Shav Yatra in Dehradun: A Funeral for Trees or a Warning for the Himalayas? But Shimla Citizens remain in Kumbhkaranic slumber as Builder Mafia continue to Flourish under the corrupt RERA.
Myanmar’s Earthquake, Kedarnath’s Tragedy, and Himachal’s Floods—How Many More Warnings Before the Governments Wake Up?
SHIMLA/DEHRADUN: The city of Dehradun today witnessed an unusual and heartbreaking spectacle today—a Shav Yatra, not for humans, but for the 3,300 trees marked for destruction in the name of “development.”
Citizens took to the streets in mourning, carrying symbolic coffins of trees that are set to be axed for a highway expansion project.
The reason? To cut down travel time by 15 minutes. But this isn’t just about trees—it’s about the blind destruction of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, and the absolute indifference of the Uttarakhand and Himachal governments to the disasters they are inviting.
Myanmar’s Earthquake: A Wake-Up Call for the Himalayas
On March 28, Myanmar was devastated by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, leaving 1,700 dead and thousands more injured.
The tremors were a reminder of the constant threat looming over the Himalayan region, which sits in seismic zones 4 and 5, making it one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world.
Yet, governments in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh remain oblivious, pushing ahead with reckless urbanization and deforestation that will only worsen the impact of future quakes.
History has already shown us the cost of ignoring these warnings:
Uttarkashi Earthquake (1991): A 6.8 magnitude quake claimed 768 lives, injured over 5,000, and destroyed 20,000 homes. Landslides caused by deforestation worsened the damage.
Kedarnath Tragedy (2013): Unprecedented rainfall led to massive floods and landslides, killing over 6,000 people. Entire villages like Gaurikund were wiped off the map. This was followed by Joshimath subsidence.
Himachal Pradesh Floods (2023): Flash floods triggered by relentless construction and deforestation killed at least over 500 people, with the impact stretching across all districts. Total loss to life limb and logistics surpassed over Rs 10000 Crore.
Remember the Devastating Kangra 1905 Earthquake that killed thousands of people. Yet we are building more skyscrapers, dams, the projects that have already annihilated thousands of trees in Allain- Duhangan, Malana and Parbati valleys in Kullu district.
Despite these catastrophic events, the governments continue to approve environmentally disastrous projects, treating the Himalayas as a business venture rather than a fragile ecosystem.
The Real Estate Mafia: A Silent Killer
If earthquakes and floods weren’t enough, another silent killer is eating away at the Himalayas—the real estate mafia.
Across Dehradun, Naldehra, Manali, Dharamshala, Solan, and Kasauli, luxury high-rises and skyscrapers are mushrooming in complete disregard of environmental norms and local hill architecture.
These projects, often sanctioned by corrupt officials in RERA or town and country planning in connivance with local politicians, are not only making the region more vulnerable to disasters but are also destroying the very resources that sustain life here.
The Loot of Naldehra?
Natural water sources are vanishing as builders divert them for private use.
An influential private builder- Auram- based in Shimla has sought 500 water connections under jal jivan mission in Naldehra panchayat for his 500 luxury flates being tagged at Rs one crore to Rs 2 crore.
Who approves his nine to 10 storied skyrocketed flats in peripheries of Shimla? Nobody knows.
The builder has built road under Panchayat funds. He has now sought NOC from Panchayat for these 500 water connections.
Villages are turning into sewage dumping grounds, contaminating drinking water. We will drink sewage and smell sewage, now, rued a local orchardist in Naldehra village
No water treatment or recycling plans are in place—just unchecked pollution.
Most of the land owners ate poor dalits who now work with the builder nothing more than bounded laborers, and can't raise voice, alleged helpless locals.
No different is the story in peripheries of Dehradun. The builder mafias have gobbled up the areas and villages around private institutions in places like Badholi.
The Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERA) in Shimla and Dehradun are complicit, allowing illegal projects to flourish.
What can we expect from RERA, a legalized builder mafia, whose Chairperson- a retired Bureaucrat- Shrikant Baldi- was involved in distributing apple freebies from the government funds worth lakhs of rupees, showering gifts on his friends across India, questions a citizen in Shimla.
Another retired and controversial Bureaucrat is now eying the RERA chairmanship now furthering the cause of the builder mafia- scrapping up the section 118, which has turned out to be a safety shield protecting the locals from the money bags of greedy builders from outside Himachal.
Trees Are Being Murdered, Water is Being Poisoned—Who Will Stop This Madness?
The destruction of forests is not just an environmental issue; it is an attack on life itself.
The Supreme Court of India has already ruled that cutting trees is worse than killing humans, yet both Uttarakhand and Himachal governments continue to favor big builders and highway contractors over environmental safety.
Today, citizens carried out a Shav Yatra for trees. But if this destruction continues, tomorrow’s funeral processions will be for people buried under landslides, washed away in floods, or crushed in earthquakes triggered by this blind greed.
Myanmar’s tragedy is not just a faraway disaster—it is a glimpse into the future of Uttarakhand and Himachal, perhaps the entire Himalayan states from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, if we do not act now.
The question is: Will the government wake up, or will the Himalayas be sacrificed at the altar of greed?
