By JATINDRA KUMAR BORGOHAIN
GUWAHATI: We are aware of the responsibility, both theoretical and scientific, of the Brahmaputra Board which should take seriously the problem of ecological balance. Otherwise, the work done, whatever it may be, would turn Assam into a graveyard of plant and animal civilisation in the long period. Same point may be raised as an working for all sectors and departments those which are engaged in development works.Appropriate strategy must be evolved to keep the valley green, productive and sustainable for all the living creatures including plant,animals and microbes. Many high sounding phrases have so far been uttered but very little in practice has been done to protect the ecological balance and bio-diversity of the region.
Regarding development of the rural areas, particularly, the agricultural sector, at this stage is very much clear. The flood-hit rural area is nothing, but the experimental graveyard of the planning and development sectors. Nearly half of the plain districts are completely or heavily ruined and devastated by flood, thousands lost their lives and properties.In some areas even the dead bodies were neglected, rotten for long time creating serious health-hazards in the region. In nearly two-thirds of the ruralareas roads, bridges, schools, hospital and residential houses areeither completely destroyed or partially damaged.
The condition demands not only huge financial resources, but close and comprehensive attention of the human operators. First of all they must be graduated from ecological point of view otherwise, anything done by then might again bethe causes of flood just like that destroyed the Marigaon, Nagaon and the southern part of Kamrup and Goalpara districts.You cannot simply introduce some development projects which are completely ignorant or selfish regarding the fall of the supposed beneficiaries i.e. Marigaon and Nagaon districts are nothing but accumulated results of negligence and unscientific approach of the departments of flood control, embankment, PWD and power. Added to this, the activities of the forest department and the development agencies. All these departments are responsible, then why not the finger would be pointed to the government?
The local-resource based ecologically sound and comprehensive policies are suitable for undeveloped areas. Policies must not be prescribed for rural people, which would benefit only the TNCs inthe long run, causing devastation of the local resources and tradition. For example, you are giving tractors to the rural people by drawing thebank resources; at the same time you are giving lessons for organic manners and pesticides. Tractors are certainly useful for quick preparation of cultivable land but it must be seriously introduced withproper instrumentations or it would simply reduce the number of animals in the long run.And hence, the quantity of organic manner available in the rural areas would be reduced to the dangerous level. To fill the gap you prescribe micro-nutrients produced by TNCs doubtful results. Added to this, is your prescription of organic pesticides. Again most of these things are produced by the foreign forms. Ultimately, who is benefited from this strategy? The cultivators or the TNCs?
You cannot part with the drought animals producing the major share of manners. They are suitable for cultivation of paddy in the summer. Because there is no need of making the top soil rich in manners completely upside-down. For rice only the two or three inches deep top soil is highly essential. Making top soil upside down is not necessary for rice cultivation where the deposits of measures is uncertain and inappropriate. To the rural poors, keeping the top soil intact and the drought animals quite in large numbers essential for making land rich in manners. In the same way, proper emphasis should be given for research and production of cheaper varieties of organic pesticides.The question of seed selection must also be appropriately addressed. If you part with the local seeds and breeds forever without proper thought, then in the long run the bio-diversity would be completely ruined and the whole civilisation would be the losers. Local seeds which have sustained for a very very long period of history and have come over all sorts of natural calamities, pastes and diseases have a very strong potential of resistance. By keeping the bio-diversity intact we can honour the resistance potential of the local seeds and breeds properly.
Selection of appropriate technology is hence the main thing upon which the edificeof self-sustainable development could be fortified.The stupidity must be minimised in giving prescription, For example, you should not give prescription of rearing of high breed pegs in malaria-endemic areas. This may lead to propagation of encephalitis to epidemic stage.You should not prescribe rearing of some animals and birds for which youare not producing suitable and cheaper feeds.
In the same way, any importance of some high quality economic plants would be meaningless if proper thought is not given in the area of marketing. Where there is nomarkets, production of the imported crops would bad to windfall gain ofthe middlemen, black-marketeers and Mafias like the Agor baron.Give more area of development for leave based industry like sericulture (Eri,Muga, Pat and Mejangkori); give more importance to local oil seeds,fibre plants, medicinal plants and beverages where technology and markets are accessible for the peasants; give more areas for research and development of local seeds and breeds; give more thought on protection of bio-diversity; give more emphasis on, marketing of crops; develop handicrafts mainly market and export-oriented handicrafts and small-scale production; give more thought on selection of self-sustainable technology.
To this, it may be added that more thrust should be given to the experience of the people, turn this experiences into scientific knowledge. The question is to protect the local people and the economy from TNCs traps and exploitation. Unknowingly, some of the most intelligent people of India are becoming the victim of TNCs fashion making themselves collaborators of the foreigners, thoughtless brainless lacking patriotism and love for the peopleMSN Premium gives you PC protection, junk-mail filters, advanced communication tools and great software like MSN Encarta® Premium. Click here for a FREE trial!
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