Dt. 6/4/2012
Gandhinagar
This is the occasion of inaugurating the new building of GPCB and they have themselves established an example by taking care of maximum utilization of solar energy, initiatives in water conservation and I once again congratulate all the people behind this work.
With the passage of time, may be due to the implementation of laws or due to an atmosphere built up in the whole world, now there is no laxity in environmental awareness. All are aware about the good and bad, everybody knows what should be done and what should not to be done. But there is something that creates barriers in our work. Even in our personal life also we experience that the one who is conscious about preventive health care, restraining self control by following rules and regulations, wake-up early in the morning, regularly practicing Yoga, living a systematic life, neither needs any doctor nor medicine leads a smooth life. In the same way, before starting a new industry, if preemptive care is taken, then no problems are faced in his industrial life. But once a wall is constructed and later on if someone points out that there must be a window here, then it becomes difficult to fit a window there and then successive problems start occurring. Then sometimes there are some people who don’t take much precaution about preventive health care, but once any disease is detected, they get very conscious about that. If a person gets even subtle effect of any disease, he consults all the doctors and tries to get rid of the disease and hence gets well soon, that too with limited expenses. Let us consider that when we had made this, the technology might be old or some pollution problems might have emerged afterwards… but the moment when the disease is detected, if we nip it in the bud and try to improve it, even then we are saved from larger dangers. But there are some people who take such things for granted that it must be just a doubt, or just normal cold, or normal headache, it’s very natural with the body..! And this negligence gradually traps him in some critical disease and ultimately the whole family gets ruined. Then he looks for the best doctors, and though has to lead his remaining life at the faith of doctors and injections, etc. Similarly, in industry also, those who remained careless, inattentive, violated rules in the beginning and at last when it befalls, they try to find out ways and manipulate things. Even if we look at our own life, we can understand that what should be done and what should not be done in the industry. And Friends, one thing is certain that we have no right to destroy other’s happiness for our own benefit. You have to accept it and until this becomes a conviction in life, we feel burden of all these matters. But once it becomes the conviction, the same things become pleasurable in life. Today wherever we go, if someone has made even a small ‘Green Building’ then, first of all he acquaints that Sir, this is our ‘Green Building’! If it’s an industry having problem of pollution, in natural course, if the production process is such that something of such type is disposed, so immediately he states that see, we have grown these many trees, we have done this, and so on. That means, he knows that he has to do all these things to mitigate it and also make sincere efforts for that. But how to develop this tendency as an inherent nature..!
Once I had a discussion with our Prime Minister on a small matter. We two-three Chief Ministers were sitting around and while talking this topic aroused. I said Sir, under the JNNURM scheme, launched by the Government of India, in which Gandhinagar is not included, though it has included all the other capital cities of our country. I said that these flyovers and metro trains and all these that you do is really good, rather it is a must, modern infrastructure but why can’t the Indian Government cover 500 cities of the country and implement solid Waste Management and Waste Water Treatment under JNNURM Part-2 and focus on it? Then I explained everything in detail, just while talking, I had not taken any project report with me. I said that let us conduct Waste Water Treatment in 500 cities and provide that water to the nearby villages, by Solid Waste Management, make manure out of it and provide it to the nearby farmers in the cities and specially to those farmers that make plantation of green vegetables, so that surplus and hygienic vegetables can be grown and supplied to the cities, and even poor families could afford it and that could serve to improve their health. And the organic fertilizer that is produced, rules can be framed for the same like this many sacks of urea will be given against this many sacks of organic fertilizer. In this way, urea can be saved and by saving urea, subsidy can be saved and this saved subsidy can be given in form of viability gap funding and this way the whole project can be executed self sufficiently. The Prime Minister was listening quietly, something that he has by now excelled in! Then he told me that Modiji, do one favour, you send me detailed notes of the same. So by keeping Jamnagar in mind, I prepared a systematic report with the help of professionals and sent it. Then he asked me to explain it to the Planning Commission. So I gave a presentation before the Planning Commission, in which he specially sent Sam Pitroda for its follow up. For last two years, these our dialogues are going on but nothing has done so far. I was expecting something in the budget of this year, but nothing took place in it also. Then I thought that we must not wait any more. So, Gujarat thought to take 50 cities of Gujarat as Pilot Project and to implement Waste Water Treatment and Solid Waste Management in such a way that the cities may remain clean and pollution free. You may just imagine, Ahmedabad was considered as one of the most polluted city in the whole world. Since Narmada water has been merged in the Sabarmati River and CNG has been installed in Auto-Rickshaws, the water and air have been purified and today, in context of air pollution, Ahmedabad is one of the best places in the world. So, things could be changed, if some positive and proactive steps are taken then many large changes are made possible.
During the times when this Pollution Control Board was formed, in 1974, the situation must be so worst that made the word ‘Control’ essential. It could not be impossible to go beyond that at that time. Control Board! Now the time has changed, now ‘Pollution Free Board’ has to be established. We will have to come out of ‘Control’ for the complete Pollution Free Society! And whatever good things that we are enjoying today, like pure drinking water or clean air that we have in our fate, the credit for the same goes to our ancestors, since they have left something for us so we are enjoying it. It is our responsibility that we too should leave something better than this to our children, a better country, society and land! And inheritance, People bequeath at last, the testament, like I am willing to give a bungalow to my son after my death etc., along with that now we will have to add that I am leaving this much for pure water, I am leaving this much for clean air. Now new rules will have to be enforced for writing a Will!
Ladies & Gentlemen, the world is changing and if we think about the future then one thing is sure that in the 21st century, the entire formation of development will be mainly based on three pillars. The importance of these three pillars is going to enhance. Among them, the impact of one of these is realised by the world today, and that is IT - Information Technology. The other one that is being pervaded by its increasing effect is BT - Bio Technology. It is Genetic Science; entirely new science is taking its place in our social life. And similarly the third sector, the third pillar that is inevitable, is ET - Environmental Technology. IT, BT and ET are the three pillars on which entire framework will be structured. And when this department is working with one of its important part, Environmental Technology, this department tries to work as a facilitator, we have no interest in working forcefully. We should be concerned about the coming generation in a friendly manner and should move forward in that direction. I wish that instead of getting destroyed after arousal of a disease, it is better to think sensibly and by being proactive, if we move towards holistic health care and work in the direction to suppress the arousal of any new disease, then only the new generation will live with the feeling that we have bestowed something beneficial for them. So, we have to do this for the upcoming new generation. We have to combine our pleasure with new generation. And no parents will ever wish that their children live in dirt and filth, none of the parents will wish so.! And we should have this feeling that the life of the future generation is more important than money. I expect to increase its importance. I wish that more and more excellent works are done in this new building!
