Patna: He is a crusader of sorts. A dedicated environmental activist, he has made the protection of the river Ganga his life’s mission.From cremating unclaimed bodies found floating in the Ganga to helping activate dysfunctional sewage treatment plants along the river’s course and assisting in restoring encroached land belonging to govt hospitals and educational institutions, city-based social activist Vikas Chandra, popularly known as ‘Guddu Baba’, has devoted himself to cleaning up the “mess”.Ever since Chandra’s socio-legal battle began about three decades ago, his efforts have successfully stopped the disposal of bodies in the river and helped reclaim hundreds of acres of encroached land from the clutches of the “mafia”.“My crusade for a cleaner Ganga started with the Ganga Bachao Andolan in 2000. The aim was to draw the attention of the authorities towards the appalling condition of the holy river with loads of sewage, filth and floating bodies on the river banks. I went on a 48-hour fast and later followed it with campaigns and rallies with a view to attracting public support for the cause. Finally, I filed my PIL in the Patna high court in July 2000, holding the state and the Centre (and other departments) responsible for the horrifying condition of the river,” recalled Chandra.His efforts bore fruit when the high court finally took note of the issue after a long battle and passed an order in March 2001 that unclaimed bodies were the responsibility of the state govt.He has filed more than 100 PILs in different courts against the alleged high-handedness of authorities responsible for keeping the Ganga and the city’s environment clean and has achieved considerable success in most of them. Interestingly, he never studied law at any institution nor obtained any formal degree in law. Yet, he has developed legal expertise by arguing his own cases during court hearings.Thanks to his legal battle, more than 1,000 acres of land belonging to various govt institutions, including medical colleges and hospitals, district hospitals, goshala lands, Patna University (Golakpur area), the Veterinary College campus and other public land were freed from encroachers. The land reclaimed through his efforts includes PMCH (3 acres), NMCH (24 acres), SKMCH, Muzaffarpur (10 acres), JLN Medical College, Bhagalpur (24 acres) and Anugrah Medical College, Gaya (13 acres). Besides, 750 acres of land of the more than 100-year-old Central Institute of Psychiatry at Ranchi and 352 acres of land near Mundeshwari Temple at Kaimur were also freed through Chandra’s efforts.Chandra also played a key role in making sewage treatment plants at Beur, Saidpur and Pahari functional, ensuring respectful cremation of unclaimed bodies and facilitating the installation of north India’s first crematorium for animals at Ram Chak in Bariya in Patna.Over the years, in recognition of his selfless service to society, Chandra has earned several epithets. Chief justice Altamas Kabir called him a “public-spirited citizen”, the Patna High Court termed him a “whistle blower”, Patna high court chief justice Dipak Misra described him as “pro bono publico”, and chief justice Narasimha Reddy called him a “public-spirited person”.However, he has also received several threats from the so-called land mafia because of his pro-people activities. “But I am never afraid of these threats and go on my mission unabated. As I have cremated thousands of dead bodies in the past, I have grown fearless,” he said, adding that he would continue his fight till the very end.
