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The North - East Co-ordination Council and Kalimpong unit of Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad organised a two day seminar on
"Environment Enrichment and Sustainable Development in the Eastern
Himalayas" having a central theme of 'Save Himalayas today, to save
India tomorrow'. Thirty-four eminent personalities from the
North-eastern region as well as other parts of the country
participated in the seminar. Intellectuals, planners, development
authorities, scientists, professors, research scholars as well as
grass root level activists from various NGOs from seven states
presented their views and ideas in fifteen research papers during
this seminar. Prof. D. N. Borthakar, the former Vice Chancellor
of Assam Agriculture University delivered the key-note address and
Prof. Rajkumar Bhatia, Professor of Economics from Delhi and all
India President of ABVP was the guest of honour for the inaugural
function. Dr. G.S. Yonzone, the eminent environmentalist and
Principal, Kalimpong College was the chairman of the scientific
advisory committee for the seminar.
The seminar was inaugurated by the local M.L.A. Shri N. T. Moktan
and presided over by Brgd. N. K. Gurung, V.S.M. (Retd.) In his
key-note address Dr. D. N. Borthakur emphasized the need and
importance of such type of seminars organized by a student
organization. He said that man is very delicately balanced with
the biosphere he lives in and any disturbance in this balance of
nature affects him very adversely. He expressed his worry that the
man himself is destroying his environment for his vested interests
and greed, and that we may have to face an ecological crisis of a
vast magnitude, making human survival impossible on earth, if this
rate of degradation continues. He warned that unless conservation
of ecology and sustainable development are married effectively,
existence of human race on this planet will be at great peril.
With reference to the Eastern Himalayas, he added that the
ecosystem of the hill areas has already been badly impaired due to
deforestation, unscientific land use practices, indiscriminate
grazing, unscientific mining resulting into narrowing down of the
bio-diversity spectrum under the threat of the human influence.
There will be sustainable development only when there is ecological
balance through scientific conservation, he explained and
emphasized that environmental planning and development must address
itself to the task of meeting the basic needs of all the people in
the area and at the same time check the greeds of the people who
are engaged in activities detrimental to the maintenance of
ecological balance in the hills. He expressed his fear that, in
this light the GATT treaty may have disastrous effects on the
bio-diversity spectrum.
Prof. Rajkumar Bhatia who was the guest of honour at the inaugural
function said that the students are very much the citizens of today
and every problem of today is his own problem. The problem of
environmental degradation and sustainable development has its
impact on the human life and society, and ABVP which is a student
organization feels concerned over this problem and decided to
organize this seminar. Shri N. T. Moktan (M.L.A.) in his inaugural
speech thanked ABVP for organizing such a seminar on ecology which
is first of its kind in Kalimpong. He assured that he will himself
try to raise the ecological problems of hill areas in the winter
session of the State Assembly. Brgd. N. K. Gurung in his
presidential speech encouraged the effort by saying that it is a
small but a good start to accept the challenging problems of
eco-disturbance.
Earlier, Chairman of the scientific advisory committee of the
seminar Dr. G. S. Yonzone welcomed the delegates and briefly
introduced the concept of the seminar. The inaugural function was
held in the Town Hall of Kalimpong and the proceedings were
continued in the premises of Kalimpong College.
The core theme of the seminar was the sustainable development. Two
papers on Ideology of sustainable development by Dr. Surendra Singh
from Charakhidadri, Haryana and Living in union with mother nature
by Dr. Y. P. Kohli from J. N. College, Pasightat (Arunachal
Pradesh) were read in absentia. It was brought out that lately the
world over discussion is going relating to the problems due to
extensive materialistic development pattern of the west. This has
led to evolution of the concept of the sustainable development. In
India such sustainable development form is still practised in the
traditional life-styles of the tribal communities like Apatanis,
Nishings and others from Arunachal Pradesh.
As the foundation of the sustainable development is the critical
balance of the land-water forest system and its interaction with
man, a paper on 'Joint Forest Management' was presented by Mr. D.
S. Rasaily, Vice President of Federation of Societies of
Environment Protection, Darjeeling in which study on land and
forest management with participation of people was presented. A
system of water, forest, land and community interaction in hilly
areas was suggested in a paper. entitled 'A eco-model of land use
pattern' by Dr. G. S. Yonzone, Principal, Kalimpong College. In
his paper, he suggested that instead of deforesting the complete
hill for agriculture and habitation, the top as well as the
lowermost slopes should be left forested alongwith the patches in
between.
As integrated watershed development in Sikkim was discussed by Dr.
R. C. Sundriyal, Scientist, G. B. Institute of Himalayan
Environment and Development, Gangtok, in the paper entitled
Integrated Watershed Management'. In this scientific study of the
river system of the hills, the author suggested various techniques
of water management by considering forest cover and land use
pattern. Influence of human intervention on the river systems of
hilly areas, specially that on Balson river by infiltrators was
elaborated upon by Sh. Michael Dutta, Research Scholar from North
Bengal University in his paper entitled 'Balsan river: impact of
human approach a case study. He also demonstrated how to asses such
an impact on environment using satellite imaging and other
techniques.
The specific issues related to Northeastern region on impact of
developmental activities on environment were also discussed and the
remedies and efforts done so far have been described in some of the
papers presented. The case of profitably running Gang-Jang paper
factory using eco-friendly way of paper manufacturing was presented
by Dr. G. S. Yonzone, Principal, Kalimpong College. This paper
manufacturing unit, based on traditional methods, does not use any
chemicals as well as does not depend on forest for its raw
material. The economically useful plants used by tribal communities
of the Arunachal Pradesh along with their scientific names were
also discussed and the potential of forest products for extracting
oils of industrial and medical importance was presented in a paper
'Future prospects for forest based chemical industries in Arunachal
Pradesh' by Dr. Y. P. Kohli of J. N. College of Pasighat, Arunachal
Pradesh.
The adverse effect of modern agricultural practices on
bio-diversity was focused in a paper read by Prof. B.C. Saha,
Scientist, Krishil Vigyan Kendra situated at Kalimpong. The author
in his paper explained how the HYV seeds and its popularisation is
leading to disastrous effects on bio-diversity of the region. The
adverse effects on the environment due to increasing tourism
industry was the focal theme of a paper entitled Impact of tourism
on environment - a case for developing sustainable tourism by Prof.
V. Bhardwaj of Charkhidadri, Haryana. A paper entitled A profile of
pollution in Imphal city by Prof. Goan Ch. Sharma of Imphal was a
part of proceeding of the seminar. In this paper, the author has
elaborated upon the effects of pharmaceutical and other industries
and increasing population on the hills and rivers of the area.
An experience of sericulture in China was shared by Sh. Pramod
Kumar, Scientist from the Central Silk Board at Kalimpong and in
his paper 'Sericulture in Darjeeling', case study of sericulture in
Darjeeling hills was presented. He emphasized upon the need to
start a course on sericulture in the Darjeeling hill areas.
Apart from economic activity, the increasing population pressure
disturbs the ecology. Dr. Sandeep Kumar Choudhary of Darjeeling
Govt. College in his paper Resource population relationship
'explained a classification of various countries based on the
resource availability, population, its density and the
technological level, to enable the thinkers to analyse the problem.
Prof. Mrs. Amiya Rajbongshi elaborated upon socio-political
aspect of the problem and emphasized upon the need to use of
popularization of education in her paper population and
environment, role of science and technology'. She warned against
the increasing infiltration from across the border into the
Northeastern states which is posing a serious threat to the ecology
of the region. A very interesting slide show was presented by
Prof. P. C. Bhattacharjee from Guwahati University, who presented
the paper on Endangered fauna of Assam. He presented the pictures
of endangered bird and animal species, explained the reasons of the
threat to their existence and also emphasized upon the need to
inculate environmental consciousness in the minds of the people.
The concluding session was presided over by Prof. Raj Kumar
Bhatia, All India President of ABVP. A standing committee
consisting of the following members with Dr. G. S. Yonzone as its
convener was suggested and formed for monitoring the follow-up
action of the seminar.
1. Dr. G. S. Yonzone (Convener) Kalimpong
2. Dr. R. C. Sundriyal Gangtok (Sikkim)
3. Dr. Sandeep Choudhary Darjeeling
4. Maj. K. P. Malla (Retd.) Darjeeling
5. Dr. Shirish Kedare Bombay
6. Prof. P. C. Bhattacharjee Guwahati
7. Shri Mohan Pande Kalimpong
8. Shri V. Satish Guwahati
9. Shri Kishor Thapa Kalimpong
10. Dr. Ratneswar Deori Sibsagar (Assam)
11. Shri Siddarthdev Sarma Guwahati
12. Shri Dev Dutta Rai Kalimpong
13. Shri Madan Sharma Kalimpong
Publication of the proceedings, conceptualizing and carrying out
various programmes like workshops, seminars, surveys, and action at
the grass root level regarding the ecological problems of Eastern
Himalayan region will be taken up by this committee.
This effort of ABVP to organize a seminar was generously supported
by the leading personalities from the hilly town of Kalimpong. Sh.
Kishor Thapa and Sh. Dev Dutta Rai. both Lecturers in Kalimpong
College carried out the responsibilities as the chairman and
convener of the local organizing committee of the seminar
respectively with the help of ABVP workers of Kalimpong unit.
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