DEHRADUN: Rise in Heatwaves, temperature and depleting greenery. Population explosion and congestion in pilgrimage centers. These factors prompt “greenmen” to make “climate as the first and foremost priority" for Dehradun city, which is bursting at the seams.

Ashish Garg, who is struggling for “green Dun” and a clean environment, holds a virtual interaction on Dehradun's vision in SDC Foundation's  Sustainable Development Dialogue "Vision for Doon" last week.

It turned out that along with reducing the carbon footprint of Dun, there is also a need to focus on health, sports and theatre for secure future of Dehradun city.

Ashish Garg is fighting legal and ground battles to maintain the greenery of Dehradun, protecting environment in Uttarakhand.

Garg believes that the city of Dehradun should make “climate action” as its first and foremost priority.

It is very important to reduce carbon footprint here to improve the atmosphere of Dehradun.

For this,  he points out the need to work to reduce the temperature of the city, save and plant trees, conserve rain water as well as increase the happiness index.

Ashish Garg was speaking on the topic 'Vision of Dehradun'  in a virtual interaction under the SDC Sustainable Development Dialogue Series with SDC Foundation Chairman Anup Nautiyal.

When asked to what should be the vision of Dehradun, Ashish Garg said Dehradun is  a city of hills, rivers, canals and drains with clean water.

The city is also known as an education hub that houses  defence and engineering institutions and schools.  

But in recent years, the city has created a situation of population explosion.

As a result, with the loss of greenery here, the city has become a “concrete forest” under constant pressure to accommodate its ever-increasing population.  

According to Ashish Garg, for the construction of the beautiful doon of the future, it is necessary to reduce the carbon footprint of the city.

“For this, first of all, we have to bring down the high level of temperature of the city to 32-33 degrees Centigrade.  It is more than 40  degrees at the moment”, he said.

For this, rain water has to be harvested. “They need to raise and protect forests and trees. “We have to build green buildings all over the city”, Garg said.

Work has to be done towards increasing the Happiness Index. “Work will have to be done towards increasing the theatre activities along with creating dispensaries and playgrounds in every ward”, Garg said.

When he was  asked that they are constantly opposing tree cutting, is it not blocking growth?  In response to this question, Garg questioned whether the existing tourism system is proper.  

There is rail pump of vehicles and traffic jams. There is no parking in the city.

"In present form of tourism, we are increasing the crowd at the pilgrimage sites and other tourists towns”, Garg said.

These tourist places do not have the capacity. “They talk of promoting arrangements like public transport and ropeways that instead are increasing vehicular congestion at these places”, Garg said.

Garg has a point when one talks about problem of the burgeoning population in Dehradun city.  Anup Nautiyal cited a report by his foundation on the increase in number of voters in the state during the last 10 years.

According to this report, from 2012  to  2022, the number of voters in the state has increased by  30 per cent.

“This was the highest compared to the five assembly polling states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Manipur this year”, said the report.

During this period, 40 per cent of the voters increased in the three districts of the plains of  Uttarakhand. There is no study to know this. 

In Dharampur assembly constituency of Dehradun, the increase was the highest at 72 per cent.

He also questioned Ashish Garg about this concern.

In response to this question, Ashish Garg said in most of the countries of the world, old cities are not tampered with to provide for the increasing population.

Few new cities are developed with all the facilities.

He justified the concept of “New Doon for this”, saying that it should not be settled in any green land, but should be settled in a less green place away from the fault zone.

Garg appreciated the smart city concept, but stressed on the need to bring about reforms on its ways of working.