First time in the environmental
history of the world thousands of Turks resisted against the demolition of a
park and cutting of six hundred trees inside of it in Istanbul’s commercial
hub. Nearly one thousand liberal and green lover Turks received multiple
injuries and some of them are maim seriously that is a valiant show of
resistance for a green cause. It is a sign of hope that now people are coming out
on roads to save leftover greenery in commercial hubs that is the last shield
for them from rising level of air pollution.
Frenzy for development
It is actually a tug of war
between development and sustainable development. Most of the least developed
nations just in frenzy of getting more and more developed don’t take care of
environment and make development projects without any green considerations. The
present rulers of Turkey are also known as proponents of progress and earned
worldwide acclaimed but most of their projects are erratic. Experts expressed fear
that coming generations of Turks have to pay the cost of the unbridled progress
in urban areas of Turkey. Progress on old lines
There are reports that the
conservative rulers of Turkey are not following the advanced parameters of
development and just try to make their country as developed as that of its
European neighbors just to show the world that conservatives are also progressive
by nature. But actually they are just competing with the developed nations to
retain the pride of having a rich past with enviable culture and traditions.
Actually they forgot the fact that when their forefather stood against Great
Britain some seventy years ago that time parameters of progress were quite
different. At that time there was no industrialization like it is today and
there was no pollution problem that much grave as it is now. Similarly that era
had no advancement in information technology as we have now.
Camouflage of green facts
There is another group that is
trying to portray this confrontation between green lovers and blind developers
as the tussle between Islamist and liberal forces. No doubt there is much hue
and cry over lack of foresight in present conservative leaders with regard to
development but right now Turks stood against just for a green cause. It is
reported that the six hundred trees that were to be cut under the park
demolition plan are actually last chunk of green in commercial area of
Istanbul. Earlier a huge number of trees and greenery was wiped out to erect
buildings and commercial centers. Probably Turks engineers don’t have such
expertise of architecture that erect the buildings without hurting the
environment or fully compensate it after completion of the development
projects. So the lack of expertise of Turks developmental economists with
respect to sustainable development is the main cause of current chaos in
Istanbul and its nearby cities where same type of resistance moved up its head
when people came on road to record their protest against the demolition plan of
the park.
Conclusion
According to latest reports
police retreated from the protest spot in Istanbul and proponents of park are
joyous over their victory. But it is not confirm either government has shelved
its plan to demolish the park or it just gave an impression of shelving the
plan to pacify the ire of public. Whatever is the true story but this is a fact
that all the countries of developed Asia and developing Europe must have to
follow the rule of sustainable development to make progress without hurting the
environment. Otherwise such protest may raise their head again by ransacking
public and private property apart from causing several injuries in both sides
of the divide.
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