Life Always Gives Something More

Neha a college-going girl is in her graduation final semester. She is studious and sincere. Her parents take good care of her studies. She wants to be an environmentalist. So her special paper was Environmental Science. Her topic for the dissertation was Pollution and its effect on the surroundings. For this research purpose, she selected a site in a village area close to her Uncle's residence named Chandrapur. As a child every year she visited the place. It was close to her heart because her grandparents stayed there. For the last eight years, she noticed a drastic change in the environment nearby the village due to the set up of a cement factory.

Every year during winter migratory birds were observed by Neha nearby the wetlands. The whole day she used to observe different birds and take their pictures. Waterlily surrounded the wetlands. It was a beautiful site. On the other side of the wetlands, there were rice fields. The village children used to catch fishes nearby the fields and wetlands. Neha leaves everything and wanted eagerly to go to her Uncle's house every winter. Last year also she could not see the migratory birds. This year was also the same. When she required about this with her uncle and grandparents then she came to know that it was due to the Pollution caused by the cement factory. She asked, "why don't you complain to the circle officer?". Her uncle replied " there is no use. The government has given them the land to set up a cement factory in a green belt area. Local people protested but money won the race. Some people were given a sum of money to stop the protested and the cement factory started. At first the technician and labourers were local people but later on the local boys lost their job for they were not skillful. Technicians from outside the state were hired and a township developed with quarters, line hotels, markets around. After the production started nearby plants started dying. The fish production in the bells was less. Rice train production also reduced. Moreover people living nearby are suffering from a chronic lung infection, asthma, and cancer. Even small children complain of headaches and eye infection. The factory people at night discharge the harmful black smog and gas after 12 o' clock at night. The villagers get the foul smell and the next morning the water bodies are filled with oily material and coal ash. "

Neha decided that she will visit the factory to collect data for her research project. So after a few days, she asked help from two of her friends Lima And Hima to accompany her to the factory. They agreed and on 2nd January they visited the cement factory. Her uncle too accompanied them. When they entered the gate they were asked about the purpose of their visit. Neha at once shows the letter from the head of the department that she went there for her research work. She and her friends were welcome and was introduced with Mrs Baaruah who headed the HR department of the factory. She asked Neha what she wanted to know. Neha asked about the waste products of the factory where was it dumped. Mrs. Baaruah replied there was no waste product. She also said that the cement factory was engaged with plantation of trees and agricultural activities in the nearby village.

The factory owner donated a handsome amount in the nearby schools for education.villagers are provided with cow, hen, and ducks for animal husbandry. Well and tubewell s are dug in the villages and school for common people benefit. Neha then asked since eight years you are planting trees but I can see very few trees around the cement factory. The trees can't grow due to cement dust. The labourers and village people are also having respiratory disorders. Bearing this Mrs Baaruah asked the girls to take Teachers and biscuits . Then she said she had some urgent work and she will go to the nearby Town. The girls thanked Mrs Baruaah and left. Neha 's uncle was waiting nearby the gate. He took the girls home. They had their lunch. Neha then said from the factory I could not collect any data. They directly claimed that the factory had no waste and so waste treatment plant was not present in the factory.

Neha's uncle then took Neha to the villager's home. She asked the people about the difficulty faced by the villagers and how Pollution and cement dust covered all the trees nearby. Once a forest area has now turned to barren lands, moreover, the factory owner purchased the nearby wetlands and agricultural fields to make quarters for staff and for the truck shed. The pitched road now was full of potholes. For the villagers, the condition becomes worst during rainy days. Neha got some data and left for her Home along with her friends. Her uncle dropped the in the bus stand.

Next morning when she went to college he first met her guide Goswami mam and narrated what had happened. Goswami mam said that the people of the factory where lying. Factory without waste is not possible. If they lacked treatment plant then they directly dumped the waste in the nearby environment causing sir, water and land Pollution. She talked with the head of the department and asked University professors to help to conduct detailed research on this particular cement factory and if environment norms and laws are not followed then they will be punished. Neha thought her hard working in preparing the research project and completing it was only the first step to become an environmentalist. Lots of work are still left to be done.

She completed her graduation and took M. Sc. In Environmental Science. She continues to do pilot project under the guidance of Goswami mam. Her mam supported her as her parents, uncle, and grandparents. The project regarding the cement factory was just an introduction to research work for a young and dynamic girl Neha but it gave her a vision and purpose to live. Most of the girls if her age was busy shopping, visiting parlors, movies, mobile, etc. But whenever she got free time she went through different journals, newsletters relayed to the environment and started making awareness for a clean and green environment both in city and villages.

When Neha visited the cement factory then the HR head Mrs Baaruah said that the factory every year celebrated Environment Day in a big way every year and we donate a Thousand saplings to the nearby villagers, schools., Health camps are organised regularly. Neha then politely replied " Mam you and your team are doing good work but how tar you are successful to save the environment from the clutches of Pollution.trees don't survive in this environment. For Eight years you are planting trees in and around your factory but hardly five trees are seen overall with white cement dust. Mam don't you feel the trees are unable to breathe ?. They are suffocated and are dying. Mam celebrating Environment Day doesn't mean you love the environment. Moreover, cement factory and environmental health can never go hand in hand."