Imphal, November 07 2009: "Give voice to the silence, our planet is dying," echoes noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna while addressing the public leaders and journalists at Manipur Press Club here today hosted by Human Rights Law Network, Manipur.

Elucidating his comment, Sunderlal Bahuguna said that ministers and celebrities can talk but the trees cannot.

"So the journalists should speak on behalf of the life saving trees" while hinting that the media is giving too much space for the politicians and celebrities.

The 71 years old Padma Vibhushan awardee further said that journalists are missionaries and their activities have great impact and can save the dying planet earth.

Giving the reason for the global warming, the noted journalists said that due to the people pursuing the 'materialistc civilization' the planet earth is dying and if this trend continues for sometime, the existence of human race is under great threat.

"The meaning of development today is converting nature into money," opined Sunderlal Bahuguna.

Sunderlal Bahuguna is the founder of Chipko Movement in the 1970s and became a staunch crusader against the Tehri Dam later.

He was jailed in the year 2001 in connection with the Tehri Dam agitation.

Prior to that episode, Sunderlal Bahuguna had fasted at Gandhi Samadhi in New Delhi demanding the scrapping of Tehri Dam when HD Deve Gowda was the Prime Minister of India.

The activist gave up his fast only when the Prime Minister personally reviewed the dam project.

However, work resumed at the dam site in 2001 and Sunderlal Bahuguna was arrested.

Under the campaign theme of 'Save Himalaya, Save Water, Save Life Movement' Sunderlal Bahuguna accompanied by his wife Vimla and many Chipko Movement activists landed in Imphal this morning and straight away began their campaign.

Sunderlal Bahuguna is extremely concerned about the receding forests in the Himalayan region and according to him this trend will have tremendous impact in the ecology of the region and also will serve as a major factor for global warming The great men of the world had lived with little need, says Sunderlal Bahuguna while advocating that human desire in the pursue of materialism is killing our planet.

"The only solution now to save mankind and our planet earth is planting more trees," said the Padma Vibhushan awardee.

Earlier, a Manipur based environmentalist and journalist Salam Rajesh highlighted during the programme that the rampant practice of jhumming cultivation is affecting the ecological system of the region.

Salam Rajesh also cited that the government decision to construct the Tipaimukh Dam in the Barak river at the Manipur-Mizoram-Assam border area has been deadly opposed by the locals of the area and said that numerous such projects will have impact on the environment.

Scholar and green activist R K Ranjan briefed on the present scenario of the region particularly the state of Manipur.

RK Ranjan said that Manipur and the north eastern states are very much part of the Himalayan region both geographically and ecologically.

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