Why don't Sadhus who fast for stopping power projects on Ganga and its tributaries, go and fast for stopping all polluting industries in Delhi, Kanpur, Ahmadabad, Mumbai and Kolkata? Rivers flowing there are less holy to these self proclaimed protectors of environment and religious pride? The environmental issues are of concern to hill people only ? Only they should sacrifice development for guarding world environment and Hindu religion?
Natural assets like minerals are always monetized in other parts of the country for bringing prosperity for the people. Water and its strategic flow, as through our hills, is an asset which would yield unparalleled prosperity for people if monetized successfully. There is hardly any other resource worthy of creating such wealth in Himalayan region. If this asset along with our forests are to be kept away from business of development for sake of whole of the country, than other regions must reimburse proportionate wealth to the people of hills. If we are made to stop monetizing rivers and forests of the Himalayas for sake of environment and religion than total potential of the hill regions should be assessed and notional losses and loss of business (development) opportunities must be calculated and paid back as cash to the hill states. Some holy men must come forward to fast unto death on these issues !!!
Till such time State ( and people) must not pay heed to emotional blackmailers. How fast we catch up with rest of the world will determine our fitness to survive in long run and no one is waiting for us to catch up unless we have already decided to surrender ourselves to the backyard of history for sake of religion and false jingoism. Choice is ours.