India
is a nation with abundant wealth, be it men, material and natural resources.
Mother Nature has showered Her blessings in abundance, and bestowed
this boon genuinely, fostered by the belief that the people of this
great nation would live together amicably, in a cohesive manner.
But
as ill luck would have it, Indians have always bickered amongst themselves when
it comes to sharing of natural resources like land and water. The unfortunate episode
continues to this
day, espousing another
side of our “ oneness “, quite different and distinct
rather, but a realistic one.
It
has always been a herculean task for the lower riparian states of the Indian
Union to get their rightful share of water from their upper riparian
counterparts, except during periods of benevolent monsoon. This
fluid, nagging problem gets
temporarily “ closed “, when the skies “
open “ generously.
The
dispute in sharing of Cauvery waters between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the
omnipresent Mullaperiyar tussle between Kerala and Tamil Nadu have assumed a
perennial nature, akin to the flow of the rivers. The parochial mindset of the
governing establishment has only worsened the situation. Tempers run high on both
sides, endangering law and order, thereby throwing normal life out of gear at
regular intervals. The unfortunate victims are the innocent commoner and the
distraught farming class.
The
warring states have been fighting prolonged legal battles, much to the chagrin
of the Honorable Judges of the Supreme Court of India, who have advised the
high handed upper riparian parties to follow
the basic tenet of “ Live and let live “, which is an
embodiment of Bharatiya Samskara.
On
the one hand we see states like Assam, Bengal,
Bihar, Uttarpradesh, and other places that lie on the banks of the
Brahmaputra, Ganga, and Yamuna, reeling
under floods on a yearly basis, marooning vast stretches of land and throwing
normal life out of gear, causing widespread
destruction to crop, cattle and importantly humans. Ironically on the other hand, draught,
famine, water scarcity plagues states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa etc.
Abundance of water wreaking havoc
on one side, and dearth of the
same creating untold
misery on the
other side. Tell tale evidence of
sadistic disparity.
Have
we ever seen the European / the American
nations, fight amongst themselves
in sharing the
waters of the
Rhine, Danube, Seine, Amazon, and other great rivers? Not known or seen by me in the generations of
my living memory. Clear cut, sterling
example of collective and conducive living.
We
are a sovereign nation for nearly seventy years. Nonetheless we have made
strident development on many fields and enjoy good reputation among the comity
of nations. It is high time serious steps are initiated towards interlinking of
Indian rivers, on a phased manner, which would usher in tremendous growth in
terms of produce, and bring prosperity to the populace. TIME FOR VERY SERIOUS
INTROSPECTION AND THINKING. MAY THE
PRESENT GOVERNMENT UNDERSTAND REALITY, SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY AND
SUPPLEMENT THE SAME
WITH STRIDENT ACTION.
Let
us remember that “ Mother Nature
can take care
of everyone’s need,
but cannot satisfy
an individual’s greed “.
JAI
HIND.
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