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Turmoil: Contractors, daily wagers, pensioners bear the brunt
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Unrest renders Valley tourist resorts desolate
Cong ministers call for peace
City of migrant labourers
within Jammu
Growers ask govt to boost
basmati rice output
Sheshnag base camp faces
shortage of toilets
Rains dampen kite-makers’ business
Ramban police reaches out to public
Srinagar diary
Chib reviews healthcare facilities
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Turmoil: Contractors, daily wagers, pensioners bear the brunt
Jammu, August 6 Businessmen of the Jammu region have already suffered a huge loss due to the ongoing strike in the Valley whereas pensioners, daily wagers, employees and contractors are also bearing the brunt of the present turmoil. “For the past two months I have been visiting the office of the department concerned to get my bills cleared but the officers in Jammu have been expressing their helplessness due non availability of adequate funds”, said Rajinder Singh, a contractor. Rajinder completed a development work in March this year assigned to him by the Works Department. “I was told that the payment of the work would be made by the end of May but officers are now expressing their helplessness”, he pointed out, adding that that working in the Civil Secretariat has virtually come to a standstill due to the ongoing strike in the Kashmir Valley. Rajinder Singh’s is not an isolated case as bills of a majority of the contractors who had executed the work of desilting the Ranbir Canal this year are yet to be cleared. Similarly, a large number of contractors associated with Public Works Department (PWD) are also facing the similar situation. “We do not know as to how long this turmoil would continue”, quipped Pardeep Sharma. Sharma said that local officers are not at fault as funds are released from the Civil Secretariat “Earlier the funds were not released due to delay in the approval of the annual plan of the state but now the Kashmir situation is not allowing the government to function properly “, he rued. The Planning Commission had approved the Rs-6000 crore annual plan for the state on June 18. As far as the pensioners are concerned, the government had promised to take some decision about providing them additional allowance but the decision has been delayed due to the prevailing situation. In some treasuries pensioners are not getting pension due to non-availability of adequate funds.
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Unrest renders Valley tourist resorts desolate
Baramulla, August 6 While the two-month-long turmoil in the Kashmir Valley has hampered every sector here, the tourism industry, considered the backbone of the economy, has been badly affected, leaving lakhs of people unemployed. “We are ruined as except for a few tourists, who are mostly the Amarnath yatris, all others have cancelled their bookings,” said Gulzar Ahmed, a hotel manager in the famous tourist resort of Gulmarg. Owing to the ongoing turmoil and the indefinite curfew in the entire Kashmir Valley, tourists have stopped coming. A majority of the Amarnath yatris also leave the Valley after visiting the cave shrine. Some of the yatris, however, brave all odds to reach these tourist stations to savour the beauty of the Valley. “This is for the first time that I have been in Kashmir. First I had plans to bring my entire family but due to the turmoil I decided to come alone. Now that I am here I could not resist visiting the places of interest in the Valley,” said Mohinder Singh of New Delhi. Those associated with the tourism industry say that the Amarnath yatris who brave all odds to visit these tourist places help sustain the livelihood of the people associated with the industry. “It is because of these yatris that we are able to earn something,” said Gulzar. Meanwhile, the houseboat owners in Srinagar say though the turmoil has cast its shadow on their livelihood, still some tourists were visiting the houseboats. “Around 30 per cent of the expected tourists, including the Amarnath yatris, are coming to our houseboats, helping us earn something,” said Fayaz Ahmed, a houseboat owner. This year the Valley was expected to host around 10 to 15 lakh tourists. While around six lakh had already visited the Valley in the first half of the year, the number of tourists had fallen drastically owing to the present unrest. “Even a majority of the Amarnath yatris are skipping the Kashmir Valley as most of them are leaving the Valley after paying obeisance at Amarnath,” said an official of the Tourism Department.
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Cong ministers call for peace
Srinagar, August 6 The meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand here on Wednesday unanimously welcomed the statement made by Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in the Parliament and appealed to the people of the state to extend full support to the Omar-led coalition Government for the restoration of peace and tranquility, an official spokesman said. While expressing their confidence in the initiatives and efforts of the state Government led by Omar Abdullah in maintaining peace in the state during the recent incidents, they appealed to all sections of society and right-thinking people to take notice of the sensitivity of the situation and come forward to play a vital role in maintaining calm and peace. The ministers also expressed gratitude to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for taking keen interest in the affairs of the state.
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City of migrant labourers
within Jammu
Jammu, August 6 Here, most of the women are attired in saris, whereas men are dressed in kurta-payjamas. A kind of culture something unusual in Dogra dominated Jammu. The city is nothing, but a cluster of shanties made up of polythene sheets with the support of bamboos. A majority of the migrant labourers from Bihar and others from Madhya Pradesh and Orissa prefer to come here for shopping in a makeshift market set up on a private plot. The market situated near the railway bridge has nearly 70 shops where one can purchase articles ranging from audio-video CDs to clothes, vegetables, utensils, cosmetics and grocery items. Locals also line up in front of these kiosks to purchase vegetables. “Here, you get fresh vegetables and spices on comparatively lesser prices,” says Priyadarsahni, a housewife of Channi area. The place is an example in itself to emulate. None of the shops has door or shutter, so the question of putting locks does not arise. “There has not been even a single instance of theft in the past four years since the inception of the market,” says Swaran Sharma, who is from Bihar. Sharma worked as an electrician before setting up a shop of audio-video CDs. He is doing a brisk business now. The market exhibits the same spirit on festivals whether it is Diwali or Eid. Shopkeepers belonging to both communities deck up the market collectively on all festivals and also celebrate them with the same fervour and gaiety. “The plot belongs to a private contractor. We have to shell out Rs 35-50 on a daily basis as rent for using the land. He has also provided us a generator set, so there is no disruption in electricity when the regular supply is stopped,” said Oma Shankar, a cloth merchant. Shopkeepers here are well aware of the demands of their customers. “The merchant from Bihar brings merchandise from his own state and likewise other shopkeepers from the rest of the states also do the same. Therefore, the prices are also low as they do not exploit their own people,” he added. “We get the goods of our use at reasonable rates here. Things of daily use are readily available here which otherwise are hard to be found or at times not available outside,” said Hariya, a labourer from Bihar. Incessant rain is causing damage to their merchandise. But it is no deterrent to the spirit of shopkeepers as well as their customers. Even as the walkways in-between the shops have turned muddy, hustle-bustle in the market never subsides. |
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Growers ask govt to boost
basmati rice output
Jammu, August 6 Tejinder Singh Wazir, president, J&K Kissan Council, said if the state government wanted to promote the cultivation of basmati rice, it should immediately set up the NBM. Wazir said, “Although the constitution of NBM is a good decision, the government should analyse it thoroughly. The demand for basmati rice is increasing in the global market, but the quality and quantity is the main factor. We should start from the cultivation of top quality produce for tapping its export potential”. He demanded that like other states a basmati export development centre should be constituted. Wazir said in order to improve the quality of basmati for export purpose, the government should introduce agricultural-mechanism like indigenous paddy harvesting and indigenous paddy planters. He also demanded 100 per cent subsidy for rice growers. He said the Department of Agriculture should understand its accountability and do systematic work for the promotion of the crop. The president further demanded the constitution of a basmati mandi in RS Pura so that growers could sell their product without the intervention of middlemen, who had been fleecing the rice growers. Meanwhile, rice growers of RS Pura, said though the demand for basmati rice in the world market is huge, its production was less mainly due to a lack of government support and unsuitable market price of the produce. The total production diminished around 45 per cent this year, they added. They demanded that the government should fix a minimum price of Rs 3,500 per quintal and Rs 1,000 per quintal should be given as cash bonus to the growers. Junda Singh, a progressive basmati grower of Kathua, said, “Though the lifting of ban on the sale of basmati outside the state has proved beneficial, due to a lack of fertilisers and export quality seeds in the market we can’t earn much”. The rice growers have appealed to the government to introduce a policy to promote the crop in the region. Ajay Khajuria, director, Agriculture, said the department was in the process of framing a detailed project report for the constitution of NBM. |
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Sheshnag base camp faces
shortage of toilets
Sheshnag, August 6 The base camp, which has lodging capacity of nearly 15,000 pilgrims, is equipped with only 20 toilets and pilgrims are forced to do excreta in open areas or to wait in queues for their turn. Sheshnag is 7 km away from the holy cave and is situated between snow-clad mountains. The temperature is lower here as compared to other areas. It is also considered as a night halt place, according to some Hindu rituals. The acute shortage of toilets has not only become a headache for pilgrims, but also it is causing difficulties to security officials as the pilgrims can be seen requesting them to allow the use of their toilets. While climbing the traditional route of Pahalgam to reach the holy cave, when The Tribune team reached Sheshnag, it found a long queue of pilgrims outside toilets, as the base camp was overcrowded. Rohit Shori, a pilgrim from Nawanshahar in Punjab, said: "The authorities have forgotten to establish adequate number of toilets to facilitate the pilgrims. As a result, we are facing tougher time here after standing in queues". He added that the board officials should immediately take some steps to tackle this problem, otherwise in the ending days of the yatra, when the number of pilgrims rises, the problem would see an increase. A senior security official deployed at the base camp also accepted the fact. He said: "Everything was done in the eleventh hour and some things have been forgotten, as a result pilgrims are facing problems". He further said as a result they were allowing the pilgrims to use their toilets, as there was no other option left. He added that: "We have told the board officials to take stock of the situation and provide extra mobile toilets". |
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Rains dampen kite-makers’ business
Jammu, August 6 As the Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan fall in August followed by Janmashtmi in September, kites of different colours dot the sky. During all these days, metal or glass-coated strings are also in high demand to cut the strings of rival kites, a favourite sport of people during these days. Many families from Punjab have already camped at Panjtirthi and other areas of the old city. These families belong to agricultural background and during the off-season they come here to make a quick buck. Romesh Lal, an artisan who has come from Punjab and is putting up at Pakka Danga, is a worried man like many other artisans. “I have done negligible business this season. Retailers have put off their orders as they are also not getting customers,” he said. Sonu Kumar, another kite-maker, said kite-making fetches him anything between Rs 50,000 and Rs 70,000 every year and it’s the only source of income for him. “If the downpour continues, people like me will surely sink in credit. We have purchased raw materials like paper, colours and strings on credit,” he said. “Since retailers are not lifting the existing stock, we have stopped making more kites. So, there is no business and therefore no source of income. On the other side, we have to spend money every day to feed our families,” he added. As there is a proverbial saying: “Every cloud has a silver lining”, these kite-makers and those associated with the business believe that weather would be fair with them in the coming days and their business will pick up fast compensating their losses during rainy days. |
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Ramban police reaches out to public
Udhampur, August 6 The efforts could be termed as successful going by the public response, especially marked by the presence of representatives of different political, religious, social as well as trade organisations. Among those who put forth public views included Romesh Chander, Mushtaq Ahmed, Dr Mohan Lal, Gopal Krishan Raina, Prakash Chand and Arjun Singh Raju. The brain behind organising the event, SP Ramban Mubassir Latifi, tried to make the most of the opportunity by making a fervent appeal to people to maintain peace at all costs so that developmental activities did not become a casualty. This had a desired effect as the speakers also acknowledged that peace was imperative in the larger interest of the area’s development. “I take this opportunity to convey to the public not to fall prey to forces inimical to peace. We should all try to ensure that mischief mongers are effectively isolated and for this to happen, the police looks up to your active cooperation,” said Latifi. The representatives from Banihal promptly assured him cooperation, especially in terms of strengthening peace committees. Latifi also requested people to provide feedback about measures being adopted by the police in its administration. He reiterated that the general public should become eyes and ears of the police and should not hesitate in providing inputs regarding nefarious designs of anti-social and anti-national elements to enable the police to neutralise threats from them effectively. Other issues highlighted on the occasion included a scarcity of drinking water, check on drug-peddlers, consumption of liquor and prevailing waywardness among the youth of the area. Regarding issues related to the civil administration. The speakers were assured that their concern in this regard would be taken on a priority with the authorities. |
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Srinagar diary
Doctors do
yeoman service
While employees of various government departments preferred to stay indoors owing to the ongoing unrest, doctors in various government hospitals across the Kashmir Valley did a commendable job by saving many lives. During the ongoing two-month-long unrest in the Valley in which many people lost their lives, hundreds of people were also injured whose lives were saved, thanks to the doctors on duty in various hospitals. Despite facing many odds like not having valid curfew passes, a majority of the doctors managed to reach hospitals to discharge their professional duties. But for these unsung heroes of Kashmir, the death toll in the ongoing unrest in the Valley would have been much higher. Plan to avoid
floods needed
A comprehensive plan is required to protect people living in flood-prone areas, especially those living on banks of streams and nallahs. The flash floods that recently hit Bandipora and Kupwara also brought forth the point that embankments need to be properly managed. Intermittent rain often leads to flash floods in the areas where protection bunds are not well-maintained. Often breaches in embankments lead to disasters, thus putting people in trying circumstances. Floods lead to loss of life and damage to property, apart from loss to agricultural produce. Protection bunds need to be strengthened and looked after well to prevent such losses. The role of people cannot be underestimated as far as the maintenance and protection of bunds is concerned. They need to work in close coordination with the government to prevent further losses. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili, Tejinder Singh Sodhi and
Afsana Rashid)
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Chib reviews healthcare facilities
Srinagar, August 6 The minister appreciated dedication of doctors and paramedical staff in discharging their duties in trying circumstances. He directed officials to make available additional transport facilities for doctors, paramedical staff as well as patients within the municipal limits. Expressing satisfaction over the availability of sufficient stock of drugs, Chib said additional drug supplies, including life saving medicines, would be ensured for tackling exigencies. He also directed for keeping blood bank operational round the clock, an official spokesman said. The minister also directed the authorities to make arrangements for food for attendants of patients when this difficulty was brought to his notice. About the problem of not honouring identity cards sometimes by security personnel, Chib issued instructions to the authorities for treating identity cards of all medical and paramedical officials as curfew passes in all areas where such restrictions were imposed. The minister exhorted doctors to work with devotion and improve patient care. He said the present circumstances had put additional responsibility on their shoulders and it was their obligation to discharge their duties with added zeal and commitment. Feroz Ahmad, secretary, J&K Red Cross, also assured to provide assistance in augmenting transport and drug supplies for providing timely medical succor to the patients. Besides those injured in clashes, other patients are also facing problems on account of targeting of ambulances and other vehicles of hospitals carrying the doctors and paramedical staff to healthcare centres. Meanwhile, Abdul Hameed Zargar, director, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), and Dr Waseem Qureshi, medical superintendent of the SMHS hospital, have pleaded the protesters not to target vehicles carrying patients and medical staff.
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Amarnath yatra is daily witnessing a large number of pilgrims and has already crossed the official figure of 3.75
lakh. Even the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has tried it best to provide all lodging facilities to pilgrims at all base camps en route the holy cave shrine, yet the pilgrims are facing an acute shortage of toilets and urinals in the Sheshnag Base Camp.
Over the past two months, school children, especially those below the age of 10 years, are unaware of the happenings around amid curfew restrictions in the urban areas. They fail to understand as to why they are forced to remain indoors along with most of their elders. Many children wish to go to their schools, play with their schoolmates and those in their neighbourhood. But the situation has forced their parents to keep them in homes. Such kids have to peep through their windows to have a feel of the world outside (See picture). Young people up to the age of about 30 are used to such situations as they grew up amid the roaring sounds of grenade explosions and rattling gunshots. They long to see the peaceful Kashmir of about two decades ago.