Hey There, We had the GCS and would like to talk to you !
As we celebrate the success, it's now time to reflect upon what happened, brief everyone on what did the people in power had to say to our demands and pave the path forward from here.
Open Meeting
You came on the streets to demand climate justice, but you can do more ! - come hop onto the call at 7:00 this Friday ( 1st October ) to get updates on what’s happened, what can we do hereon and what did we learn !
Link to Join : fffutu.re/delhimeeting
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For reference, here is our official statement on the discussions we had with the government :
On the 24th September 2021, Fridays for Future Delhi(FFFD) organised the Global Climate Strike(GCS). Volunteers from various organisations and individuals alike joined hands in carrying out the protest. Placards, posters and chants were used to spread awareness. Media helped in propagating the cause greatly. Along with spreading awareness, the purpose of the strike was to put forward a set of demands for the Delhi Government and to seek accountability and action to the previous demands that were shared in March 2021. A link to the current demands is provided here.
Protesters demonstrated in front of the Delhi Secretariat building which was heavily blocked with police personnel and road blockers. We asked for the concerned officials to come out and provide answers in front of the media. This plea was continuously rejected and ignored. It was 5 pm then and the office was about to be closed, a decision had to be made. It was decided that 2 representatives would go inside to try and convince the officials to come out.
2 Volunteers from the Delhi Team went in as representatives of the youth. They were assisted by two police persons and one crowd controller.
"About 20 calls from us to the office were ignored and unanswered. We try our best but the public only blames us." Quoted a policeman assisting them.
After roaming from one room to another for a while, they finally met with Mr. Vivek Kumar Tripathi, Civil Servant and current Secretary to Mr. Gopal Rai, Minister of Environment, Development and General Administration, Government of NCT Delhi.
A plea to come outside was indirectly rejected due to their busy schedules. V. K. Tripathi asked for the demands which given the circumstances, they had to present.
As the office was about to be closed, only about 3 demands were discussed in depth. V. K. Tripathi assured that he’d go through the document later.
Firstly, the stubble burning issue was discussed. “The main reason for this practice is that monoculture of wheat has resulted in a high demand of water in a short time period. So, to accommodate the water requirements with monsoon, the crops that were earlier grown from mid-May to mid-September are now grown in mid-June to mid-October. But, the Rabi season begins in November. This gives the farmers just about a week’s time to cut the wheat crop whose stubble they burn to save time, effort and money.” V. K. Tripathi explained.
To tackle this issue, the Delhi Government has worked alongside the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR), Pusa Institute, New Delhi. They developed capsules which cost at 5 Indian Rupees each. They are organic and can be dissolved in water and sprayed over the crops. They will help prepare the land for the sowing of the next crop, without the farmers resorting to stubble burning.
The capsules and the research report concerned were shown as proof. Additionally, 5 crores were released to subsidize machinery to reduce stubble burning.
"We have been visiting nearby villages and assisting farmers in trying to understand and adapt this new alternative," Vivek K. Tripathi commented.
The representatives’ cross question to this was about the timeline by which these alternatives would be implemented on a large scale and their effect actually being visible in the real world. To which they received a simple answer of “We’re trying.”
Next, the NCR Regional Planning 2041 was discussed, which he completely denied. He claimed that, “all media is fake. The articles in Hindustan Times, Times of India, The Conservation etc. are not correct. The real information is what is being displayed on our official webpage.” Link to the same is here.
Lastly, acts and measures by which the youth could contribute to the cause were discussed. V. K. Tripathi talked about youth programs where they worked alongside the youth for climate change. He and his team admitted they weren't able to get much media attention surrounding it, which is where we, as the youth, could help them. He encouraged us to go through the aforementioned webpage and sign up for various activities. He advised the youth to go through newspapers and government digital portals regularly. And to go for surveys along with officials to learn more.
We assured him that the 10,000 numbers of youth associated with the FFFD would surely think of ways to contribute. A copy of the demands was submitted to both Vivek K. Tripathi and another with the administration. One copy with the official signature and complaint number is with the FFFD Team.
Notes
We believe much work is being done from the Delhi Government’s side but it’s impact is nowhere in sight. In fact, things are getting worse day by day.
Less amount of effort in terms of propagation of the Delhi Governmental Policies was quite apparent. Their ignorance has acted as a black blot to the state machinery, which is contrary to the very purpose of democracy.
Striking and gaining media recognition is necessary and great. But, to bring about true change there is a need to associate ourselves with the government and work alongside them.
This will result in more transparency from the government and help develop community oriented policies.
This is not over! We will come back again, stronger this time, till we see real change.
Thanks,
Team Fridays for Future Delhi
Lastly we would like to share what the young strikers Had to say about the event -
I just want to address all the people who want to bring a positive change in the system but hesitate in taking part in strikes (mainly because of the typical impression that we have of them). The FFF strikes are so peaceful, friendly, and such a joy to be a part of - joy in the sense that I met the amazing team of FFF Delhi, and even talked to many people with similar interests, found so many vegan people too 💛 I personally feel so proud that I came . I feel much satisfied and really looking forward to more such experiences :)
- Nidhi
We have come to a point where climate change can no longer be sugarcoated and scientific facts cannot be denied. We have surpassed the time to take action but nevertheless, it is still possible. While our individual actions may make a small difference, the scale at which change is required needs to be implemented through government policies. We can no longer silently watch our planet be destroyed and have to take a stand.
- Suhana
More power to you all, we look forward to make a better future for us all together !