A Million
Miles to Zanadu
(Lok Sabha
Debates Pollution)
The long-awaited sleeping
giant ‘Gulliver’ has stirred; but my compatriot ‘Lilliputian’ campaigners
remain sceptical. Having dared buzz around the somnolent ‘giant’ Gov of India;
the irritating mosquito that refuses to go away, has finally stung; but
nothing’s changing for now.
Zanadu is still a million
miles away.
Yet the Lok Sabha debate on
Pollution yesterday is a watermark of sorts, ushering in phase 2 of India’s
environmental governance; a realisation by the lawmakers that there may be an
environmental crisis, which till now had been rubbished by the establishment as
a fad of the jhola wala’s and few urban elites. In fact, Minister Housing &
Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri went as far as labelling them as ‘mischief mongers’,
creating obstacles in ‘Development’; Environment Minister Javadavekar, famously
said, cut trees here and plant them elsewhere, what difference does it make!!
The Pollution debate yesterday
itself may have been a high point; disappointing however was the low
attendance, perhaps just a fifth of the house of 543 members, the quality of
the debate tepid, only refined in bits by known environmental lawyers Pinaki
Mishra and Manish Tiwari. A boost in the arm of the Clean Air campaigners was
the discovery of Gaurav Gogoi the suave soft spoken, no nonsense MP from Assam
(Congress) who articulated his views in extenso with conviction.
It is not without reason,
politics and mudsling is spoken in the same breath. For mudslinging the honours
certainly go to BJP, both on the floor of the House (Manoj Tewari) and on TV
debates, where their sole agenda has been to denigrate AAP. Their fulminations
and raves being without substance however, is doing more damage than good to
their party, the sooner they realise this, the better for them. The surprise
element was the appearance of ‘Jalebi’ Gaurav Gambhir, who made a faltering
rehearsed statement, on how pollution affects everybody! Ho Hum, now tell me another!
The MP has learnt something beyond: “You Bowl, I Bat….”
Good environmental
governance may now mean good politics; politicos are realising they can get
eyeballs speaking environment and don’t want to miss jumping the bandwagon; yet
remain duplicitous; simultaneously giving tree cutting permission for a few
million trees for a faddist ‘Bullet Train’. It’s still a long way before the
lawmakers stop running with the hares and hunting with the hounds; and start to
speak from their heart, and act with conscience. Since the winds of change is
apparent, even the hardened critics of ‘environmentalists’; as our tribe is deprecatingly
labelled; are talking a different language.
Indubitably, it is the
tireless efforts of good environmental governance campaigners who have finally managed
to engage a contemptuous Government of India in a conversation on Air. Most of
the campaigners have worked relentlessly over the years to bring Air Pollution
on the CenterStage, and continue with evangelical fervour. And there are many
of them, working silently preferring anonymity, extremely recalcitrant on
appearing to be the ‘Leader’ of such a movement.
For now, a conversation
within Parliament and Government has begun. Civil society that has spearheaded
this awareness is still excluded from joining the debate, as their presence
will open a pandora’s box of neglect, apathy and sheer callousness. Yet, it’s a
matter of time the box will be pried open, and the skeletons emerge. The nation
faces its greatest challenge, and its time all hands came aboard!
