My family is from those regions, and I visit there fairly often. There is an ecological hit, but the connectivity is also a net benefit for most of our villages.
In a lot of these villages, before these winterized roads and dams were deployed, power was nonexistent, and if someone had a medical emergency that required surgery, they needed to be airlifted by the IAF or ITBP via helicopter, which added significant lag time as they are also facing a hot border with China.
The ecological hit is significant, but someone who can afford to live in a rich cantt town like Landsdowne is to be brutally honest out of touch with the reality of most Paharis face.
A bigger problem that I feel hasn't been touched on as much because it isn't as sexy is the fact that zoning laws are eschewed in urban areas and outside investors are create large buildings right on the edge of hills, leaving them open to erosion-induced landslide risks because that would require cutting down trees and thus reducing the natural erosion protection that root systems provide.
alephnerd•3mo ago
In a lot of these villages, before these winterized roads and dams were deployed, power was nonexistent, and if someone had a medical emergency that required surgery, they needed to be airlifted by the IAF or ITBP via helicopter, which added significant lag time as they are also facing a hot border with China.
The ecological hit is significant, but someone who can afford to live in a rich cantt town like Landsdowne is to be brutally honest out of touch with the reality of most Paharis face.
A bigger problem that I feel hasn't been touched on as much because it isn't as sexy is the fact that zoning laws are eschewed in urban areas and outside investors are create large buildings right on the edge of hills, leaving them open to erosion-induced landslide risks because that would require cutting down trees and thus reducing the natural erosion protection that root systems provide.