Jammu, January 5
The cross-LoC trade that was initiated with an aim to boosting the economy of both sides of the divided state of Jammu and Kashmir has proved just a confidence building measure (CBM) between India and Pakistan as the trade has failed to meet targets.

The trade that was launched between the sides from the Poonch-Rawalakote road has in the past seen various ups and down and the trade has confined to only one of the confidence building measures between the two countries.

“The trade was initiated in 2008, and the traders of the state supported it as it was one of the major CBM between the two sides,” says Annil Suri, a former chairman of the Federation of Industries.

He says traders from both sides jumped into a blind trade as it is based on barter system.

In 2008, the cross-LoC trade did a business of Rs 40 lakh whereas in 2009, the trade crossed the figure of Rs 40 crore. However, traders say for an international trade the amount is negligible.

The irony of the trade is that both countries agreed on a list of 21 items. “The 21 items which are being imported are similar to the 21 items that are being exported,” says Suri. At the time of initiation of the trade, it was decided that more items would be added in the future but so far there has been no change in the number of items being traded between the two sides.

Besides, the trade has been a witness to various ups and downs since its inception the latest being the suspension of the trade for one week.

Following a ban on the import of ginger and garlic by the Indian government, the administration of the PoK imposed a ban on the export of moong dal.

“The moong dal was being imported in bulk by Indian traders, but the Pakistan side imposed a ban on its export,” says Matloof Khan, additional deputy commissioner, Poonch.

He says following the ban, the Indian traders decided to stop the trade for one week, as they say other items being imported from PoK are of substandard quality.

“The traders on our side were benefiting from the import of moong dal as it came cheaper and was priced between Rs 65 and 67 per kg,” Khan says.

“The previous year witnessed an estimate trade of Rs 85 crore in the Pakistani currency (Rs 47 crore in Indian currency),” he says.

The Indian traders are not happy as they say out of 21 items on the list, only two are industrial products (carpets and mattresses) whereas 19 are agricultural products.

“In order to abolish the barter system, we had asked the government to allow financial transactions. If both countries are not exchanging money, they should introduce the trade in US dollar as is being done in trade with other countries,” Suri says.

He adds they have suggested some measures to the government, including free movement of traders, interaction and communication with each other and introduction of financial system to improve the trade.

Jammu, January 5
After spurious milk, desi ghee, cheese and khoya, it is spurious soda which has flooded the markets of Jammu region.

The next time you order a soda from any shop, hotel or restaurant, check the bottle, label and date of manufacture before drinking it. Only if it carries the trade name, manufacturer's address and the price, then it is original. If not, then the drink could be containing bacteria or toxic chemicals.

The sudden increase in number of unlicensed soda and soft drink manufacturing units in the winter capital has led to a racket involving unhealthy and illegal practices, posing a grave health hazard to the consumers.

According to health department officials, many of the unlicensed units are using contaminated water and “second hand branded bottles and caps” to make the easy-money.

A bottle of soda costing Rs 10-15 is easily available in the wholesale market for Rs 3.

Health department sources revealed that bottles and caps of all major brands are available in the market and traders supply these items to the unauthorised units through a proper network.

A senior officer of health department said the spurious drinks are often contaminated by soap, tamarind syrup and washing soda and is laced with carcinogenic like screen, which causes gastro-intestinal and skin problems.

Dr Sham Prasad said, “It is better not to consume the product because it is harmful for human beings and can cause serious diseases related to heart and liver”.

In a recent crackdown on the manufacture and sale of spurious drinks and to ensure a strict licensing system, Jammu police along with health department officials has seized a number of machines, empty as well as filled soda bottles of all major brands of soft drinks from Pachyal village and Devi Nagar area.

Some factories have been seized and 11 persons have been arrested in this regard. The raids are still going on at various places in the region.

“There is a nexus between some manufacturers and concerned officials and that is the reason, why the contaminated drink is available in the markets,” said a trader preferring anonymity.

“After the expose of a racket of spurious soda dealers, we are concerned about the originality of bottle and always check before consuming it,” said a local resident.

According to a senior police official, all major dealers of contaminated soda would be soon arrested.

Jammu, January 5
Even as the number of swine flu cases reported to the Directorate of Health Services, Jammu, every month is going up, panic has drastically come down.

The first suspected case of swine flu had created ripples of fear across the city but later it turned to be a hoax on June 22 last year. Thereupon, a police complaint was registered against a physician with a private hospital who posed to be affected with H1N1 virus.

The first swine flu suspect was reported positive on August 14 last year.

“Since the outbreak of the disease in the region, the department has sent 299 samples to the NICD, Delhi, and 60 have tested positive so far,” said state epidemiologist RS Charak.

“Those who had tested positive have fully recovered after treatment,” he said,

Commenting upon the person who succumbed to the influenza at Government Medical College, Jammu, on December 25, Dr Charak said: “He was admitted to the hospital in a very advanced stage. It was the only causality claimed by H1N1 virus in the entire region whereas the rest of deaths were reported from Kashmir division.”

“Earlier we used to get 60-70 suspected cases of swine flu, but the number has declined now. However, on the other hand the number of H1N1 positive cases has risen,” he said, adding that “The decline in the suspected cases is perhaps because of the fact that people have stopped worrying about the contagiousdisease.”

Jammu, January 5
After doing BSc in computers in 2002, instead of doing MCA Tajinder Singh Wazir decided to continue with the traditional occupation of the family i.e. farming. He decided to make his living out of floriculture instead of working with an MNC.

At present, he is president of the Flower Growers Association; president of the J&K Kissan Council; and owner of Rajini-Gandha Floritech.

“When I started cultivating flowers, I did not even have a scooter and I would travel by matador with a sack of flowers on my shoulder,” recalls Tajinder. “All I had was a firm resolve to establish myself in agriculture”.

Now, the internet savvy progressive farmer claims to be in touch with leading farm varsities in and outside the country. To benefit the farmers belonging to the far flung areas, his organisations held at least 29 awareness camps in collaboration with government departments last year. He is bridging the gap between agriculturists and government officials.

“I have consistently been motivating educated youth coming from agricultural background to adopt modern technology and research to make agriculture a profitable employment avenue,” he avers, adding, “The employment exchange can do a great deal in this regard”.

Wazir believes that the state lags behind other Himalayan states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. “We lag behind in technology as there is a lack of planning as well. Our policy makers need to stress on biotechnology in the agriculture sector to make it more profitable. Besides, there is strong need for protecting agricultural land that is fast turning into concrete jungle,” he says.

“A leading floriculturist from the Kashmir valley, Khurshid Ahmed Qasba motivated me and it was his conviction that an educated youth can earn as much from agriculture as from another governmental or private job,” he says.

“We have been demanding from time to time that small and marginal farmers be encouraged towards cash crops through cash incentives and subsidies. Farmers here don’t get timely supply of seeds and fertilisers and the technology they use is outdated. Challenges are multidimensional but they can be addressed with a determined approach,” he believes.

“Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has already announced that a kisan board that will look into the issues of farmers be sit up soon. We believe that such initiatives should not be delayed,” he says, adding, “In our region as many as 2.5 lakh people are directly or indirectly connected with the production and business of Basmati rice. We have been demanding for setting up an export zone in RS Pura and giving the job of research and development to the Sher-e-

Kashmir University of Agri cultural Sciences and Technology. It will certainly help in raising the standard of the crop”.

“Likewise in the horticulture sector, there is a need for post-harvest infrastructure. Besides,there is a requirement for setting up on-hand training centres each at Bhoar Camp and Ganderbal,” he says.

Wazir is also concerned over a lack of awareness among farmers. “As many as 20-25 schemes are there for the promotion of agriculture. Those who have access to the departments are making use of it while farmers in the far flung areas are living in ignorance,” he says.

“There is not even a single remarkable water or soil testing lab in the entire state. The irrigation infrastructure needs to be revamped and expanded,” he concludes.

Srinagar, January 5
Terror violence and civil strife in Kashmir keep making big headlines but as the New Year arrived, it brought with it encouraging signs, figures highlighting slump in violence but also of a society willing to let its hair down despite puritan noises made by orthodox elements.

New Year parties have long been a strict no,no in the valley and locals says these used to be hush-hush affairs organised in secured hotels and joined by a few only. This New Year had more and bigger parties with tickets being sold in the open.

Gulmarg has long been the place-to-be-in on the New Year’s eve with its snow carpet and event managers organised a couple of functions and invited people to jive their way to the musical beats.

Though the biggest party in Gulmarg proved a dud despite the buzz it had created, especially among youths who paid handsomely to be there in the freezing night of celebrations. It was a freezing night no doubt, but there were not much celebrations. Crowd swelled beyond management and lack of proper heating in the enclosure only invited people’s wrath instead of cheers. But what should cheer many is that some well-known business houses had come forward to sponsor the event.

The few top hotels, starting from Kashmir’s only five-star Grand Palace in Srinagar, had organised celebrations. In some like Grand Palace, it was only for the guests staying there while some others had paid-for-entry events that were a hit, one hotel manager said.

It was not that the valley’s moral brigade was lying low this time. Firebrand Islamist leader Asiya Andrabi had made usual threatening statements against those organising and attending such events and asked people to stay way from such “un-Islamic” functions. But many apparently decided to enjoy themselves.

Conversation with people makes it clear that an overwhelming majority finds New Year parties a “foreign influence” but this New Year did give a choice to those who wanted to make merry. 

Jammu, January 5
The year 2009 has been very good for Arjan Dev Majboor (86), a well-known Kashmiri poet, writer, journalist and a translator, who is suffering from cervical problem for which he was operated upon at the AIIMS.

He has received a number of awards this year for his contribution to the cause of his mother tongue and also for the preservation of the cultural heritage of his community whose members are living as refugees in their own country for the past more than two decades.

He has been awarded "Shardha Samaan" by Shardha Sanjeevni Kendra, Jammu, for his exemplary work for articulating the aspirations of his community in October this year.

He has also been awarded with "Maharishi Bhrigu Award" by Harprasad Vivhar Adhyan Sanstha, Agra, in September for his contribution towards the promotion of Hindi and Kashmiri languages through translation of various books and literatures in Kashmiri and Hindi.

"I have never written poetry or literature for achieving an award. I have made all these efforts for the promotion of my mother tongue," said Majboor while narrating his achievements.

Majboor has 21 books to his credit, but it was a dream come true to get his autobiography published this year.

Despite having been afflicted with cervical spondylitis, which could not be cured even after getting operated upon, he has been successful in getting his autobiography "Yadan Hund Saffar" (the journey of memories), published this year in Kashmiri language which he dedicated to his fellow Kashmiris.

His autobiography has been written in a lucid style with added vocabulary.

He has mentioned the circumstances that prevailed in the valley during the Partition in 1947 when he was studying in Lahore. He has written about the hardships he had faced while pursuing his education, struggling for a job and also while working on low remunerations, but without its negative impact on his passion for writing for the welfare of downtrodden and the exploited humanity and promotion of his mother tongue in the state.

Majboor also remained associated with politics from 1947 to1960 but parted ways with active politics and chose writing as his profession from 1963, as he found politics going contrary to his political point of view.

Expressing his wish for 2010, Majboor said the compilation of his all published poems in one book is his only dream for the New Year.

Prof Majarooh Rashid, working in the University of Kashmir, who has been a student of AD Majboor, is undertaken to compile his works.

Majboor has written around 300 poems so far out of which two are long poems which have been published in parts so far.

He wishes for the dawn of peace and prosperity during 2010 and removal of problem of unemployment in the state to a large extent.

"I want see the world united, without communal divisions, all countries helping each other in the development and betterment of all with no space for politics of destruction to operate. That will help increase brotherhood and unity in the world", said Majboor.

or the government to provide jobs to lakhs of people but by augmenting the existing natural resources of the country, many people can get employment," he said.

Expressing dismay over the rising corruption in the state and the country he said, "Efforts should be made to check corruption and make the country economically developed. That can bring us name and fame in the world".

Srinagar, January 5
Traffic signals would have eased vehicle movement in a state like Jammu and Kashmir where there is dearth of police personnel, but in absence of the same coupled with poor road maintenance and absence of road signs like zebra crossing, matters have been made worse. If all necessary components of modern day traffic system were put in place in the state, many lives would be saved due to lesser number of road accidents.

The traffic safety week, which began here on January 1 with a theme “life is safe, if driving is safe”, is focusing on creating awareness among road users about traffic rules and safety measures. Various programmes with the involvement of students and other organisations are going on to create awareness.

Traffic control here is done manually by cops at intersections, junctions and places of high traffic volume.

“High traffic volume in various parts of Srinagar city justifies the installation of traffic signals,” said a traffic cop. He added the traffic signals would help save manpower.

“Other states are extensively using traffic signals for controlling conflicting streams of vehicular and pedestrian traffic,” points Saquib Ahmad, a local resident.

Muneer Khan, DIG Traffic, believes that traffic signals are not immediate requirement. “Traffic signals are just used to regulate traffic. Other infrastructure mainly flyovers would help ease the burden. We’ve already submitted a detailed proposal to the government,” said Khan.

However, Showkat Hssain Shah, SSP Traffic, says there is a need to introduce the electronic traffic signal system. “There is already a proposal for introducing cameras at the busy traffic crossings, mainly bypass roads. This would help identify problems and easing the traffic congestion. Only about 250 persons, including officers, are manning traffic on the 1,400 km-long roads within the city, which requires over 250 more to meet the requirements, the officials said.

How many more years will it take to put the system in place here? Traffic management has to develop on modern lines,” Mushtaq Ahmad, a senior citizen, says, adding, “With the increase in traffic flow, some mechanism ought to be put in place to avoid unnecessary hurdles.”

Most of road markings and signs that play a vital role in controlling and guiding traffic are missing, which adding to the problem.

“Markings and signs are highly important on roads and intersections, as they promote road safety and bring about smooth flow of traffic along guided paths of travel,” argues Sameena Amin, a postgraduate student.

The Sangh Parivar is finding it difficult to take a decision on the future of the Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti, an amalgam of various social, religious and political organisations, which had launched two months long agitation on the Amarnath land controversy. Interestingly, most of the samiti constituents have already withdrawn from the amalgam after its convenor decided to contest Lok Sabha elections on the BJP mandate and the organisation is now confined only to a handful of leaders. As the issue related to the land controversy has already been solved, a group within the Sangh Parivar is of the opinion that this organisation should be banned. But, a faction still wants that the samiti should be retained as a pressure group.