Hey folks,
What are you doing this weekend? Let me guess. Visiting friends or cousins? Lazing around with family at home, maybe? None of these, did you say? ALL of you are going to make a beeline for the plush shops in the neighbourhood shopping mall! Hmmm…..
Then you will perhaps be glad to know that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has proposed that builder-barons across India should be allowed to set up shopping malls, without bothering to get environmental clearances from the central authorities. All they need to do is follow a common set of environmental guidelines, irrespective of where they plan to build; and get a nod from the local municipal body. Simple, ain’t it?
But before you begin rejoicing, let me state some essential truths. A giant mall sucks out thousands of litres of groundwater each day; burns enormous quantities of diesel running generators; produces gallons of sewage—most of which is dumped untreated into the nearest water body; and generates huge load on the local traffic. In other words, water stress, rising emissions, piled up waste and blocked roads! And now the MoEF will pave the way for more of these to spring up near our homes.
Do we really need them? Can’t we begin to plan for ‘mall-free’ weekends in the future? Think about it.
– Pandit Gobar Ganesh
E-mail:
panditji@cseindia.org
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