There is something about land that has those in power salivate at its very sight. They can’t see open green patches without falling into fits of some grand vision of ‘developmental projects’ little realizing and caring even less about the damage being done to the environment. And those who care and protest are immediately labelled ‘anti-development’, from which point the distance to ‘urban-Naxal’ isn’t too far given the times that we live in.I am glad that there still is a hardy breed of caring citizens around, who came out in dozens last week to protest a mindless road project that proposes to conduct a surgical strike through the PDKV’s forest land for it. The road involves ‘martyring’ of around 200 very old trees in one of the last untouched green patches of the city. It isn’t only about these trees but, as any class IX student will tell it is you, it is about an entire ecosystem of biodiversity that thrives in any such old forest.All this for a road that isn’t even needed, for there are alternative routes which more than suffice today. The reason touted is that it ‘may be’ required in the future. Ask them for any hard data or research to what the traffic density would be in whatever the time frame they refer to as future, and they come a cropper. This is how our developmentwalas work while giving out certificates of anti-development to others.Also, once a road comes up it brings its own ecosystem in this lovely country of ours. It starts with small chai-tapris, paan-kiosks followed by small thela-walas and then an entire microcosm of a city follows. I studied at the SFS College for a year way back in 1980-81 and remember the Seminary Hills of that era. What you see now is a grotesque ‘development’ version of that. Do we want that to happen to this forestland too!Let’s get this clear: The bottom line is that for something with dubious benefits somewhere in the vague future the destruction being carried out is now and real. The results of climate change are rocking the planet with devastating effects out of its long slumber.There are more natural disasters than ever before; monsoon patterns are changing with intense downpours in shorter spans, the winter and summer temperatures are swinging wildly to extremes beyond recorded history. If we don’t wake up now we will not have anyone else to blame but ourselves.With all the concrete that’s strewn all over Nagpur now it will be a surprise not to have higher temperatures in summers. And the design of those roads will make water logging seen last monsoons look like puddle picnic.All this criticism doesn’t mean we are against any development, but There has to be a sense of balance and a thread of sanity in our planning. I am so glad that we still have groups of such concerned citizens who got together fro ‘Save Bharat Van’; more power to them. May their concern for the environment and their city become virulently infectious to infect all the citizens of the city that we love and our so proud of.(The writer is in the business of advertising)

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