SOCIAL LEADERSHIP: How activism can bring positive change in society, stop illegal activities, benefits citizens

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

NewsBits.in

BHOPAL: Either it's encroachment on a water body, authorities' failure to act against illegal constructions, felling of trees or unauthorised sand mining, here is a man who consistently raises voice and manages to force administration to intervene and take action.

Today Rashid Noor Khan is well known for his consistent stand on issues that affect ecology and environment, apart from his intervention in diverse spheres to protect lives of humans as well as other living beings.

Khan raises issues, irrespective of the fact that how powerful or connected is the person involved in the activity.

He follows all the rules, makes complaints, informs authorities, follows the action and then even approaches court, higher courts and remains persistent till the issue is resolved.

It could be contamination of water, extreme hazardous waste thrown by a factory, toxic waste causing poison to enter crop or electrocution of animals, sound pollution affecting citizens as well as wild animals, in fact, a wide range of issues that keep cropping up, throughout the year.

He is passionate about civic rights, environment protection, wildlife conservation, stopping constructions in catchment areas, raising civic issues, acting for better infrastructure, protecting forests and natural resources, is important. People know that the man can get things done and move a plaint, ahead. Hence, they come to him on their own.

Either it is about man-tiger conflict, illegal mining, land mafia constructing buildings in catchment area of ponds or hundreds of crores going waste on a sewage project that remained in the files, Khan, takes a stand and acts. "When I started lodging plaints and taking legal routes, it was a process of learning. 

In the last decade, he has emerged a major voice and uses RTI, other tools as well as legal route, to ensure action. When I started, I had little idea about how to get administration redress the issues, but I kept learning from other people, meeting experts, sitting with those who knew about particular fields.

But how the journey began? "I had certain experience of youth politics from my college days. Hence, when I got to know about any issue, I would try to understand and take it to appropriate authorities", says Rashid Noor Khan, who lives in Kolar in Bhopal. 

"Here I had seen hillocks razed and trees were being felled. This prompted me to take up these issues. Subsequently, people joined hands. I also got help from Mr Ajay Dubey, who is a well-known environmentalist and activist. As a result, I kept learning the ways. I approach people from different professions and ask them, without any hitch".

"The interaction with media men also began, thereafter", he further says. "As a result, I could take up issues and when action was taken, more people would draw my attention to issues. Subsequently, communities and groups outside Bhopal also noted that I was doing the job passionately and they stood by me". 

Rashid says that It gives inner satisfaction when we talk about an issue that affects lives of people, and later is taken up and due action is taken. "Together, the citizens can do a lot, if we just make a resolve to save our environment and commit ourselves to do our basic job--positive action and intervention", he explains.