INTRODUCTION:-Hill development is a widely talked about subject in government and in academic circles. However, development has become a controversial word, in the sense that all development plans, such as road construction, mining, forest-based industries, etc. bring with them the destruction of the hill ecosystem.
Hill area possesses a unique and independent entity. It has an interesting and complex geological history, a separate geographical identity compared to the rest, distinct socio-cultural dimensions, sharp physiographic features, and fragmented and emerging cultural landscape patterns. It represents unity amid intra-regional diversities.
Developmental projects: -
Balanced regional development has always been one of India's main objectives of economic planning. There are several projects and programs for the hill area, like-(a) Integrated tribal development (b) Comprehensive area development program (c) Integrated rural development program (e) Rural landless employment guarantee program (g) National rural employment program (h) Food for work (i) Hundred days employment generation program, etc.
(1) Occurrence of landslides and soil erosion on a mass scale: -According to Dr.K.S.Valdiya the construction of nearly 50 thousand kilometers of motor roads in the Himalayas has generated more than 2650 million cubic meters of sediments slide down the slopes, killing vegetation, exerting soil erosion, and chocking mountain streams.
(2) Destruction of forest wealth: -The hill slopes have been stripped off their green mantle due to the dragging and rolling of huge logs. Sawmills have reached inside the remote dense forests, as in Chenab valley in J & K, Uttarkashi of Uttarakhand, and the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal, Hatab, climber species, supplies good fuelwood in Kashmir valley, but it has now vanished through deforestation as it was misunderstood as a weed.
(3) Mining: - Mining in Doon valley, Jhiroli (Almora), Jharia coalfield (Jharkhand) are examples of the irreparable losses that occurred due to the destructive system of quarrying.
(4) The problems of human rehabilitation: -These are more social psychological and cultural than technical, Construction of dams over hill rivers to meet the demand of irrigation and power of the plains cause destruction of the hill resources and generates the problem of rehabilitation of the ousters. The pong dam ousters despite getting land for rehabilitation in Rajasthan could not settle there. Evan's only four villages out of 92 affected by the proposed Tehri dam have not yet been rightly settled.
(5) The primary national interest is to strengthen the border areas, especially in the Himalayas, for defense purposes, which directly and indirectly disturb the traditional life pattern of the hill people.
(6) Trekking, Tourism, and Resort culture transform the traditional lifestyle of the hill people. To restore ecological balance situation and hill people simplicity India Govt. has imposed restriction on the extensive trekking programs in high altitude zones.
(7) Agriculture and Animal Husbandry have come to a feature as the hill people's objective is to produce for the market but the inputs are low, holdings are small and poor accessibility. Different developmental programs have not reached up to the women actually they play a most prominent role in this sector.
(7) End of subsistence and barter village economy and its replacement with money and market economy in which villages lose both ways. The villagers are now compelled to sell their valuable products like milk, ghee, etc., export man powder, and adopt unsocial means to earn money to satisfy their ever-increasing demand.
Suggestions: -
We have to find out the area of coordination between the national needs and the local aspirations. The national interest in this context is to strengthen the hill are (Himalayas) from the point of view of national defense. The aspirations of the local people are always (a) to be connected with their soil and (b) to lead a comfortable life out of it.
(1) Given national and local importance-conservation and augmentation of forests should get top priority in the planning for the development of hill areas.
(2) Conservation of water source is important from the local development point of view. It is necessary to maintain the flow of water in springs and small rivers by providing vegetation cover.
(3) The most urgent task is to relieve the women from their cover burden workload. The construction of roads, the opening of schools have adversely affected the lives of women he decrees in self-sufficiency and the increasing demand for money has directed the menfolk to go out in search of employment. As a result, the burden of family work has increased among women.
(4) The ought to be great participation of school/college students, scientist engineers, official staff, etc., in environmental education programs. All of the need to learn to respect the wilderness environment of hill areas.
(5) The problem of fodder in areas of permanent settlement between 1000 and 2000 mts is more serious. In this zone, the predominance of monoculture pine in the forest has resulted in acute shortages of fodder for the cattle. The only way to control open grazing in forest lands in this zone is to popularize the plantations of nutritious fodder trees on large scale.
(6) Motorways penetrating deep into the wilderness cause the greatest disruption in ecology, wherever possible these ought's to be replaced by pedal ways.
(7) One of the shortfalls of plans until now has been the neglect of local traditions local wisdom and tradition should be given top priority.
(8) The ultimate objective of the plan should be to create self-confidence among the people through self-sufficiency. Seif confidence of local people is the primary need for any development in any area, particularly in hill areas.
Conclusion: -
What does forest bear?
Resin, timber, and foreign exchange are advocated by a planner. But when the same question is placed before a tribal woman. She replied -forest gives us soil, water, and pure air. Given it, the conservation and augmentation of forests should get the top priority in planning for the development of the hill areas. Emphasis should be given to the local environment and traditional culture. The importance of the protection of environmental resources and traditional culture have been recognized and the United Nations slogan-'Development without destruction' is on the tongue of everybody.
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