By Ranjona Banerji
Meanwhile, here in the hill states, the ill-effects of a very heavy monsoon are compounded by government secrecy. I start with a “meanwhile” because in the rest of the world, we continue with a massive diplomatic disaster with Canada. And the part that the Indian media plays in fanning those flames. Maybe we can come back to the juiciest bits later.
For now, a building came crashing down a hillside in Nainital. Luckily, occupants had moved out. The buildings around are all damaged and people have to be evacuated. As this happens, the partly evacuated town of Joshimath remains precariously placed.
In a rare stroke of luck however, the Uttarakhand High Court directed the state government not to keep all the expert reports secret. And the media have now managed to get copies of those hither-to secret reports.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/parts-of-joshimath-have-sunk-by-3-6ft-says-report/articleshow/103941881.cms?from=mdr
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/uttarakhand/joshimath-condition-worsens-attempts-under-way-to-declare-it-no-construction-zone-2699920
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/joshimath-uttarakhand-sinking-town-joshimath-prone-to-high-magnitude-earthquakes-central-institutes-4421614
What is evident is widespread ignorance of the existing land conditions and the usual flaunting of laws by the authorities. Rampant unregulated construction is common across India. But the dangers are magnified in sensitive areas like mountains and riverbeds. Joshimath is an important town for religious pilgrims. It is not just the “winter seat” of Lord Badrinath, it is also the gateway to Hemkund Sahib.
As long as pilgrim traffic remained low, and on foot, Joshimath flourished, providing housing and food to tourist traffic. But the massive increase in tourism, helped by government schemes and growing infrastructure, the town could not cope. Some experts say it is built on landslide scree, or even moraine. There are no rocks below to provide stability.
Locals feel that things have worsened since hydro power plants proliferated and the construction of the four-lane all weather freeway began. If this is why reports were kept secret, we do not know. It is clear that few scientists, in spite of High Court directive, want to speak to the media on the record.
The government blames heavy rainfall for the various disasters in Himachal Pradesh and in Uttarakhand. This excuse needs to be taken up by the local media, because the extent of rainfall – unpredicted at the local level – is by itself a sign of what can go wrong when the effects of climate change, global warming race through the planet. Add bad construction practices to the formula and disaster is a given.
Monsoon destruction is not limited to the hill states. In Gujarat, unprecedented rainfall has destroyed lives, homes and livelihood. At least there is some media coverage of the unrest and anger and people’s voices can be heard:
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/sep/25/joke-narmada-flood-victims-call-out-governmentsrelief-package-2618103.html
In UP, it takes no less than the Supreme Court to pull up the UP govermment and police on its shoddy work in the case of the teacher who got her students to beat up another student, with a communal slant to the violence.
https://thewire.in/law/supreme-court-comes-down-heavily-on-up-govt-police-for-handling-of-muzaffarnagar-slapping-case
A few strands of the media, court interventions, that is all that is left of fragments of democracy in India.
- Am I being unduly harsh. Just look no further than Manipur before you accuse me of anything. This is by Shillong Times editor Patricia Mukhim:
“Manipur is, therefore, a cauldron that will continue to brew poison. It would take a high degree of statesmanship to deal with the situation. Politicians are the cause of all dissensions. Looking to them to resolve conflicts – which they are largely responsible for igniting– is a fool’s errand.”
https://thewire.in/rights/land-narcotics-trade-and-local-power-dynamics-the-underlying-factors-behind-manipur-chaos
As promised, let’s get to the glory of Indian television at its juiciest. A former diplomat, Deepak Vohra, appears on Zee News, to inform its viewers that he has “credible rumours” that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was high on cocaine on his recent visit to India for the G2Lotus Summit.
https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/09/25/justin-trudeau-india-canada-deepak-vohra-zee-news-cocaine
The anchor Deepak Chaurasia does not question him. Either Vohra and Chaurasia have prior permission to spread sleazy gossip. Or, we are at one of our worst diplomatic lows. Actually, scratch the “or”. Both are possibly true.
And then, there’s always this:
2023 Half-Yearly Report: Anti-Muslim Hate Speech Events in India
Let’s not forget that Indian TV is an absolute champion at hate speech. Often bettering the politicians monitored in this report.
Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. His views here are personal.