New Delhi, June 4
Renowned environmental activist and former Indian Forest Service officer Manoj Misra breathed his last at 12.40 pm on Sunday, leaving behind a legacy of battles fought to safeguard precious forests and rivers.
He was 68.
Misra, who tested positive for COVID-19 on April 8, was undergoing treatment since April 10. The conservation community, including members of the Indian Forest Service fraternity, mourned his passing and hailed his tireless efforts to safeguard forests and rivers.
Born in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Misra’s early life was shaped by his love for nature and the environment. He pursued his education from Pant Nagar University in Uttarakhand and later at Allahabad University.
In 1979, he joined the Indian Forest Service, joining the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He served in various capacities in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh before opting for voluntary retirement in 2001.
In 2007, he founded the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, a movement dedicated to the revival of the river. While pollution in the Yamuna had become a national concern in 1994, it was Misra’s leadership that brought environmental flow and the river’s floodplains into the spotlight.
Known for his humility, Misra actively fought against deforestation, illegal mining and pollution using legal avenues to protect natural resources. His legal battles to save forests and rivers gained widespread recognition.
Misra fought numerous legal battles to protect the Yamuna and its floodplains, taking a stand against the construction of a metro depot (2007), a Millennium Bus depot (2011), dumping of construction debris (2012), covering of stormwater drains (2013), pollution in the Hindon river (2014), construction of an elevated road without environmental study (2015) and a cultural festival organised by the Art of Living (March 2016).
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