Editorial:-
Today is World Environment Day and we stick our necks out making some predictions. It is expected that there will be a rush of diesel fumes to plantation sites to mark a slew of plantation drives across the State. Saplings must have already been procured and dispatched to NGOs, clubs, social organizations, government departments and schools. There will certainly be many banners and posters written in environment unfriendly paint on paper pulped from felled trees. Like every year, there will be plantation drives, workshops and seminars held all over the world. Like every year, there will be a lot of tokenism on display but no actionable commitments on ground because that would demand too many sacrifices and too much engagement.
But things could be different for Sikkim. And to some extent, Sikkim has proven itself different from the superficiality with which most other states have addressed environmental issues. The State Green Mission, for instance, was a credible announcement proclaiming the State Government’s ability to float new ideas. The initiative was so good that it even tided over the bureaucratic lethargy and official indifference which hobbled it. The Green Mission could have truly delivered substantial gains and achieved much more on ground and by way of universal recognition had the implementing department taken to the task more sensitively and with more responsibility. The initiative needs to be sustained not necessarily because Sikkim needs more plantation drives but because the young need to strike a connection with environmental issues. The mission could be modulated to include care and nurture of not just planted saplings, but also naturally growing plants in forest areas. One cannot find faults in the idea of plantation drives, but it has been in the implementation and after-plantation-service that the State has lost out. It is also time that the idea of Smriti Vans was revisited and dovetailed into tourism activities. Tourists will be willing to pay decent money to receive the opportunity to plant saplings in the memory of someone close and receive the assurance that not only would the dedication be recorded, but the plantations also cared for.
Environment Day drives should move a step further and include dedicated teams which sustain the 05 June initiatives. This time around, for instance, Sikkim’s Go Green effort could be sustained even after the bills for the pit-digging labourers and sapling procuring work orders have been cleared. It is possible – Sikkim could just go on to prove that it can take a good idea to completion if it wants to.
Today is World Environment Day and we stick our necks out making some predictions. It is expected that there will be a rush of diesel fumes to plantation sites to mark a slew of plantation drives across the State. Saplings must have already been procured and dispatched to NGOs, clubs, social organizations, government departments and schools. There will certainly be many banners and posters written in environment unfriendly paint on paper pulped from felled trees. Like every year, there will be plantation drives, workshops and seminars held all over the world. Like every year, there will be a lot of tokenism on display but no actionable commitments on ground because that would demand too many sacrifices and too much engagement.
But things could be different for Sikkim. And to some extent, Sikkim has proven itself different from the superficiality with which most other states have addressed environmental issues. The State Green Mission, for instance, was a credible announcement proclaiming the State Government’s ability to float new ideas. The initiative was so good that it even tided over the bureaucratic lethargy and official indifference which hobbled it. The Green Mission could have truly delivered substantial gains and achieved much more on ground and by way of universal recognition had the implementing department taken to the task more sensitively and with more responsibility. The initiative needs to be sustained not necessarily because Sikkim needs more plantation drives but because the young need to strike a connection with environmental issues. The mission could be modulated to include care and nurture of not just planted saplings, but also naturally growing plants in forest areas. One cannot find faults in the idea of plantation drives, but it has been in the implementation and after-plantation-service that the State has lost out. It is also time that the idea of Smriti Vans was revisited and dovetailed into tourism activities. Tourists will be willing to pay decent money to receive the opportunity to plant saplings in the memory of someone close and receive the assurance that not only would the dedication be recorded, but the plantations also cared for.
Environment Day drives should move a step further and include dedicated teams which sustain the 05 June initiatives. This time around, for instance, Sikkim’s Go Green effort could be sustained even after the bills for the pit-digging labourers and sapling procuring work orders have been cleared. It is possible – Sikkim could just go on to prove that it can take a good idea to completion if it wants to.
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