Jammu, May 14
A recent verdict of the Supreme Court that says there should be no distinction between migrants of the state has offered a fresh ray of hope to thousands of migrants displaced internally due to militancy.

These persons are living a traumatic life in absence of an adequate official assistance. Acute poverty and pain of loss coupled with official apathy has dealt a blow on their emotional and psychological health.

It is estimated that three out of 10 patients visiting Government Psychiatric Diseases Hospital, Jammu, are direct victims of armed turmoil in the region.

The state government claims that the number of such families is only 1,000, but affected people say the number is many times more.

The migrants mainly belong to the far-flung forest areas that are not easily accessible. These people got uprooted from the hinterlands of Jammu region and have been camping in the periphery areas of the city like Belicharana, Bantalab, Sidhra, Sunjawan, Bathindi, railway station in Jammu and Talwara in Reasi, besides tehsil and district headquarters like Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur.

According to them, their houses were torched and people were brutally murdered as they dared to defy the militants’ dictate.

Mohan Singh (42), camping at Talwara in Reasi, had a happy family in Mahore tehsil of the same district, once an epicentre of militant activities. He recounts the bloody incident in March 1998 that led to his migration.

“They (terrorists) came to abduct two women from my neighbourhood. On being opposed, they opened fire killing nine of them on the spot. A three-year-old child was spared while three children survived luckily as they slipped away in pitch-dark cattle shed”.

Thereafter, Mohan’s family along with at least 53 other such families migrated to Talwara.

However, last year, he faced another tragedy as he lost his leg in an accident. “Earlier, I would work as manual labourer at construction sites but now my resources are limited,” he resented.

“The relief has never been regular to us. The government wants us to go back only to be shot dead by trigger-happy terrorists,” embittered Mohan said.

Coming from agricultural background, such people lack skills and assets for earning livelihood in towns. Unlike Kashmiri Pandit migrants, they are not entitled to regular relief or rehabilitation policy. Moreover, being illiterate, most of them either don’t have applied for relief or they are ignorant about it.

Another victim, Shams-ud-Din of Gandoh, Doda, migrated in 1993. Even a word of recommendation by former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad could not be of any help to this hapless victim. Having lost his mental balance due to prolonged stress, he keeps the recommendation letter close to his chest all the time. In his old age, he has been deserted by his only son and lives the life of a pauper with ailing wife.

Hardai is another such unfortunate woman suffering from a mental disorder. Her husband, Hari Chand, was gunned down by militants in Kishtwar. Being his second wife, she did not get any compensation as the government gave ex gratia relief to the deceased’s first wife. Presently, she is living at Ladore village in Marh block near Jammu.

Another victim, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Beig, has been sitting on a dharna in front of the office of the divisional commissioner for more than 950 days.

He believes that the number of such families is anywhere between 10,000 and 13,000. “But only 1,000 have been entitled to erratic relief. People cannot afford even bus fare to gather here for holding a protest to highlight their grievances”.

It is estimated that nearly 5,000 people migrated from Doda district alone. “During elections, politicians send their vehicles to ferry us to Doda for casting votes. But they (politicians) go into hibernation after the elections are over,” Beig laments.

He points out that there are many cases of genuine migrants whose registration has not been done by the relief commission despite police and CID verification.

Another terror victim, Mohmmad Ismail, presently staying at Sidhra, has no plans to go back to his native village. His 25-year-old son was beheaded by terrorists after he was picked up from a marriage ceremony. His headless body could be retrieved only after three days. Since that gory incident, he has fits regularly and is unable to work. The list of such sufferers is endless.

Dr JR Thapa, head of the psychiatric department, Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, revealed that more than 30 per cent patients coming for the treatment of psychiatric diseases are either militancy affected migrants or victims of the armed conflict in the region.

“Due to sustained feeling of hopelessness, these patients have problems like high palpitation rate, sleeplessness, anxiety and temper outburst,” he added.

Mohd Aslam Kohli of Surankote, who also heads the Jammu Migrants Front, says, “The Central government has sanctioned crores for the state in the name of economic reconstruction, but one fails to understand where such huge funds are being utilised”.

Javed Choudhary, president of Migrants Front, Poonch, claims that the state has virtually turned its face away from terror victims.

"Considering the quantum of mental trauma they have suffered by losing their loved ones and leaving behind their homes and hearth, they need compassionate treatment."

Srinagar, May 14
The tobacco industry flouts all rules and exploits its workers, in contrast to its claims about economic benefits to people and the government, says a report by the Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI).

“The tobacco industry not only represents a serious health hazard but also exploits its workers by not paying them minimum wages and employing children among its labour force,” says a study “At the crossroads of life and livelihood: The economics, poverty and working conditions of people employed in tobacco industry in India” conducted recently by the VHAI in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

In its key findings, Alok Mukhopadhyay, chief executive of the VHAI, said, “Contrary to popular belief, tobacco is not a profitable cash crop. Rising costs of cultivating tobacco, low wages, high risk of crop failure and exploitation at hands of middlemen are reasons why marginal tobacco farmers find themselves constantly trapped in poverty and debt”.

The report says bidi companies pay low wages (as low as Rs 23 per 1,000 bidis rolled) in certain parts of India. “This work is mostly done by women and children. Though child labour is prohibited in the country, children continue to work for long hours in tobacco units.”

Speaking about tendu leaf pluckers (tendu leaves are used for making hand-rolled bidis), Alok said, “Their income, apart from being extremely low, involves hours of arduous labour and is seasonal. Most of such workers live and work in geographically isolated areas, with barely any facilities”.

Calling for stronger action by the government, AM Mir, 
state executive director, Jammu and Kashmir Voluntary Health Association, said, “The government should stop contradictory policies of promoting tobacco on one hand and controlling tobacco on the other. Taxation on all forms of chewing and smoking tobacco should be increased considerably to reduce demand”.

He stated that proactive steps should be taken to discontinue grants for conducting tobacco-related research and current subsidies and instead provide technical knowledge, seeds and marketing linkages for alternative crops.

“The government should initiate an alternative livelihood for tobacco industry workers. The alternatives must be designed with a long-term vision so that benefits extend to the next generation, who should not be compelled under any circumstances to go back to their earlier occupation,” he said.

The VHAI, he added, was implementing a comprehensive tobacco control programme across nine states to strengthen anti-tobacco movement in the country. “This includes policy and media advocacy, research, networking, coalition-building, lobbying with enforcement agencies and forming smoke-free zones.”

Mir stated, “Tobacco control has always been a crucial public health concern and the organisation has been campaigning against tobacco industry’s nefarious practices for nearly two decades.”

He added that tobacco was produced, consumed and exported in various forms. “India is the second largest producer of tobacco worldwide and ranks fourth in total tobacco consumption. Only 19 per cent of consumers are cigarette smokers, whereas 81 per cent take it in smokeless forms.”

For Raman Sharma, who has put up over 300 RTI applications, the RTI is not just a tool to seek information, it is a magic wand that can be used to eradicate corruption as well as a means of lodging a democratic protest.

“If we want the government to take action in the larger interest of the public, we can flood them with RTI applications on one issue. The pressure will make the government act,” he says while talking to The Tribune team during an interaction.

A research scholar Mahesh Kaul from the Faculty of Management Studies, Jammu University and Arvind Sharma, a sociologist, also joined the interaction.

Following are the excerpts:

Jupinderjit Singh (JS): What inspired you to utilise RTI for seeking information?

Raman Sharma (RS): It all began from Jammu railway station. While seeing off a relative, I saw domestic cylinders being used by vendors at the platform. I asked station superintendent about the misuse as Jammuites were facing a shortage of LPG cylinders. He rendered me speechless by asking what authority I had to question him.

A year later, RTI came into being and I put up an application to the Indian Railways. It had an immediate impact as vendors had to use commercial cylinders within few days. That officer too would have known that a common citizen had the authority to ask questions.

Sunaina Kaul (SK): What is the process for filing a RTI application?

RS: There are two acts, one is Central RTI Act, 2005, and another is the J&K RTI Act, 2009.

For Central RTI Act, an applicant can file an application on a plain paper with a nominal fee of Rs 10 only which can be paid via postal order or in cash to the department or other permissible mode. Even if an applicant is not aware of the address of the public information officer (PIO) concerned, application may also be filed with any PIO, who becomes liable to forward it to the competent authorities. The best is to give the application at a local post office where the PIO post office would forward the application on its own. Then, all departments have websites on which they have given addresses of PIOs.

Under the JK RTI Act, an application is to be submitted with a fee of Rs 50 either in the shape of IPO or stamp papers. The rest of the procedure is the same, but here the PIOs usually do not accept the application if it does not pertain to their department.

Arvind Sharma (sociologist): How can illiterate and blind persons make use of the RTI?

RS: They are equally empowered. The PIOs in every government department are duty bound to make arrangements for applications on behalf of illiterate, blind or other physically challenged persons. There is a provision to give them verbal reply also, if the applicant opts for that.

DM: What has been your area of focus in filing RTI applications. From which departments have you sought more information?

RS: I have never filed any application for personal reason. My only aim is to file applications in the interest of the general public. There is no question of targeting any particular department. I have filed applications only to serve interest of the common masses. For example, the Income Tax Department takes 24 or even 36 months to refund excess tax deducted at source. We are generally unaware that they have to return it within 60 days. When I put an application on behalf of a person, the refund came in 17 days.

Mahesh Kaul (research scholar): What has been your joyous moment with the RTI?

RS: I applied for the copy of the FIR of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. When I got it, I was elated. You would be surprised to know that by that time even the National Archives of India did not have the copy of the same.

JJS: From your experience, tell us how powerful the Right to Information is and how best can we use it?

RS: I often say that the RTI is a magic wand in the hand of common citizens of the country, who were earlier deprived of any authority to ask questions from the government. Today, you can not only ask a government official, minister or department to answer your query but also force them to take action. Wherever I go to spread awareness, I tell people to file applications in a group. Like, just few days ago, I have decided to build a pressure for the restoration work of Mubarak Mandi. The work is going on too slow. I have put up an application seeking details of the delay and the cost escalation. I have also arranged that 50 persons would file similar queries. This will surely force the government to act so that they don’t have to keep answering people daily.

But one must take care on how to use the information. We have to remember that RTI is a mean but not an end to the problem. The information received is the real power and how best we use it would help us in solving problems concerning the public.

Sunaina Kaul (SK): How was your experience in filing RTI with the Centre government departments and applications with the state?

Raman: Pretty bad with the state government. You would be surprised to know that out of over 300, I have filed around 20 RTI applications in various departments like the Jammu Municipal Corporation, Jammu Development Authority and the Regional Transport Office, but there is no response. This is more painful for me as the state was probably the only one in the country where citizens had the right to ask questions during the princely era. There was a system of “sawaal lagana” (making a query) in which common citizens asked the then officials. Usually, they asked questions from the revenue department. The most shocking experience was that when I went to the RTO office, the officer concerned was unaware about the RTI Act and about his duties and responsibilities as PIO. Also, JK residents have so far put just 534 applications, the state that enjoys the status of being at no. 2 in corruption, 534 applications are negligible. The Centre government departments are well oiled in this regard and I am totally satisfied with their speedy response and replies in nearly all the applications.

JJS: What do you do with the information?

RS: I preserve some with me for future use or for asking more information or I share with the media if it deserves an exposure. But I don’t share information that can lead to law and order problem. Generally, my information is regarding an unfinished work and the moment the work is done, it is a closed chapter for me.

Ashutosh Sharma (AS): There is no chairperson for the State Information Commission. Is it affecting the movement?

Raman: It is true that the SIC is headless and has therefore disappointed people over a period of time. Unless a person is appointed, action against officials not furnishing information cannot be taken.

Dinesh Manhotra (DM): What is the provision if any department provides wrong information?

RS: In the RTI Act, there is a provision of penalty if any officer provides wrong information. One can approach even the information commissioner concerned in such case.

Mahesh Kaul: As you are aware, ours is a sensitive state with regional aspirations proving stronger than general public cause. Have you seen some change in the RTI applications between Jammu region and Kashmir region?

RS: It is up to the applicant that what he wants to ask. Unless the national interest is not harmed, he is free to seek any information and details.

JSS: If you are allowed to amend both RTI Acts, what would be your attributions and depletions?

RS: As far as the Central RTI Act is concerned, I do not find any lacuna. But there is a lot to do with the J&K RTI Act. The state government should allow the use the Act even to non-state subjects. Application fee od Rs 50 is excess amount for a common citizen, especially students. There should also be a provision for punitive actions against officers who deliberately ignore the provisions of the Act. Lastly, RTI applicants should be ensured security, if required.

Jammu, May 14
If BJP state president Shamsher Singh Manhas is to be believed, inhabitants of Kandi belt of Doda district are forced to purchase drinking water, as authorities concerned have failed to provide the same in this belt.

However, the Public Health Engineering Department’s officials maintained a silence on their failure to ensure drinking water supply in many parts of the district.

Manhas, who visited Panshri area, which falls under Bhaderwah Assembly segment, said inhabitants of this belt were regularly purchasing water, adding that the schemes formulated by the government were implemented on official documents only.

Local MLA and former Power Minister Mohammad Sharief Niaz stated that the situation was deteriorating due to scarcity of water in Bhaderwah, Bhalessa and Thathri blocks.

“Half of the Bhaderwah Assembly segment is confronting with the scarcity of potable water due to the failure of drinking water supply scheme,” Niaz said, though he did not rule out the possibility of people purchasing water for drinking purposes.

Interestingly, Bhaderwah Assembly segment was earlier represented by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, he said, adding that tenders were invited for some new water schemes, like Jai-II, Prem Nagar Lift Project and Budda Thuban Project, but these would take some time.

A local leader Koushal Kotwal also authenticated Manhas’s statement and said residents of the belt were confronted with the acute shortage of drinking water, but authorities concerned played no heed to their problem.

Kotwal told The Tribune that people of Panshri, a village with a population of over 6,000 people, had repeatedly brought this matter to the notice of the authorities, but nothing had been done so far.

He said there was no source of natural water in the belt, therefore, some people started selling spring water in the village.

“The business of selling water in the village is flourishing as residents of the area have no other option, but to purchase water,” he said.

However, the government admitted that the belt was facing scarcity of drinking water as water supply had reduced below the desired level due to persistent dry spell and drought-like situation resulting into depletion of most of the water resources.

According to official documents, about 44 water supply schemes are under implementation in the belt.

Manhas said people were fed up with the repeated promises of politicians, adding that residents had decided to bring the matter to the notice of the minister concerned during a review meeting of the department at Patnitop a few days back, but they were not allowed to air their grievances.

Srinagar, May 14
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has emphasized on upgradation of the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) as the premier health institution in the country, adding that the government would render every support in this direction.

Chairing the 33rd meeting of the SKIMS governing body here on Wednesday, Omar said besides maintaining its tertiary character of a referral hospital, the medicare facilities being provided by the SKIMS to the patients of various categories need to be carried on.

The Chief Minister said the completion of infrastructure and procurement of equipment should be made time-bound and super-specialty facilities in the institution upgraded as per the advancement in various fields of healthcare and medicines.

The purpose of the institution to relieve the patients from travelling outside the state for specialised treatment has to be fulfilled to its optimum by modernising and upgrading facilities in various medicare areas and faculties. “The trust people repose in the SKIMS for advanced and quality treatment needs to be further cemented by the meticulous healthcare service rendered by the doctors and para-medical staff”, he said.

In a presentation, SKIMS Director Abdul Hamid Zargar gave details of the extra-ordinary medicare tasks performed by the SKIMS during the last one year. He said new procedures and modern techniques had been introduced in intervention cardiology last year and workshops on coronary, paediatric cardiology and electrophysiology were conducted, besides applying radial approach to diagnostic angiographies and renal angioplasties.

Prof Zargar said the SKIMS was one of the few institutions in India to conduct ERCP investigations. He said more than 35,000 upper GI endoscopies, 12250 colonoscopies, 34570 ultra-sonography and 7590 other diagnostic and therapeutic investigations had been conducted in the institution. He said in gastroenterology new methods of endoscopic investigations, video endoscopes, olympus endoscopes, pentex endoscope, colour doppler and black and White US had been introduced in the institution. He said a new technique of splenorenal shunt had also been put in place in the hospital.

The director said a new cobalt unit was being established in the Cancer Care Unit besides introducing brachy-theraphy and linear accelerator. He said for renal diseases a water treatment plant was being established in the SKIMS besides procuring new dialysis machines in addition to modernizing urology with lithotripsy and laser therapy.

He said that SKIMS had become second in north India to start Endo-Rectal MRI directed protatic biopsy. He said genetic basis for HIV-1, genetic alterations in pathogenesis of prostate cancer and study of genetic alterations in multiple myeloma had also been conducted under the Indian Council of Medical Research projects.

Jammu, May 14
Despite tall claims of the government to stop crime against women, there was no respite in cases of crime against women in the state.

As per government records, there has been 20 per cent rise in rape cases in 2010 as compared to 2009. In 2009, from January to April, nine rape cases were registered while in 2010, the figure had risen to 11 cases.

Similarly, there has been 10 per cent increase in molestation cases. In 2009, 12 cases of molestation were registered, which increased to 13 cases this year.

The official record depicts that the level of crime against women has increased this year as compared to the previous year. The figures do not show any worthwhile decline in crime against women. Though, most of women, who were subjected to rape and molestation, do not report the cases to the police for the fear of getting stigmatised in society.

Apart from crime against women, the number of murders that took place during the previous year was also comparatively high this year by 20 per cent. Expressing concern over the rising level of crime against women, Prof Rita Jitendra, a social activist, held the present education system responsible for the rising level of crime against women.

“Our youth lack moral values, which is necessary for them to become good citizens,” she said.

Prof Rita said family support to rape victim was very important, adding that if a woman becomes rape victim, society blames her for the incident, instead of raising finger towards the guilty.