August 5, 2025 • 29 mins
First, we talk to The Indian Express' Vikas Pathak about Shibu Soren, a political figure who played a key role in Jharkhand achieving its statehood. Soren passed away this Monday and Vikas shares about his journey, the ups and downs and the legacy that he leaves behind.
Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Aishwarya Raj about a new measure that is being adopted by hotels, guest houses and homestays in Mussoorie in order to keep a check on the issue of overcrowding that the Himalayan tourist destination has been facing for many years now. (16:40)
Lastly, we talk about US President Donald Trump threatening to“very substantially” raise tariffs on imports from India within the next 24 hours, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. (27:13)
Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Next, we talk to The Indian Express' Aishwarya Raj about a new measure that is being adopted by hotels, guest houses and homestays in Mussoorie in order to keep a check on the issue of overcrowding that the Himalayan tourist destination has been facing for many years now. (16:40)
Lastly, we talk about US President Donald Trump threatening to“very substantially” raise tariffs on imports from India within the next 24 hours, citing New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil. (27:13)
Hosted by Niharika Nanda
Produced and written by Niharika Nanda, Ichha Sharma and Shashank Bhargava
Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode, we look at whether the latest steps
taken in Massuri can actually help tackle the town's overcrowding problem.
We also discuss US President Donald Trump once again threatening
to raise tariffs.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
On Indian imports.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
But we begin today by talking about a political figure
who was a key part of one of India's longest
movements for statehood and who also represented the complex ties
between local activism and national politics. Hi, I am a
Haharrikan Nanda and you are listening to three things the
(00:35):
Indian Express News show. On Monday, Shibusarain, co founder of
the Jharkan Muktimocha or JMM, three time Chief Minister of
Jharkhand and former Union Minister, passed away at the age
of eighty one in New Delhi. His death marks the
end of a political career that, while marked by controversies
(00:58):
and fleeting terms, in part remains deeply intertwined with the
history of the Charkin movement and the broader assertion of
tribal political identity in post independence India. In this segment,
Mike league Ichasharma speaks to the Indian Expresses Vika Spatterk
to reflect on his legacy and the political discourse he
helped shape in the state.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Because when we talk about Shubusurin, he's referred by many
names including theshom Guruji and founding patron among others. So
can you talk about why he occupied such a towering
place in Dharkhan's politics.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Oh, well, you know what is today's Sharkhund used to
be a part of South Bihar. At one point of
time and for long there was a demand for a
separate tribal province to be carved out from Bihar because
there was a belief among the significant sections of the
tribes of Jharkhund that they constituted a different and autonomous
(01:57):
cultural group and they did not feel comfortable being clubbed
with non tribal populations in the same province. That is
behalf so well, the demand for a separate state of
Jharkhunt is actually even older than independence or around independence time,
because even in the Constituent Assembly they used to be
jpas saying Munda who was a leader of the tribals
(02:18):
of this areat Plateau and belonged to the Munda tribe
and he was a member of the Constituent Assembly.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
He was a public figure. He was also an Olympian
hockey player.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
He had captained the Indian side which won a gold medal,
I think in nineteen thirty six. So he was quite
a significant public figure and he was very vocal about
tribal rights, as in the land rights of tribals, the
cultural rights of tribals, the idea that they constituted a
distinctive culture of their own. Even in terms of the
religious identity. It was believed that the tribals are neither
(02:50):
Hindu nor Christian. That was a significant belief. Of course,
there are tribals who see themselves as Hindu or those
who have converted to Christianity. But then there was also
a significant belief of an autonomous you know, tribal religious
culture also.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
So all these things.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Taken together, the forest rights, the land rights, a distinctive
cultural you know identity, a very distinctive social organization, a
distinctive maybe mode of worship, all these became very prominent,
you know demands, which led to the demand for a
separate tribal province.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Right. So it was Jepal sing Munda who laid the
ideological foundation. So how did Shibu souriins approach build on
that legacy?
Speaker 5 (03:32):
So as I said it was very old.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Even in the nineteen fifty two elections in South Bihar,
you know, the Adivasi Mahasaba of japassing Munda.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Did very well. So see, because you know, we.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Are talking about a marginalized and deprived community, so the
community obviously needed leaders who could become a kind of
a rallying point for that demand to be taken up.
So of course jepassing Munda was one. But after that
there was a kind of a lull and later we
see that you know, shibus Reign emerged as such to
kind of you know, fill that void, and which is
(04:03):
why by the time of the say nineteen early nineteen
eighties in all Shibu so Reign had already become a
very very prominent face. And going by his own background
also Shibu soraain right from the beginning. He was born
in nineteen forty four, and you know he started the
Santal New York sung at the age of eighteen. And
(04:23):
the Santal as such as also a particular tribal community
just like the Mundhaza again found in the state of
Eastern India, and the early public life of Shibu so
Reign was centered around you know, his struggles against money
lenders because they used to be a major demand among tribals.
That you know, money lenders are the ones who charge
exorbitant interest rates and therefore they are a danger to
(04:47):
the tribals and their you know, economy, their lives. In fact,
his father also had been killed when he was in school.
And his father was killed at the behest of it
is said, money lenders, and that was a cause that
she Usain took up as a young man, and soon
after that generally he aligned himself with that politics of
a distinctive tribal identity. So non tribals were called dekuz
(05:10):
dik us within the tribal parlance. And this is a
sentiment that shibus Reign as he became a public figure,
latched on two and around nineteen seventy two, the Jharkhan
Muktimurja was founded and the following year, in nineteen seventy three,
shibus so Reign became the general secretary of the Jharkhan Muktimurja.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
So by this time.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
He had you know, started being recognized by the tribals
as an emerging leader of sorts, and he was known
for his protests He was known for his distinctive you know,
appearance which lasted till his life.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
That is long hair, you know, weird a mustache.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
So he was in the forefront of protests and therefore
he filled that void that was created for some decades
and became the prime Adivasi leader of the Jarkuan movement
and mcas.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
When we speak about the Charkhan Statehood movement, the Gua
firing of nineteen eighty was considered a turning point. So
can you talk about what happened during it and also
how that incident fueled the movement.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, so since there were protests you know by tribals
which used to happen on and off, and Shibu Soren
also used to organize them.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
Like you know, they said.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
That the paddy that is cultivated by the Adivasis god
and goot storn by the outsiders or decus. And they
also claimed forest rights. So they began protesting for these
things including you know, claiming the forest so to say,
invading the forest as to say. And those kinds of
protests led to you know, some kind of state action.
So in September nineteen eighty, there was police firing in Kua,
(06:42):
which is in the Pashime sing Boom district now and
in which fifteen tribals were killed. So these kinds of
incidents actually further fueled the movement rather than suppressing it,
and the movement acquired a life of zwon. So the
Darker Movement is a very old movement. It came to
fruition around the year two thous than when Jhakan as
a state was carved.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Out of Bihar. But the movement had been there for long.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
And among the leaders of the movement, of course, after
JP's in Munda, the biggest single figure that I can
think of happens to be Shibu Surain.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Right, and even though Surain was elected to the Loksoba
multiple times and served as the Chief minister three times,
none of those stints lasted very long. So why was that?
Speaker 5 (07:25):
See?
Speaker 4 (07:25):
So, of course there was a demand for a tribal
province of Jharkhan, just like there was a demand for
a tribal province of such discut. But the point is,
you know, once a state is carved out, of course
any party of movement leading the state or demanding the state,
it is bound to become more powerful. So obviously the
JMM will be more powerful in Sharkhan then it was
in unified Behar.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
But then the other thing is that the.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
JAMM was clearly a movement aimed at a tribal state,
so it did not have the sympathies of non tribal
populations the way it had the sympathies of tribal populations.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Now, even when Jharkhan was carved.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Out, if you look at the census data two thousand
and one twenty eleven, the tribal population in Sharkhund was
only twenty six percent. So now you get my point
that twenty six percent tribles means that seventy four percent
of the population of the state of Jharkhun was non tribal.
So while the GMM became a powerful party, the JMM
on the basis of tribal votes alone and that too
(08:21):
largely concentrated to a great extent in the Santa Pergana
could never have come to par.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
In the state on its own.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
So obviously the next way you come to par Is
to strike alliances.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
That is a model that that applies universally.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
So the GMEN was throughout its career in the times
of Shibu soraiin an ally of the UPA for quite
some time of the Congress that is Congress and allied parties,
and for a small period of time it was also
an ally of the NBA, that is the BJP late alliance.
So well, once you have an alliance, what happens is
that it all depends on how the election result is.
(08:56):
If there's a sweep, if your alliance sweeps. For instance,
this time you must be remembering twenty twenty four elections
in Jharkhann Assembly elections, the JMM Congress alliance has kind
of swept. It has got a very clear majority. So
given the circumstances him on, Soorain is much more secure
in power. But what happened in many of these elections
was that they were keenly contested elections, so the majority
(09:17):
was not a big majority anyway. So Sourain in that
sense had success and also had the challenges that came
with that limited success. So, just to recount, he was
elected to the Luksavai in nineteen eighty there's no doubt
about it. Then he represented the JMM from Dunka in
nineteen eighty nine, nineteen ninety one, nineteen ninety six and
two thousand and four, which is pretty much quite a
(09:38):
few terms.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
In nineteen ninety eight and ninety nine.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
However, he lost the parliamentary election that part when we
come to the particular stints at par so to say so,
two thousand and four, the UPA came to par the
Watchhpay government lost part. Doctor Man Mohunseen became Prime minister
that time the election to Jharkhund Assembly had not happened.
It was to happen in two thousand and five. So
initially Shibu Soain became Minister of Coal and Minds.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, and this didn't we understand, lasted about two months
because after that an arrest warrant was issued against him
in the Jarudah case in which ten people, including nine
Muslims were killed and this was a clash between the
tribals and Muslims in the region.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Yeah, so he was served in arrest warrant on the
basis of that and he went to jail and of
course he had to resign as the minister. Now, once
he was released from bail, he was reinducted into the
cabinet right as Coal Minister late in two thousand and four.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
Then in two thousand and four to five.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
What happens is that the assentry elections are held and
JMM in alliance with the Congress wins the election, but
by a way for thin majority. So Soain did become
Chief Minister of Charkhant. He was the third chief minister
after the formation of Jarakhan. The first two were Babolol
Morandi and rajum Munda of the VJP. So Shibusain came
to power, but he could not prove his majority, so
the government lasted only nine days. Then, of course, in
(10:57):
January two thousand and six, he returned to the Uba
cap but then once again legal problems came his way
because there was another pending case, which was the case
of the murder of his former private secretary Shashinacha, and
he was held guilty in that murder by a court.
So once again he had to resign. And the CBI
charge sheet against him said that you know, Jah had
(11:18):
been abducted from Holaku and Deli was taken to Urachi
and there he was murdered nearby. Of course, he was
later cleared of the charges by the High Court and
much later by the Supreme Court. The High Court clearly
did not find the charges of the CBI sustainable. But
in between, of course you know, he had lost par
once again. So legal troubles, coalition challenges, all of these
(11:41):
made shibu so Reign taste par But he never had
a five year term in any particular post that he occupied.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Right, and despite all of this, he came back to
par twice.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, so in two thousand and eight, once against shibu
so Reign became Chief Minister, but again his tenure was
shot because he failed to win the Assembly by election.
So in India, if you are a chief minister, the
two kinds of states in India, very few states have
got two houses of the legislature. One is the Withhn
Sabha and the Withhan Parishion. But this is true only
(12:14):
about the much larger states that a part. In order
to be a Chief Minster from the date when you
were sworn in as Chief Minister, you have to win
an election in the next six months, right for which
an Assembly by election has to be held. The same
does not apply to the Prime Minister in the same
way because the Prime Minister, once he or she becomes
Prime minister, can also come via the Rajasaba within six months.
(12:35):
But in a particular state in which there is no
Vihan parishion, one has to win a by election. Now
she was rein unfortunately lost the by election in January
two thousand and nine. Because of that, the two thousand
and eight stint was cut short. Then in December two
thousand and nine, he took charge at Sharkan CM for
a third time. This time he was in alliance with
the BJP. It was a BJPJMM coalition. But what happened
(12:58):
this time was that the BJP withdrew support within six months,
so he again lost parer. So in the case of
Shibu soraiin beat you know his stints as a Union
minister where some kind of a legal trouble came his
way and he had to resign. Or the case where
you know, he did become chief Minister but either not
with a strong majority and was not able to prove
(13:19):
the majority of his government, or in the case of
what happened in two thousand and nine, the ally itself
pulled the rug under his feet. So because of the
challenge of you know, a tribal population being a minority
even in Sharkhun like twenty six percent. Because of this
and of course, the legal troubles that he had been
facing as an activist for decades, Hibu so Reign, while
(13:43):
extremely popular within his constituency, while being one of the
most iconic leaders of the tribals in Sharkhund, somehow could
not consistently be in power for a long time.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Heiden also, now that Shubu Soraiin is not around, talk
about how that might impact the JMMS identity.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Look, the jmm's identity will remain the same. In fact
al Sorandan Hayman soaen stint in power as Chief Minister
is longer.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
Than his father. Let us give him that right.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
So the JMM as of now is influential in sharkhun
So well, the jmm's identity will remain the same, largely
a tribal party with a strong base in the Santar
Perghana and with Himans soren scene as carrying forward the
legacy of Shibu Sourain. So by and large, the core
of the JMM as of now remains unshaken. But we
(14:31):
have to remember that the man who actually built that
core from scratch was Hibu so Reign. Of course, this
is not to discount the fact that Shibu so Reain
also aligned himself with a particular demand for Sharkhund that
was much older and that had an iconic figure like
Jpa Si Munda as its leader much earlier. But it
cannot be taken away from Shubo soiin that right for
the last forty to forty five years he was the
(14:53):
face of the Jarkuan movement through the formation of Sharkund
also and when it became a full fledged state after
two thousand and he has been able to as of
now transfer his legacy to him on Sourain, his son
and him and Surain right now as chief Minister, and
has got the kind of launch pad where he can
take the legacy of his father forward. With the party
remaining primarily a tribal party off Sharkhunt and with particularly
(15:17):
strong pockets in the Santal Pargana, so that is going
to remain so so I think as for the party,
even after the demise of Shibu so the legacy of
Shibu so reign is continuing.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And lastly, kas for someone who has closely watched his career, what,
according to you, best captures who Shibu Soorain really was, well,
I would say.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
A feastly fighter.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
So Shibu Sourin's life all his life, right from the
time when he kind of, you know, as a young
man took on money lenders in the state to the
time where he led protests and agitations. They were multiple
criminal charges against him. Of course, they were even murder
charges against him, which of course he was not.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Found guilty of any of them.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
But he always had a life that was not an
easy life. He was accused of violence, he was accused
of corruption at one point of time, In fact, when
Narsumara was Prime Minister, the infamous JMM bribery case happened
where it was said that the bribes were offered so
that the GMM does not pull the rug under the
feet of the minority government of Narsima Rao.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
All said and done, let.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Us not forget that he was the son of the soil,
the quin decisions, son of the soil. And the way
he kind of you know, marshalled the tribal identity of
Jharkhund of the Santa Parganav Sharkund over the last I
would say as many as forty to fifty years is
something that makes him the kind of mass leader that
he was.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Next, we turn our attention to Drakhand, where hotels, guesthouses
and homestays in Massouri will now be required to register
their guests on an online portal run by the state's
Tourism department. This move is a part of a set
of nineteen recommendations made by the National Green Tribunal or
the NGITY to help regulate the number of people visiting
(17:07):
the popular hill station. As many of you may know,
Masuri has been drawing a large number of tourists over
the years, especially from cities like Delhi, something that experts
say poses a serious threat to its fragile ecology. It
was these concerns that had prompted the NGITY to issue
its preventative and remedial suggestions in a report in twenty
(17:28):
twenty three. But will simply registering guests on a government
portal actually help control the tourist numbers and is the
state planning to implement the rest of the Tribunal's recommendations.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
To answer these questions, we.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Are joined by the Indian Expresses A Shwarier raj Eshwaria
to begin with talk about since when Masuri has been
seeing this problem.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Of overcrowding and how has it grown over the years.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
So Masuri has been seeing this problem over the years,
especially since the pandemic, and as a number suggest, we've
been seeing lacks of tourists coming in every year, and
going by the last data twenty nineteen data, we find
that at least thirty lack people visited just before the
COVID pandemic, and we're not sure how many have visited
(18:14):
ever since because we've just seen multiple folds of people
coming in ever since or after twenty twenty two. And
also if we look at the numbers estimates since nineteen
fifty eight, the earliest number we have then in nineteen
fifty eight, in a year, one point five visitors had
come into Massuri. So now with Relli the Radun Expressway
(18:35):
coming up, we expect this problem to be compounded and
be much much was another factor that makes this much worse,
this land or being this esthetic town and a lot
of people did to Instagram and social media, and we've
just seen an influx of tourists even to this part
of Masuri which had not earlier garnered as much attention,
(18:56):
So that is also a part of the problem. Now
hi Qts, Grabi, Plankar and Masuri Celand or Janik.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
After watching viral reels on Instagram, then this.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Is the right video for you for.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
A very popular location and Instagram memorial.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Church Joki Yaha Landorka, one of.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
The famous spot photos updates that their view.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
And Shwaria.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
How serious is this issue and what challenges does Massuri
face due to overcrowding.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Yes, so there have been concerns regarding the carrying capacity
of the hill station. And in twenty twenty three, the
National Green Tribunal had taken cognizance of a media report
comparing Masuri with Joshi mart which had faced land subsidence
back then, and it said that Masuri is also awaiting
such an incident to happen because of the influx of
tourists as well as the population pressure in the region.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
And the ng back.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
Then had spoken about had cited a report by the
Lalbadu Shastri National Academy of Administration which had put the
carrying capacity of Masudi from two thousand and one. This
is a study building back to two thousand and one
and they had said that constructions in Masuri further would
be unviable. So even in two thousand and one, studies
had pegged the carrying capacity of Masurdi to have breached.
(20:14):
So it becomes particularly concerning because we have just seen
a larger you know, pressure on natural resources, on the environment,
and further constructions which are flouting the by laws of
Utrakhan government ever since. And they are constructing buildings upon
the slopes which would you know, augmented with natural courses,
it would just increase the risk of landslides in Masudi
(20:36):
and landor. There was a twenty twenty three report which
was commissioned by the NGT. This was by a lot
of experts as well as administrators in Udrakhan government and
they had said that they had estimated an increase in
the number of population in Masuri by twenty three percent
by twenty thirty seven and fifty two percent by twenty
fifty two. So there is an extreme pressure on the
(20:59):
natural resources by the prominent population as well as it
or is coming in.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And you mentioned the NGTA, We know that it had
made some recommendations back in twenty twenty three to protect
the Himalian tourist destination.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Can you tell us what those recommendations were?
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Okay, So in twenty twenty three, the NGT had commissioned
a committee to look into the problem and they were
asked to file a reports to the tribunal so as
to you know, it's not just about the calculation of
the risks and preventive measures, but also about how remedies
can be brought upon this problem. And the committee also
submit to the report the same year and it was
(21:37):
like a nineteen action points and they found that there
must be remedial measures based on sound scientific principles and
practice because of the fragile Himalayan region. And they had
said that proper geological and geotechnical investigations should be done
before any civil structures are built or you know, even
for tunnel and other activities. And they're also as the
(21:58):
Massuri Theradun Development Association to develop a GIS based decision
support system for the use of you know, decision may
cause planners and administrators so that they can put together
the data of Masuri town before they go ahead with projects.
They'd also asked the government to prepare spring shared regionation
and management activities so as to revive these springs local
(22:19):
streams fed by springs. This was in response to the
increasing pressure over the water sources in the town, and
they had promoted rooftop rainwater harvesting system along with these,
but mainly the focus was on the new constructions and
how the damages can be minimized by following a set
of steps.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Yeah, and one of these recommendations was that hotels and
homestays in Massouri will have to register their guests on
a government portal, and that even vehicles coming to Massuri
should be looked at.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Right So the.
Speaker 6 (22:54):
Registration of vehicles, what the committee had said was there
were just one two hundred and forty parking spaces in
Massuri and the vehicles should also be limited to just that.
But what we're seeing right now is just a huge
influx of vehicles driving up from different parts of the country,
from as far as NCR to Massuri, and they're also
(23:16):
taking up a lot of space. If you look at
those stretches from the roads from Massuri to land Or,
you see that a steady line of vehicles would be
spilling onto the places where pedestrians earlier used.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
To walk on.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
So that has also been a concern. So all these
were addressed.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
All these were reported by the committee back in twenty
twenty three and earlier last month. The Tourism department had
also come up with this proposal that they were muddling over,
this proposal of registering vehicles before they drive up to Massudi,
but that has not taken any concrete shape as of now.
Right now we have this registration of tourists who are
going to Massuri for accommodations. So what we will see
(23:54):
is the hotels, guesthouses and homestays registering their guests into
a portal by the Tourism department. This does not necessarily
have to be done by the tourists because they can
just go there and it would be done for them
by the hotel yers.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
But Ashuaria will this particular step actually help bring down
the number of tourists.
Speaker 6 (24:14):
So one of the points or concerns that people have
raised is how it doesn't taken to factor the number
of people coming in as they visitors. And also another
even if someone's checking into an accommodation, it doesn't specifically
limit the people. It's just a baseline estimate because you
go there and then your details are registered, which doesn't
(24:37):
this allow you to come in even if it attains
a huge figure. Even if the town sees a lot
of people it doesn't disallow people from coming in right
and Ashuria, what.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
About the other recommendations by the ngity, have any of
them been implemented yet?
Speaker 6 (24:53):
So on May eighth, the state has submitted an effort
of it which consisted of all the responses or the
action taken update on the nineteen points, and they were
not able to give a reply on the registration system,
which is why they have expedited it. They have started
it and with the rest of the points, the courte
said that they were being implemented and the Court was
(25:13):
convinced about the medial measures and they dismissed the flee
And also one of the things that they had not
given an update for was the registration system and registration
of tourists was way back in twenty twenty three and
it had not been done as of now, which is
why the entity asked for it asked for an action.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Taking report within six months.
Speaker 6 (25:32):
So the rush we see in getting it implemented is
because of the May eighth order.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
And Ashwaria do other tourist destinations in the state also
face this level of overcrowding.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
So Masuri and another hill station, Anatal, are also facing
the same problems. Because the government or the Tourist Department
have not conducted any carrying capacity surveys to ask is
how many people can be held in one particular region
or how many people can go there with out adding
to the pressure to the environmental resources there. But particularly
(26:04):
in one of the meetings by the committee, we see
that a scientists from Vidience Stitute of Humanity Geology had
flanged this and said that geological conditions.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Are very weak in Masuri and Nanital.
Speaker 6 (26:13):
So he's also said that limestone in Masuri is very
weak and had microcracks and construction should be banned there.
But if we look at other regions in Udrakhund, we
also have to factor in the fact that Udrakhan relies
heavily on tourism and religious tourism as well. And in
the Charldam circuit, we have found several concerns being taken
(26:35):
up by environmentalists and activists and it has also gone
up to the NDT and a carrying capacity study has
been commissioned to the Wildlife Institute of India regarding the
assettenment of carrying capacity in the Charthams. But earlier in
twenty twenty three, the state government had announced a cap
on daily visitors to Chartham citing, you know, better control
(26:55):
of crowd control and also understanding or keeping in tune
with the sensitive ecology of the area. So back then
they had said that your Munutri shrine should be just
visited by five five hundred pilgrims a day Congo three
nine thousand, not fifteen thousand and Kedam eighteen thousand. But
this was rolled back pretty soon, even before the commencement
of the Yatra pilgrimag season.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Back then, and in the end we talk about US
President Donald Trump, who yesterday threatened to very substantially raise
tariffs on imports from India within the next twenty four hours,
citing New Deli's continued purchase of Russian oil. In an
interview with the CNBC, Trump called India the highest tariff nation,
(27:41):
claiming that the US does very little business with India
because of its deep import duties. He said that while
a twenty five percent tariff had been set earlier, he
now plans to raise it significantly, accusing India of supporting
Russia's war efforts by continuing to buy its oil. While
he didn't specify the new rate, Trump waned of additional
penalties unless India haults its energy trade with Moscow. He
(28:05):
argued that energy prices play a crucial role, saying that
if oil falls by another ten dollars a barrel, Pothin
would be forced to back down because Cote his economy stinks. India, meanwhile,
has pushed back. The Ministry of External Affairs criticized the
US and the EU for targeting Indian refiners, pointing out
that many of these same countries continue their own trade
(28:27):
with Russia. The Ministry argued that India's oil imports are
a necessity given the global market conditions now. It's worth
noting that despite pressure from the West, India has remained
one of the largest buyers of Russian sea born crude.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
From January to June this year.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
It imported around one point seven million barrels a day,
but recent data from the firm Kepler shows that imports
fell to one point six million barrels per day in July,
which is a twenty four percent drop from June.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Russian oil now makes up just thirty four.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Percent of India's import basket, down from nearly forty five
percent a month earlier. It's also worth noting that National
Security Advisor Ajed Dowal is expected to visit Russia this
week and Foreign Minister s ch Shunker may follow soon,
visits that could further test India's balancing act between Washington
and Moscow.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
You were listening to Three Things by the Indian Express.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Today's episode was edited and mixed by Surish Bawar and
produced by Ichasharma.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And me Niharikananda.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
If you like the show, then do subscribe to us
wherever you get your podcasts. You can also recommend the
show to someone you think we'll like it, share it
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Speaker 2 (29:41):
It's the best way for people to get to know
about us.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
You can also tweet us at Express podcast and write
to us at podcasts at Indianexpress dot com.
In this episode, we look at whether the latest steps
taken in Massuri can actually help tackle the town's overcrowding problem.
We also discuss US President Donald Trump once again threatening
to raise tariffs.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
On Indian imports.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
But we begin today by talking about a political figure
who was a key part of one of India's longest
movements for statehood and who also represented the complex ties
between local activism and national politics. Hi, I am a
Haharrikan Nanda and you are listening to three things the
(00:35):
Indian Express News show. On Monday, Shibusarain, co founder of
the Jharkan Muktimocha or JMM, three time Chief Minister of
Jharkhand and former Union Minister, passed away at the age
of eighty one in New Delhi. His death marks the
end of a political career that, while marked by controversies
(00:58):
and fleeting terms, in part remains deeply intertwined with the
history of the Charkin movement and the broader assertion of
tribal political identity in post independence India. In this segment,
Mike league Ichasharma speaks to the Indian Expresses Vika Spatterk
to reflect on his legacy and the political discourse he
helped shape in the state.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Because when we talk about Shubusurin, he's referred by many
names including theshom Guruji and founding patron among others. So
can you talk about why he occupied such a towering
place in Dharkhan's politics.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
Oh, well, you know what is today's Sharkhund used to
be a part of South Bihar. At one point of
time and for long there was a demand for a
separate tribal province to be carved out from Bihar because
there was a belief among the significant sections of the
tribes of Jharkhund that they constituted a different and autonomous
(01:57):
cultural group and they did not feel comfortable being clubbed
with non tribal populations in the same province. That is
behalf so well, the demand for a separate state of
Jharkhunt is actually even older than independence or around independence time,
because even in the Constituent Assembly they used to be
jpas saying Munda who was a leader of the tribals
(02:18):
of this areat Plateau and belonged to the Munda tribe
and he was a member of the Constituent Assembly.
Speaker 5 (02:25):
He was a public figure. He was also an Olympian
hockey player.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
He had captained the Indian side which won a gold medal,
I think in nineteen thirty six. So he was quite
a significant public figure and he was very vocal about
tribal rights, as in the land rights of tribals, the
cultural rights of tribals, the idea that they constituted a
distinctive culture of their own. Even in terms of the
religious identity. It was believed that the tribals are neither
(02:50):
Hindu nor Christian. That was a significant belief. Of course,
there are tribals who see themselves as Hindu or those
who have converted to Christianity. But then there was also
a significant belief of an autonomous you know, tribal religious
culture also.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
So all these things.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Taken together, the forest rights, the land rights, a distinctive
cultural you know identity, a very distinctive social organization, a
distinctive maybe mode of worship, all these became very prominent,
you know demands, which led to the demand for a
separate tribal province.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Right. So it was Jepal sing Munda who laid the
ideological foundation. So how did Shibu souriins approach build on
that legacy?
Speaker 5 (03:32):
So as I said it was very old.
Speaker 4 (03:34):
Even in the nineteen fifty two elections in South Bihar,
you know, the Adivasi Mahasaba of japassing Munda.
Speaker 5 (03:40):
Did very well. So see, because you know, we.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Are talking about a marginalized and deprived community, so the
community obviously needed leaders who could become a kind of
a rallying point for that demand to be taken up.
So of course jepassing Munda was one. But after that
there was a kind of a lull and later we
see that you know, shibus Reign emerged as such to
kind of you know, fill that void, and which is
(04:03):
why by the time of the say nineteen early nineteen
eighties in all Shibu so Reign had already become a
very very prominent face. And going by his own background
also Shibu soraain right from the beginning. He was born
in nineteen forty four, and you know he started the
Santal New York sung at the age of eighteen. And
(04:23):
the Santal as such as also a particular tribal community
just like the Mundhaza again found in the state of
Eastern India, and the early public life of Shibu so
Reign was centered around you know, his struggles against money
lenders because they used to be a major demand among tribals.
That you know, money lenders are the ones who charge
exorbitant interest rates and therefore they are a danger to
(04:47):
the tribals and their you know, economy, their lives. In fact,
his father also had been killed when he was in school.
And his father was killed at the behest of it
is said, money lenders, and that was a cause that
she Usain took up as a young man, and soon
after that generally he aligned himself with that politics of
a distinctive tribal identity. So non tribals were called dekuz
(05:10):
dik us within the tribal parlance. And this is a
sentiment that shibus Reign as he became a public figure,
latched on two and around nineteen seventy two, the Jharkhan
Muktimurja was founded and the following year, in nineteen seventy three,
shibus so Reign became the general secretary of the Jharkhan Muktimurja.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
So by this time.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
He had you know, started being recognized by the tribals
as an emerging leader of sorts, and he was known
for his protests He was known for his distinctive you know,
appearance which lasted till his life.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
That is long hair, you know, weird a mustache.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
So he was in the forefront of protests and therefore
he filled that void that was created for some decades
and became the prime Adivasi leader of the Jarkuan movement
and mcas.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
When we speak about the Charkhan Statehood movement, the Gua
firing of nineteen eighty was considered a turning point. So
can you talk about what happened during it and also
how that incident fueled the movement.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, so since there were protests you know by tribals
which used to happen on and off, and Shibu Soren
also used to organize them.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
Like you know, they said.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
That the paddy that is cultivated by the Adivasis god
and goot storn by the outsiders or decus. And they
also claimed forest rights. So they began protesting for these
things including you know, claiming the forest so to say,
invading the forest as to say. And those kinds of
protests led to you know, some kind of state action.
So in September nineteen eighty, there was police firing in Kua,
(06:42):
which is in the Pashime sing Boom district now and
in which fifteen tribals were killed. So these kinds of
incidents actually further fueled the movement rather than suppressing it,
and the movement acquired a life of zwon. So the
Darker Movement is a very old movement. It came to
fruition around the year two thous than when Jhakan as
a state was carved.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
Out of Bihar. But the movement had been there for long.
Speaker 4 (07:05):
And among the leaders of the movement, of course, after
JP's in Munda, the biggest single figure that I can
think of happens to be Shibu Surain.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Right, and even though Surain was elected to the Loksoba
multiple times and served as the Chief minister three times,
none of those stints lasted very long. So why was that?
Speaker 5 (07:25):
See?
Speaker 4 (07:25):
So, of course there was a demand for a tribal
province of Jharkhan, just like there was a demand for
a tribal province of such discut. But the point is,
you know, once a state is carved out, of course
any party of movement leading the state or demanding the state,
it is bound to become more powerful. So obviously the
JMM will be more powerful in Sharkhan then it was
in unified Behar.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
But then the other thing is that the.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
JAMM was clearly a movement aimed at a tribal state,
so it did not have the sympathies of non tribal
populations the way it had the sympathies of tribal populations.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Now, even when Jharkhan was carved.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Out, if you look at the census data two thousand
and one twenty eleven, the tribal population in Sharkhund was
only twenty six percent. So now you get my point
that twenty six percent tribles means that seventy four percent
of the population of the state of Jharkhun was non tribal.
So while the GMM became a powerful party, the JMM
on the basis of tribal votes alone and that too
(08:21):
largely concentrated to a great extent in the Santa Pergana
could never have come to par.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
In the state on its own.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
So obviously the next way you come to par Is
to strike alliances.
Speaker 5 (08:32):
That is a model that that applies universally.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
So the GMEN was throughout its career in the times
of Shibu soraiin an ally of the UPA for quite
some time of the Congress that is Congress and allied parties,
and for a small period of time it was also
an ally of the NBA, that is the BJP late alliance.
So well, once you have an alliance, what happens is
that it all depends on how the election result is.
(08:56):
If there's a sweep, if your alliance sweeps. For instance,
this time you must be remembering twenty twenty four elections
in Jharkhann Assembly elections, the JMM Congress alliance has kind
of swept. It has got a very clear majority. So
given the circumstances him on, Soorain is much more secure
in power. But what happened in many of these elections
was that they were keenly contested elections, so the majority
(09:17):
was not a big majority anyway. So Sourain in that
sense had success and also had the challenges that came
with that limited success. So, just to recount, he was
elected to the Luksavai in nineteen eighty there's no doubt
about it. Then he represented the JMM from Dunka in
nineteen eighty nine, nineteen ninety one, nineteen ninety six and
two thousand and four, which is pretty much quite a
(09:38):
few terms.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
In nineteen ninety eight and ninety nine.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
However, he lost the parliamentary election that part when we
come to the particular stints at par so to say so,
two thousand and four, the UPA came to par the
Watchhpay government lost part. Doctor Man Mohunseen became Prime minister
that time the election to Jharkhund Assembly had not happened.
It was to happen in two thousand and five. So
initially Shibu Soain became Minister of Coal and Minds.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, and this didn't we understand, lasted about two months
because after that an arrest warrant was issued against him
in the Jarudah case in which ten people, including nine
Muslims were killed and this was a clash between the
tribals and Muslims in the region.
Speaker 4 (10:19):
Yeah, so he was served in arrest warrant on the
basis of that and he went to jail and of
course he had to resign as the minister. Now, once
he was released from bail, he was reinducted into the
cabinet right as Coal Minister late in two thousand and four.
Speaker 5 (10:33):
Then in two thousand and four to five.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
What happens is that the assentry elections are held and
JMM in alliance with the Congress wins the election, but
by a way for thin majority. So Soain did become
Chief Minister of Charkhant. He was the third chief minister
after the formation of Jarakhan. The first two were Babolol
Morandi and rajum Munda of the VJP. So Shibusain came
to power, but he could not prove his majority, so
the government lasted only nine days. Then, of course, in
(10:57):
January two thousand and six, he returned to the Uba
cap but then once again legal problems came his way
because there was another pending case, which was the case
of the murder of his former private secretary Shashinacha, and
he was held guilty in that murder by a court.
So once again he had to resign. And the CBI
charge sheet against him said that you know, Jah had
(11:18):
been abducted from Holaku and Deli was taken to Urachi
and there he was murdered nearby. Of course, he was
later cleared of the charges by the High Court and
much later by the Supreme Court. The High Court clearly
did not find the charges of the CBI sustainable. But
in between, of course you know, he had lost par
once again. So legal troubles, coalition challenges, all of these
(11:41):
made shibu so Reign taste par But he never had
a five year term in any particular post that he occupied.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Right, and despite all of this, he came back to
par twice.
Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, so in two thousand and eight, once against shibu
so Reign became Chief Minister, but again his tenure was
shot because he failed to win the Assembly by election.
So in India, if you are a chief minister, the
two kinds of states in India, very few states have
got two houses of the legislature. One is the Withhn
Sabha and the Withhan Parishion. But this is true only
(12:14):
about the much larger states that a part. In order
to be a Chief Minster from the date when you
were sworn in as Chief Minister, you have to win
an election in the next six months, right for which
an Assembly by election has to be held. The same
does not apply to the Prime Minister in the same
way because the Prime Minister, once he or she becomes
Prime minister, can also come via the Rajasaba within six months.
(12:35):
But in a particular state in which there is no
Vihan parishion, one has to win a by election. Now
she was rein unfortunately lost the by election in January
two thousand and nine. Because of that, the two thousand
and eight stint was cut short. Then in December two
thousand and nine, he took charge at Sharkan CM for
a third time. This time he was in alliance with
the BJP. It was a BJPJMM coalition. But what happened
(12:58):
this time was that the BJP withdrew support within six months,
so he again lost parer. So in the case of
Shibu soraiin beat you know his stints as a Union
minister where some kind of a legal trouble came his
way and he had to resign. Or the case where
you know, he did become chief Minister but either not
with a strong majority and was not able to prove
(13:19):
the majority of his government, or in the case of
what happened in two thousand and nine, the ally itself
pulled the rug under his feet. So because of the
challenge of you know, a tribal population being a minority
even in Sharkhun like twenty six percent. Because of this
and of course, the legal troubles that he had been
facing as an activist for decades, Hibu so Reign, while
(13:43):
extremely popular within his constituency, while being one of the
most iconic leaders of the tribals in Sharkhund, somehow could
not consistently be in power for a long time.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Heiden also, now that Shubu Soraiin is not around, talk
about how that might impact the JMMS identity.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Look, the jmm's identity will remain the same. In fact
al Sorandan Hayman soaen stint in power as Chief Minister
is longer.
Speaker 5 (14:08):
Than his father. Let us give him that right.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
So the JMM as of now is influential in sharkhun
So well, the jmm's identity will remain the same, largely
a tribal party with a strong base in the Santar
Perghana and with Himans soren scene as carrying forward the
legacy of Shibu Sourain. So by and large, the core
of the JMM as of now remains unshaken. But we
(14:31):
have to remember that the man who actually built that
core from scratch was Hibu so Reign. Of course, this
is not to discount the fact that Shibu so Reain
also aligned himself with a particular demand for Sharkhund that
was much older and that had an iconic figure like
Jpa Si Munda as its leader much earlier. But it
cannot be taken away from Shubo soiin that right for
the last forty to forty five years he was the
(14:53):
face of the Jarkuan movement through the formation of Sharkund
also and when it became a full fledged state after
two thousand and he has been able to as of
now transfer his legacy to him on Sourain, his son
and him and Surain right now as chief Minister, and
has got the kind of launch pad where he can
take the legacy of his father forward. With the party
remaining primarily a tribal party off Sharkhunt and with particularly
(15:17):
strong pockets in the Santal Pargana, so that is going
to remain so so I think as for the party,
even after the demise of Shibu so the legacy of
Shibu so reign is continuing.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
And lastly, kas for someone who has closely watched his career, what,
according to you, best captures who Shibu Soorain really was, well,
I would say.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
A feastly fighter.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
So Shibu Sourin's life all his life, right from the
time when he kind of, you know, as a young
man took on money lenders in the state to the
time where he led protests and agitations. They were multiple
criminal charges against him. Of course, they were even murder
charges against him, which of course he was not.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Found guilty of any of them.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
But he always had a life that was not an
easy life. He was accused of violence, he was accused
of corruption at one point of time, In fact, when
Narsumara was Prime Minister, the infamous JMM bribery case happened
where it was said that the bribes were offered so
that the GMM does not pull the rug under the
feet of the minority government of Narsima Rao.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
All said and done, let.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Us not forget that he was the son of the soil,
the quin decisions, son of the soil. And the way
he kind of you know, marshalled the tribal identity of
Jharkhund of the Santa Parganav Sharkund over the last I
would say as many as forty to fifty years is
something that makes him the kind of mass leader that
he was.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
Next, we turn our attention to Drakhand, where hotels, guesthouses
and homestays in Massouri will now be required to register
their guests on an online portal run by the state's
Tourism department. This move is a part of a set
of nineteen recommendations made by the National Green Tribunal or
the NGITY to help regulate the number of people visiting
(17:07):
the popular hill station. As many of you may know,
Masuri has been drawing a large number of tourists over
the years, especially from cities like Delhi, something that experts
say poses a serious threat to its fragile ecology. It
was these concerns that had prompted the NGITY to issue
its preventative and remedial suggestions in a report in twenty
(17:28):
twenty three. But will simply registering guests on a government
portal actually help control the tourist numbers and is the
state planning to implement the rest of the Tribunal's recommendations.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
To answer these questions, we.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Are joined by the Indian Expresses A Shwarier raj Eshwaria
to begin with talk about since when Masuri has been
seeing this problem.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Of overcrowding and how has it grown over the years.
Speaker 6 (17:54):
So Masuri has been seeing this problem over the years,
especially since the pandemic, and as a number suggest, we've
been seeing lacks of tourists coming in every year, and
going by the last data twenty nineteen data, we find
that at least thirty lack people visited just before the
COVID pandemic, and we're not sure how many have visited
(18:14):
ever since because we've just seen multiple folds of people
coming in ever since or after twenty twenty two. And
also if we look at the numbers estimates since nineteen
fifty eight, the earliest number we have then in nineteen
fifty eight, in a year, one point five visitors had
come into Massuri. So now with Relli the Radun Expressway
(18:35):
coming up, we expect this problem to be compounded and
be much much was another factor that makes this much worse,
this land or being this esthetic town and a lot
of people did to Instagram and social media, and we've
just seen an influx of tourists even to this part
of Masuri which had not earlier garnered as much attention,
(18:56):
So that is also a part of the problem. Now
hi Qts, Grabi, Plankar and Masuri Celand or Janik.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
After watching viral reels on Instagram, then this.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Is the right video for you for.
Speaker 6 (19:05):
A very popular location and Instagram memorial.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Church Joki Yaha Landorka, one of.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
The famous spot photos updates that their view.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
And Shwaria.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
How serious is this issue and what challenges does Massuri
face due to overcrowding.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Yes, so there have been concerns regarding the carrying capacity
of the hill station. And in twenty twenty three, the
National Green Tribunal had taken cognizance of a media report
comparing Masuri with Joshi mart which had faced land subsidence
back then, and it said that Masuri is also awaiting
such an incident to happen because of the influx of
tourists as well as the population pressure in the region.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
And the ng back.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
Then had spoken about had cited a report by the
Lalbadu Shastri National Academy of Administration which had put the
carrying capacity of Masudi from two thousand and one. This
is a study building back to two thousand and one
and they had said that constructions in Masuri further would
be unviable. So even in two thousand and one, studies
had pegged the carrying capacity of Masurdi to have breached.
(20:14):
So it becomes particularly concerning because we have just seen
a larger you know, pressure on natural resources, on the environment,
and further constructions which are flouting the by laws of
Utrakhan government ever since. And they are constructing buildings upon
the slopes which would you know, augmented with natural courses,
it would just increase the risk of landslides in Masudi
(20:36):
and landor. There was a twenty twenty three report which
was commissioned by the NGT. This was by a lot
of experts as well as administrators in Udrakhan government and
they had said that they had estimated an increase in
the number of population in Masuri by twenty three percent
by twenty thirty seven and fifty two percent by twenty
fifty two. So there is an extreme pressure on the
(20:59):
natural resources by the prominent population as well as it
or is coming in.
Speaker 1 (21:03):
And you mentioned the NGTA, We know that it had
made some recommendations back in twenty twenty three to protect
the Himalian tourist destination.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
Can you tell us what those recommendations were?
Speaker 6 (21:15):
Okay, So in twenty twenty three, the NGT had commissioned
a committee to look into the problem and they were
asked to file a reports to the tribunal so as
to you know, it's not just about the calculation of
the risks and preventive measures, but also about how remedies
can be brought upon this problem. And the committee also
submit to the report the same year and it was
(21:37):
like a nineteen action points and they found that there
must be remedial measures based on sound scientific principles and
practice because of the fragile Himalayan region. And they had
said that proper geological and geotechnical investigations should be done
before any civil structures are built or you know, even
for tunnel and other activities. And they're also as the
(21:58):
Massuri Theradun Development Association to develop a GIS based decision
support system for the use of you know, decision may
cause planners and administrators so that they can put together
the data of Masuri town before they go ahead with projects.
They'd also asked the government to prepare spring shared regionation
and management activities so as to revive these springs local
(22:19):
streams fed by springs. This was in response to the
increasing pressure over the water sources in the town, and
they had promoted rooftop rainwater harvesting system along with these,
but mainly the focus was on the new constructions and
how the damages can be minimized by following a set
of steps.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Yeah, and one of these recommendations was that hotels and
homestays in Massouri will have to register their guests on
a government portal, and that even vehicles coming to Massuri
should be looked at.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Right So the.
Speaker 6 (22:54):
Registration of vehicles, what the committee had said was there
were just one two hundred and forty parking spaces in
Massuri and the vehicles should also be limited to just that.
But what we're seeing right now is just a huge
influx of vehicles driving up from different parts of the country,
from as far as NCR to Massuri, and they're also
(23:16):
taking up a lot of space. If you look at
those stretches from the roads from Massuri to land Or,
you see that a steady line of vehicles would be
spilling onto the places where pedestrians earlier used.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
To walk on.
Speaker 3 (23:27):
So that has also been a concern. So all these
were addressed.
Speaker 6 (23:31):
All these were reported by the committee back in twenty
twenty three and earlier last month. The Tourism department had
also come up with this proposal that they were muddling over,
this proposal of registering vehicles before they drive up to Massudi,
but that has not taken any concrete shape as of now.
Right now we have this registration of tourists who are
going to Massuri for accommodations. So what we will see
(23:54):
is the hotels, guesthouses and homestays registering their guests into
a portal by the Tourism department. This does not necessarily
have to be done by the tourists because they can
just go there and it would be done for them
by the hotel yers.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
But Ashuaria will this particular step actually help bring down
the number of tourists.
Speaker 6 (24:14):
So one of the points or concerns that people have
raised is how it doesn't taken to factor the number
of people coming in as they visitors. And also another
even if someone's checking into an accommodation, it doesn't specifically
limit the people. It's just a baseline estimate because you
go there and then your details are registered, which doesn't
(24:37):
this allow you to come in even if it attains
a huge figure. Even if the town sees a lot
of people it doesn't disallow people from coming in right
and Ashuria, what.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
About the other recommendations by the ngity, have any of
them been implemented yet?
Speaker 6 (24:53):
So on May eighth, the state has submitted an effort
of it which consisted of all the responses or the
action taken update on the nineteen points, and they were
not able to give a reply on the registration system,
which is why they have expedited it. They have started
it and with the rest of the points, the courte
said that they were being implemented and the Court was
(25:13):
convinced about the medial measures and they dismissed the flee
And also one of the things that they had not
given an update for was the registration system and registration
of tourists was way back in twenty twenty three and
it had not been done as of now, which is
why the entity asked for it asked for an action.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
Taking report within six months.
Speaker 6 (25:32):
So the rush we see in getting it implemented is
because of the May eighth order.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
And Ashwaria do other tourist destinations in the state also
face this level of overcrowding.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
So Masuri and another hill station, Anatal, are also facing
the same problems. Because the government or the Tourist Department
have not conducted any carrying capacity surveys to ask is
how many people can be held in one particular region
or how many people can go there with out adding
to the pressure to the environmental resources there. But particularly
(26:04):
in one of the meetings by the committee, we see
that a scientists from Vidience Stitute of Humanity Geology had
flanged this and said that geological conditions.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Are very weak in Masuri and Nanital.
Speaker 6 (26:13):
So he's also said that limestone in Masuri is very
weak and had microcracks and construction should be banned there.
But if we look at other regions in Udrakhund, we
also have to factor in the fact that Udrakhan relies
heavily on tourism and religious tourism as well. And in
the Charldam circuit, we have found several concerns being taken
(26:35):
up by environmentalists and activists and it has also gone
up to the NDT and a carrying capacity study has
been commissioned to the Wildlife Institute of India regarding the
assettenment of carrying capacity in the Charthams. But earlier in
twenty twenty three, the state government had announced a cap
on daily visitors to Chartham citing, you know, better control
(26:55):
of crowd control and also understanding or keeping in tune
with the sensitive ecology of the area. So back then
they had said that your Munutri shrine should be just
visited by five five hundred pilgrims a day Congo three
nine thousand, not fifteen thousand and Kedam eighteen thousand. But
this was rolled back pretty soon, even before the commencement
of the Yatra pilgrimag season.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
Back then, and in the end we talk about US
President Donald Trump, who yesterday threatened to very substantially raise
tariffs on imports from India within the next twenty four hours,
citing New Deli's continued purchase of Russian oil. In an
interview with the CNBC, Trump called India the highest tariff nation,
(27:41):
claiming that the US does very little business with India
because of its deep import duties. He said that while
a twenty five percent tariff had been set earlier, he
now plans to raise it significantly, accusing India of supporting
Russia's war efforts by continuing to buy its oil. While
he didn't specify the new rate, Trump waned of additional
penalties unless India haults its energy trade with Moscow. He
(28:05):
argued that energy prices play a crucial role, saying that
if oil falls by another ten dollars a barrel, Pothin
would be forced to back down because Cote his economy stinks. India, meanwhile,
has pushed back. The Ministry of External Affairs criticized the
US and the EU for targeting Indian refiners, pointing out
that many of these same countries continue their own trade
(28:27):
with Russia. The Ministry argued that India's oil imports are
a necessity given the global market conditions now. It's worth
noting that despite pressure from the West, India has remained
one of the largest buyers of Russian sea born crude.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
From January to June this year.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
It imported around one point seven million barrels a day,
but recent data from the firm Kepler shows that imports
fell to one point six million barrels per day in July,
which is a twenty four percent drop from June.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Russian oil now makes up just thirty four.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Percent of India's import basket, down from nearly forty five
percent a month earlier. It's also worth noting that National
Security Advisor Ajed Dowal is expected to visit Russia this
week and Foreign Minister s ch Shunker may follow soon,
visits that could further test India's balancing act between Washington
and Moscow.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
You were listening to Three Things by the Indian Express.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Today's episode was edited and mixed by Surish Bawar and
produced by Ichasharma.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
And me Niharikananda.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
If you like the show, then do subscribe to us
wherever you get your podcasts. You can also recommend the
show to someone you think we'll like it, share it
with a friend or someone in your family.
Speaker 2 (29:41):
It's the best way for people to get to know
about us.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
You can also tweet us at Express podcast and write
to us at podcasts at Indianexpress dot com.
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