Open letter to the Prime MinisterBittu SahgalThis is an appeal for reason. for many years people who have asked for the protection of our natural heritage have been written off as ‚Ëœobstacles to development‚. Under your charge it is my hope that a national consensus can be reached on what constitutes real development for India. And if this sounds too far fetched, let us at least agree on what does not constitute development.I put it to you that no nation on earth can contemplate long-term survival without clean air, water and fertile soil. Nevertheless, the nation‚s natural infrastructure is being sacrificed by government design to usher in short term economic development. I hasten to add that it is not my case that economics be given short shrift; rather that the founding principle of good economics, protection and enhancement of capital, also be applied to natural capital ‚ soils, rivers, lakes, forests and coastlines. When your government took charge we were more than a little disappointed to see that protection of rivers, lakes, forests, coasts and mountains found no mention either in the Common Minimum Programme, or in your address to the nation. As the leader of a coalition government, perhaps it is too much to ask of you. However, history will not forgive us if at this point in the destiny of India, we continue to condone the destruction of our natural heritage, which more than any other single factor, has been responsible for our culture, civilisation and past glory.At the heart of my appeal to you to prioritise the protection of our natural wealth is my belief that Indians cannot possibly be better off if our water sources are threatened, our forests are on the verge of depletion and our soils are rendered sterile. The truth is that more people are directly dependent on nature for their food and sustenance, than on government. You need merely to contemplate the fact that rivers, lakes and coasts feed our people with wild fish, to understand this powerful, yet elusive reality. To this add wild fruit, fuel and fodder obtained from nature‚s larder and this truth becomes still sharper. Mr. Prime Minister, should the government be working so hard to exhaust this natural larder that sustains more than half a billion people? Your advisors may point to an expanding middle class and to the exponential increase in foreign reserves as signs of India‚s development nirvana. I urge you to accept that all such gains will be ephemeral, if the true assets of our nation ‚ water, soil and forests ‚ are lost.Either way, I believe it makes sense to arrive at some sort of national consensus. And to illustrate the points made above, I enclose herewith three representative examples of what in my view does not constitute development. The Sanctuary team has cataloged over 50 such examples. We request you to give us an opportunity to present these to you in person as we believe the issues we have examined are not…
