Indira Gandhi had a special bond with Madhya Pradesh: Jairam Ramesh

BHOPAL: The first and last Prime Minister to walk the talk on environment conservation was late Indira Gandhi, said Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP

Jairam Ramesh

here on Friday.

Ramesh was speaking at the second edition of Bhopal Literature Festival at Bharat Bhawan. Talking about his book ‘Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature’, Ramesh said, “Gandhi called herself a child of nature … She felt very deeply about environment which is why India got four of its Acts on environment protection — The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, The Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 — during her tenure.

Ramesh said that Gandhi had a special bond with Madhya Pradesh and held many discussions with the ex-chief ministers of the state on conservation of tigers and the Bastar forests (which were earlier a part of MP, now

Chhattisgarh

).

Talking about a letter she wrote to the then chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shyama Charan Shukla after the moratorium on tiger hunting in 1971, Ramesh said, “Her chief ministers often disagreed with her. Indira Gandhi would write on an average 6-7 letters a month to her CMs on issues related to the environment.”

In one such letter to Shyama Charan Shukla she wrote, “MP is one of the few states that has not responded to the Wildlife Board’s appeal on the moratorium on tiger shooting. MP has a special responsibility in the matter as it is the most important of the few tiger’s remaining strongholds of India. In the interest of conservation of this famous and unique region of Indian

jungle

I request you to reconsider the matter … Strict measures should be taken to prevent poaching in all its manifestations.”

Gandhi visited Kanha just two months before her assassination. “It is the only national park or wildlife sanctuary she ever visited. She felt that national parks are for animals not for humans,” said Ramesh.

He also said, that the Environment Protection Act of 1986, came into being as the government realized the importance of such a provision after the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

The Rajya Sabha MP said that because of Gandhi India has institutions and regulations in place that further the cause of environment conservation but over the years they have been weakened. He added that environment is a critical issue in the current scheme of things and should be given its importance in politics. “There is no denying that India is a developing country and needs development activities like construction of highways, industries and dams. But, we have to strike a balance between development and environment.”

Ramesh said that the Indian way of life is living in harmony with nature. “Indira Gandhi said Indians do not need to be taught about environment protection because Indians worship nature. Indian civilization is based on many living in harmony with nature.”


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