Shimla:

Around 68 NGOs, working in the field of environment protection and climate change, adopted a demand charter for securing the Himalayas from disasters.

The demand charter was adopted by the NGOs after a meeting to discuss the environmental and cultural issues of the Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Manipur and Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The People demanding a policy for the Himalayan region have requested the Central and state governments to put a complete moratorium on all mega infrastructure and power projects like four-lane highways, tunneling, dams, hydro projects, railways, and transmission lines, besides review of ongoing projects in the region.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who recently concluded a 21 days long fast, addressing the participants virtually sought immediate measures to save the fragile ecology of the Himalayas from ill effects of mega projects .

Atul Sati of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti and Guman Singh from Himalaya Niti Abhiyan  demanded a complete halt on mega infrastructure works and said, “Be it the Beas floods or the land subsidence in Joshimath, all are man made disasters and not natural disasters.”