors. (As reported on 19 th Sept) Every visitor thinks that others should not have come. Best way to enjoy Kas in such a situations is to avoid peak hours and to avoid peak crowding days. If local businessmen see a huge crowd thronging, they are bound to cash on the needs of visitors. Unfortunetely the crowd is creating the market for resorts, eating houses and stalls. As such the influx of visitors (and even this concern) fades away with the bloom of flowers and in other months no one cares to stop at Kas plateau. I have stopped going to Kas for the last few years. There are many plateaus around but they are not accessible by car like Kas. Putting up a board to show the exact location is not necessary; people who know the plants don't miss it but why attract even the ignorant ones? Every time conservation issue is raised, the forest dept (or I do not know who) takes up tree plantation at any site. Kas is no exception to this disaster. Several Silver Oaks can be seen planted on the plateau proudly by some one. Putting up a fence to prevent movement of people and cattle also can be harmful. The famous valley of flowers is grossly invaded by Polygonum and Impatiens due to such restrictions. Littering is a problem with visitors but thats a national problem. We can only reduce it with volutary help. Many local groups await help from visitors on this issue. A meet of Kas lovers in an off season month to pick garbage will be very useful. Action beyond just complaining is welcome. Developement in terms of mining and wind mills would be disastrous but I am sure Kas will be spared from such invasion. Every location suited for a non polluting non conventional energy resource is bound to be on a plateau and is bound to have some flora and fauna. A balanced approach rather than a total ban would resolve this issue. As such the wind mill site gets under tight security after the installation. It would be worthwhile to find out how the the flora and fauna has changed there after a few years of isolation. No one can resist going to Kas and posting the spectacle on Orkut, Facebook or Google groups. I feel that we ourselves should ensure that we do not burden Kas. If a tea stall comes up we should refrain from holding a steaming cup in the rolling mist of Kas. The plateau expects least interventions from outsiders like us, it will sustain and please us as it has done over the years. Thank you and with regards, Shrikant On Oct 4, 3:46 pm, arvind kadus <[email protected]> wrote: > KAAS..Ata BAA...SS ! Asach Mhanayachi Vel Aliye! > Here are some veiws showing how we Indian people are ! Now we have to say Ab > Bass !!! > KAAS BACHAO ! Prevent to make it another PANCHGANI ! > Last Sat Sunday 37000 people visited Kaas, This sat Sunday data yet to come ! > Imagin how much quantity of the plants were distroyed by the people in these > Sat Sundays! > Dr.Kadus Arvind, Pune. > > Nature Vs Devolopment.JPG > 38KViewDownload > > Need to stop now!.JPG > 31KViewDownload > > Parking of approx 1 km line..JPG > 43KViewDownload > > People are coming with full of Buses.JPG > 64KViewDownload > > Photo Kadhanyachi Kewadhi Ti Haus !!.JPG > 62KViewDownload > > Smithia Crying !!.JPG > 130KViewDownload > > Traffic jam at KAAS..JPG > 45KViewDownload > > We have to Stop this !.JPG > 140KViewDownload
