Himachal Pradesh situated in the north western Himalayas, like any other mountain state has a large part of the landscape under forests and grasslands. With 10 percent of the total geographical area under agriculture, the average landholding size is small and most of the people in the state, when not in government service, are dependent upon forests and common properties for meeting their subsistence needs – fuel wood, fodder, medicinal herbs, grasslands for grazing cattle, leaf litter for enriching agricultural fields, water mills, irrigation and drinking water etc.
Even though 27% of the population live below the poverty line, there are almost no areas with abject poverty, largely due to the rich natural resource base. Today Himachal is considered amongst the most progressive states in the country winning awards and accolades in the fields of health, education, environment and tourism. It has a high per capita income, close to Rs. 50,000 p.a., and relatively good road, electricity and water supply facilities.
However, the state is under a debt of about Rs. 27,000 Crores and the g. overnment spends more than 75 percent of the annual budget on salaries and pensions of employees. The state’s positive achievements hide the environmental mess that it has got into by following a development policy that has ignored the fragility of Himalayan environment and the dependence of life in the hills upon local natural resources. This policy that treats all natural resources as commodities has brought about widespread deforestation, pollution, loss of agriculture/horticulture, dried up rivers and springs, health problems and wildlife destruction.
In recent years many of the ongoing and proposed projects, like Karchham Wangtoo Hydropower in Kinnaur, the Ski Village Mega tourism project in Manali, the proposed airport based SEZ in Una, Harish Cement plant Sundernagar, Lafarge cement plant in Alsindi Karsog, Renuka Dam, Jaypee Thermal power Plant in Nalagarh, Luhri Hydroelectricty project in Mandi/Kullu/Shimla districts, have met with resistance.
The key issues of contention have been :
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the blatant handing over of forests and rivers for projects without the consent of Gram Sabhas,
- the use of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 for forced acquisition of their lands,
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non implementation of the Forest Right Act 2006,
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false promises and undertakings given by project proponents before clearance of projects and
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violation of enviornmental norms and non-participation of affected communities in the environmental decision making process.
Him Dhara has been extending solidarity and support to people and organisations who have been agitating against destructive development projects in the state. Hydropower, pollution in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area and the cement industry are the key areas of focus at Himdhara. (Read More about us)