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Saturday - June 07, 2025
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11:39 AM
Saturday - June 07, 2025
Weather: 26°C
REGD.-HP-09-0015257
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Crowd Tsunami, Garbage Avalanche: Time to Slap a Green Tax on IPL, Rallies, and Mass Congregations in India's Fragile Hills and Cities
SHIMLA/CHANDIGARH: June 7, 2025
When 24 young lives were crushed to death in a stampede at Bengaluru during the IPL trophy rally of Virat Kohli-led RCB, the nation gasped—for a moment.
But in a country used to shrugging off accountability, the question remains: Why do we let mass gatherings become mass graves, and garbage dumps?
How long we will continue to treat Cricket a Sacred Cow?
It’s time Parliament steps in and says enough.
We need a Green Tax Law—a direct legislative hit on every mega event that profits at the cost of public safety and environmental sanity.
That includes IPL, BCCI matches, political roadshows, religious melas, and tourism festivals—especially in fragile ecosystems like the Himalayas.
Crores in the Kitty, Nothing for Nature
IPL 2023 alone saw brand value shoot past ₹92,500 crore. BCCI earned over ₹6,600 crore.
Let’s not forget what IPL has become today—a money-glorifying carnival.
See the price Tag a player carries and IPL Team owners pay to buy them in action.
Every bat swing, every stump, every podium where players speak—it all screams one word: money.
Look at the banners, LED hoardings, and ads held by fans, broadcast across stadium screens, TV, YouTube, mobile apps—it’s a tsunami of commercials.
The fans, players and team owners, IPL and BCCI seemed to sold their souls to money.
Small wonder why of the likes of Nita Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta, Jayant Shah Shettis, and many more have jumped to the IPL bandwagon and BCCI.
And not one banner urges fans to protect the environment or keep the country clean.
Nothing about plastic pollution, nothing about climate crisis. It’s money, money, money—on ground, in air, on screens, and in the shady underworld of satta bazaars and gaming dens backing it.
Shocking that we place so much faith in these cricketing icons, but none of them speak a word about the environmental devastation trailing their tournaments.
What did the rivers, the skies, the hills, or municipal bodies get from it? Zilch.
“Cricket may be religion here, but it’s also a pollutant,” says Maj Gen Atul Kaushik (Retd), whose NGO has been running cleaning expedions to Choorhdhar, Renuka Ji post religious Yatra and festivals.
It’s time BCCI and IPL paid environmental reparations. Let’s call it what it is—a green tax for crowd-induced pollution.
Look West: Europe’s Model of Responsible Entertainment
India doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel. Europe already taxes sports and tourism events with green logic:
UEFA and Bundesliga matches follow “Green Stadium Guidelines”. Stadiums are mandated to use renewable energy, zero single-use plastic, public transport tie-ups, and carbon offset programs.
Germany and France levy environmental taxes on clubs using large public venues, especially when hosting international events like Euro Cup.
The EU Green Deal encourages taxation of polluting sectors—including sports and tourism—under its “Polluter Pays Principle.”
Switzerland, during large ski and winter sports events, charges a per-visitor eco-fee which funds local waste and transport management.
Austria’s EcoEvent model makes it mandatory for organizers to submit environmental management plans before approvals.
Why can’t India follow?
Mountains Are Not Stadiums
Recent religious gatherings in Solan and Renuka Ji saw thousands flooding narrow mountain roads, choking highways, jamming exits, and leaving behind a trail of plastic, diesel smoke, and noise.
A six-hour-long jam on the Shimla-Chandigarh highway left locals and patients stranded.
The Shimla Summer Festival turned the Ridge—already fragile—into a DJ soundbox, while Kullu Dussehra is now a test of mountain patience, not just a festival.
Tourists generate 5 kg waste per head in just 4-5 days. Multiply that by 5 crore tourists and you get a disaster of Himalayan proportions.
Meanwhile, rivers like the Beas, Satluj, Ravi and Chenab are reduced to drainpipes near towns.
Who Will Clean This Up?
Let’s talk governance:
Municipal bodies play dead, wailing for funds but doing nothing.
State and Central Pollution Boards speak only the language of political convenience.
NGT is in deep slumber. No suo motu on stadium crowd emissions or IPL noise-pollution yet.
Perhaps they’re too busy watching matches in air-conditioned living rooms?
Election Commission issues cosmetic poll-time eco-notices but doesn’t have any enforceable environmental policy on rallies.
Supreme Court and High Courts? They’re more interested in cracking the whip on small-time farmers, hawkers, and shed owners in the name of encroachment than tackling the mountains of plastic, untreated sewage, and carbon storms generated by cricket, crowds and campaigns.
“So-called environmental activism is now largely obsessed with removing struggling hill folk—while letting billion-rupee matches and melas go unchecked. It’s selective blindness,” Kaushik adds.
This Is Climate Crisis. Not Festival Season.
With temperatures spiking, air choking and rivers foaming, the writing is on the wall: Mass congregations = Climate Change Accelerants.
These super-spreader events of pollution must be taxed.
We’re not saying cancel festivals or stop spiritual yatras. We’re saying: fix a carrying capacity. Tax the violators.
Let them pay the cost of climate damage. Tourism, political parties, and sports bodies must be liable for the carbon, trash, sewage, and noise they bring to fragile ecosystems.
What Should the Green Tax Law Include?
A per-match, per-event green tax on IPL, BCCI, political and religious bodies
Event-specific Environmental Management Plan (EMP) to be submitted
State-wise crowd capacity limits in hills
Mandatory trash and sewage audit reports post-event
Funds to go directly to local bodies for waste, recycling and water management
Strict penalties for exceeding ecological carrying capacity
Carbon emission tracking and offset payments for large events
Let us reclaim the mountains, not bury them under trash and carbon.
Let us make polluters pay, not let them drape their destruction in flags, bhajans or brand logos.
Enough tokenism. This is a call for climate justice.
#GreenTaxNow #IPLvsEnvironment #TrashTourismTruth #HillsCantBreathe #MakePollutersPay
New Delhi/Ottawa – In a dramatic diplomatic turnaround, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been officially invited to attend the G7 Summit in Canada, scheduled for June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta.
The invitation came directly from Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney, according to an official readout released by the Prime Minister’s Office of Canada (pm.gc.ca).
Carney personally called Modi and extended the invitation, underlining India's growing role in shaping global discussions on energy, artificial intelligence, and clean tech.
Modi accepted the invite, calling it an opportunity to engage with like-minded democracies on pressing global issues.
This visit is being widely seen as a strategic snub to the pro-Khalistani lobby that had flourished during the tenure of former PM Justin Trudeau. Bilateral ties had plunged under Trudeau’s leadership, especially after Canada accused India of involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar—a designated terrorist under Indian law—on Canadian soil.
The invitation has sparked protests from Sikh separatist outfits like the World Sikh Organization, who called Modi’s presence during the anniversary of Nijjar’s death “insensitive” reported The Guardian.
However, geopolitical observers see it as a calculated reset of strained relations, signaling that Carney’s administration is distancing itself from Trudeau’s hostile approach to New Delhi.
Indian and Foreign Media outlets lnoted that this move reflects Ottawa’s effort to prioritize pragmatic diplomacy over identity-based domestic politics.
Even Canadian business lobbies have been pushing for restoring trade and tech collaboration with India.
The decision is being viewed in India as a setback for the Khalistan narrative and a diplomatic victory for New Delhi on the international stage.
#G7Canada2025 #ModiInG7 #IndiaCanadaReset #KhalistanBlowback
When Mock Drills Get Mocked by Reality: HP’s Mega Earthquake Drill Raises Eyebrows Amid Past Disasters, as we never learn the lessons.
Shimla | June 6, 2025
Once again, Himachal Pradesh went into drill mode on June 6, 2025, conducting its 9th State-Wide Mega Mock Exercise on earthquake preparedness.
With 109 simulation sites across the hill state, the event looked like a war-game on paper — featuring everything from glacial lake bursts, landslides, dam breaches, and building collapses to oil spills and hospital emergencies.
But here’s the real question — will we ever be ready when the real thing hits?
Despite the state's show of strength and coordination involving the NDRF, ITBP, Indian Army, SDRF, Home Guards, Fire Services, and other response units, history has repeatedly shown that disaster often strikes harder than our preparedness can withstand.
Or they strike and catch every body Napping and expose all our hypocrisy and claims
Take the 1905 Kangra earthquake — one of India’s deadliest — which killed over 20,000 people. Understood. We were then a subjugated nation, no much idea about Disasters.
Then fast forward to the infamous Pareechu lake scare in 1997 that washed awsy dozens of bridges on national highways without a hint in Kinnaur or then came the 2023 floods that killed over 500 people, threw the entire Himachal into chaos.
The floods exposed how rampant corruption has produced poor infrastructure- roads, bridges and buildings.
More recently, Himachal witnessed the Samej Nallah tragedy in 2024, where over 50 lives were lost in a flash flood no one saw coming — or perhaps, ignored until it was too late.
Despite years of mock drills, satellite maps, warning systems, and dozens of coordination meetings, disasters keep turning these drills into nothing more than rehearsals without the script.
The floods of 2023 and 2024 exposed how response systems crumble, communication collapses, and victims are left fending for themselves before help arrives — if it arrives at all.
At the debriefing, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue-DM) K.K. Pant emphasized, “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.”
But ground realities suggest otherwise. People are bleeding in both peace and war. Drills are scripted, actors are briefed, and response times rehearsed — but real-life disasters come unannounced, in chaos, and with no warning bell.
Director-cum-Special Secretary D.C. Rana rightly urged for stronger medical planning and better GIS mapping.
But one wonders — haven’t we heard this before? Every year, after every drill and every disaster, similar promises are made, gaps are identified, and “corrective action” is pledged.
But when it rains in the hills — it floods in the plains. And when an earthquake does strike, it’s not the disaster cell but the local villagers and stranded tourists live-streaming SOS videos that break the news.
Maj. Gen. Sudhir Behl (Retd.) from NDMA rightly pointed out the need for coordination.
But what about accountability? Do we learn lessons? Keep pur teams ready combatness.
Who was held responsible for delayed rescue in the Samej Nallah floods or the botched communication during the 2023 Satluj flood emergency?
Mock drills are important, no doubt. But when they become annual rituals, disconnected from on-ground capability, they turn into tragic reminders of how unprepared we still are. And that’s the hard truth.
#MockDrillsOrMockery
#LessonsUnlearnt
#SamejTragedyStillHurts
#DisasterPoliticsHimachal
Son of Shimla’s Apple Bowl, Brigadier Narendra Chauhan, Promoted to Major General in Indian Army
Shimla/Kotgarh, June 6, 2025:
Brigadier Narendra Chauhan, hailing from the serene apple orchards of Kotgarh in Shimla district, has been promoted to the esteemed rank of Major General in the Indian Army.
This significant achievement brings immense pride to Himachal Pradesh, particularly the Kotgarh region, renowned as the "Apple Bowl of India" .
Major General Chauhan's journey from the highlands of Kotgarh to the upper echelons of the Indian Army exemplifies dedication and perseverance.
His promotion is a testament to his exemplary service and leadership qualities.
The Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army confirmed his promotion, marking a proud moment for the entire nation.
Local leaders and residents have expressed their heartfelt congratulations.
"This is a proud moment not just for Kotgarh or Shimla, but for every Indian. Major General Chauhan’s success has added to the glory of our land," said Kuldeep Rathour, Theog MLA.
His achievement serves as an inspiration for the youth of Himachal Pradesh, especially those from rural and hilly backgrounds aspiring to serve in the armed forces.
#MajorGeneralChauhan
#PrideOfKotgarh
#HimachalHero
#IndianArmy
“Build Smart, Build Green” — New Mantra as India Eyes Global Role in Construction Equipment: CII’s ICONEQ 2025 Ends with Strong Push for Green Tech, MSMEs
Chandigarh/Gurugram, 6 June 2025:
“Build Smart, Build Green” — that was the new mantra as the ICONEQ 2025 conference wrapped up in Gurugram.
Hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the second edition of the International Conference on Construction Equipment brought together top voices from government, industry, and tech to shape the future of India’s construction machinery sector.
The conference ended with a strong call to action.
Speakers stressed the need to support MSMEs, adopt cutting-edge technologies, and build an eco-friendly, globally competitive ecosystem.
“The construction equipment industry is transforming fast—automation, digital tools, and green tech are leading the way,” said Sunil Khurana, Chairman of ICONEQ 2025 and COO of JCB India Ltd.
“If India wants to meet its Net Zero targets, we need a joint effort—government, industry, and academia must work together to boost innovation, skilling, and sustainability,” he added.
CII Haryana Vice Chairman Saket Bhatia, also Director of Bony Polymers Pvt Ltd, said:
“Haryana’s infrastructure push—new townships, EV zones, and urban-rural link projects—will drive massive demand for advanced construction equipment.”
He underlined the importance of building local capacity to meet future needs.
Jayant Davar, Chairman and CEO of Sandhar Technologies, pointed to India’s massive growth in infrastructure spending.
“Capital expenditure on infrastructure has grown fivefold in the last decade. We now need efficient, smart, and sustainable machines to match the pace,” he said.
He called platforms like ICONEQ crucial for “policy dialogue, innovation, and global competitiveness.”
Karam Sahni, Chairman, CII Faridabad and Group Head (OEM Sales), Elofic Industries Ltd., praised the quality of discussion at the conference.
“Haryana has long been a manufacturing powerhouse. It’s time we lead the CE innovation race too,” he said.
The two-day event featured discussions on making India a global CE hub, boosting indigenization, strengthening supply chains, and preparing the workforce for the future.
#GreenMachines #DigitalIndia #BuildSmart #MakeInIndia
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