Srinagar, September 24
Social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and YouTube are being misused by some disgruntled elements in the Kashmir Valley to instigate the people to once again take up weapons and fight against Indian forces.

These users are glorifying the sacrifices being made by stone-pelters in the Valley and trying to instigate the sentiments of Kashmiri people to once again take up weapons to fight against Indian oppression in the state.

They are uploading images of wailing relatives of 107 persons who died in the ongoing unrest. They are using pictures that glorify the violence and also glorify the people who take up weapons to fight for their rights.

One such widely circulated picture on Facebook, that is mostly being used by the people in Kashmir not only to remain in touch, but also to spread messages and rumours, shows a young man holding an AK-47 rifle with a message, “Do you think the time has come to take weapons again”.

He also calls himself “sangbaaz” (stone-pelters) and terms himself a warrior with stone, who shouts “Go India Go Back”.

In another such picture, a young boy is shown with an AK-47 rifle which reads that these kids are the generation next of Kashmir.

The users who upload these pictures have a large friend list in Kashmir that includes peoples from every sphere of life. There are a large number of anti-India slogans and comments posted on such sites.

Even as the police in the state has issued a warning to Internet users not to upload such pictures and videos which instigate the sentiments of the people, they seem to be least bothered about such warnings.

“Many of the users who upload such types of inflammatory pictures, videos and texts actually are outsiders and most of them operate from Pakistan with a fake Kashmiri identity,” said a senior police officer.

The police in Kashmir had earlier booked two users of Facebook and YouTube for uploading a video allegedly showing a Kashmiri youth being paraded naked by security forces in Sopore.

New Delhi, September 24
As curfew and restrictions continue to hinder public movement in Kashmir, Internet has emerged as a new choice of communication with separatist and militant leaders who are using the medium for spreading their message.

In less than a week’s time, a large number of videos of United Jehad Council chairman and chief of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Syed Salahuddin and hard line separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani have been uploaded on Youtube and other social networking sites.This is for the first time in the past 20 years, when the insurgency began in the state, and also for the first time in past 10 years when Internet started becoming popular in Kashmir, that any political or militant group is using cyberspace for communicating with the people.

In the past, these groups have mostly relied on news channels and newspapers, while the hard line faction of the Hurriyat Conference has vehemently pursued the course of addressing gatherings, including the funerals of militants.

In a latest video, uploaded on Youtube on September 17, Hizb chief Salahuddin, seen in a dim lit room wearing his trademark skullcap and a scarf on his shoulders, addresses the people of Kashmir asking them to refrain from the all-party delegation, which he termed as a fraud. Hizb chief also expresses support for Geelani’s September 21 call for march to Army camps to press the demand for withdrawal of security forces. The protest was later called off by the Geelani group.

In another video uploaded on September 14, Salahuddin praised the role of youth in the current wave of protests saying they will be remembered in the history of the world.

A barrage of Geelani’s videos has been uploaded on the Internet, making him a prominent face in the virtual world. Telephonic interviews of Geelani with national and international channels have also been recorded in video and uploaded on these sites.

In a recent video shot at Geelani's Hyderpora residence and uploaded on September 17, Geelani is seen talking on a telephone, presumably addressing people at the funeral of a militant who was killed after a gunfight with the police and the Army in South Kashmir’s Tral region. In the video, Geelani eulogises the militants.

In the past three months, as the space for dissent remain curtailed due to restrictions and curfews, hundreds of Kashmir's netizens have used Internet to share pictures and videos of alleged human rights violations committed by the security forces.

Pictures of stone-pelting youths and funerals of those killed in the police and paramilitary firing have also been a regular feature.

Masarat Alam, who in the last three months has attained an iconic status in the separatist camp and stone-pelting youngsters, was among the first to use the Internet for the purpose of spreading his message. — PTI

Jammu, September 24
Molding stress into strength using “spiritual ayurveda”, with this slogan, an organisation of young ayurveda exponents under the banner of Atreya Foundation has been helping people overcome stress effectively.

The organisation, founded by Dr Varun Suthra, an ayurveda psychiatry expert, last year held nearly 100 workshops and seminars in government and private offices, besides schools and colleges.

A bachelor of ayurveda medicine and surgery and specialised in “panch karma” therapy from Kerala, Dr Varun says: “Jammu is a small and ambitious city. It wants to see itself developed like any other metropolis. While chasing dreams, every second person is stressed out as efforts more often fall short of expected results”.

“At the social and individual level, the environment of families is changing, so are human relations and cultural patterns. Everyone is feeling alienated,” he observes and shares his day-to-day experience, “Talk to any person in Jammu. Everyone wants a government job for himself or his family members, but all the while he is obsessed with the idea that Jammuites are being discriminated whereas Kashmiris get away with the larger share of government jobs. It is because of this notion, they feel being dominated by the latter”.

“Aspirations are big while resources and opportunities are scarce,” he maintains and adds that the gap between the two provides ground for all sorts of stress-related disorders. “Here lies tremendous scope for students of ayurveda which they need to explore for serving people”.

“Quacks have been exploiting patients whereas degree holders have been looking for government jobs and there is a vacuum. They do not have alternatives,” he says and adds, “The role of an ayurveda psychiatry expert starts with exploring the nature of his patient that is his psycho-physical setup.

One cloth cannot fit all”.

“During our workshops, we make use of projectors and introduce people to games and exercises that can help in stress management. We even use theatrical plays to popularise ayurveda and its practices,” he says.

He says the organisation primarily lays focus on ayurveda’s rejuvenation therapy. “It purifies body from toxins and is best stress-buster. It also involves massages. One can consult ‘Charaka Samhita’ for reference text in this context,” he says.

He explains, “People have a notion that ayurveda is all about shrubs but it is half truth. Medicines constitute only 30 per cent of ayurveda whereas 70 per cent of it involves ‘dev chikitsa’ (methodical approach, and meditation techniques through constant practice) and ‘satvavajaya’ (ayurvedic psychotherapy that is about counselling and behavioural management)”.

“Our mission is to popularise the applied and practical part of ayurveda with the help of modern techniques so that people get benefited,” he concludes.

Srinagar, September 24
While the ongoing unrest in the Kashmir Valley has spelt doom on all business activities here, fruit growers, who wait for the entire year to harvest their crops, are the worst sufferers as in the absence of any transportation their produce is rotting in the open.

The over Rs 2,000-crore fruit trade in Kashmir, which provides employment to more than four lakh people in the Valley, has so far suffered losses to the tune of around Rs 200 crore due to the unrest.

Fruit growers allege that owing to curfews, men in uniform were not allowing them to go to their orchards and at many occasions, their tools were taken away by security personnel when they try to go to orchards.

“The fruit which is ripe now is either rotting on trees or a large part of the crop has fallen on the ground and has been spoiled. Whatever we were able to harvest and pack in boxes is rotting in the absence of any transport facility,” said Ghulam Ahmed, a fruit grower from Baramulla.

Political parties in Kashmir, too, have come forward and asked the government to take effective measures so that the produce was not destroyed. The state wing of the CPI(M) has urged the government to take immediate and concrete measures for the transportation and marketing of apples.

In the prevailing situation, fruit growers are confronted with severe difficulties with regard to transportation, high fares and other requirements in the post-harvest process of apple crop.

“The fruit industry in the Valley has suffered losses of over Rs 200 crore during the past couple of months and if the trend continues, the industry will get badly affected, thereby posing a threat to the state’s economy,” said MY Tarigami, state secretary, CPI(M).

Tarigami said: “Apple being the prime cash crop of the state fetches income over Rs 2,000 crore per annum to the state and assures direct and indirect livelihood to lakhs of people,” adding that a contingency plan was imperative to provide adequate trucks to the fruit growers so that the horticulture harvest reaches to outside market.

Tarigami suggested for utilising SRTC truck fleet for transportation of fresh fruits, besides arranging trucks from other states. He urged the government to regulate fares as transporters were charging exorbitant rates from the growers for transportation of fresh fruits to outside markets. He also demanded the availability of packing and other facilities to the fruit growers and effective implementation of the market intervention scheme.

The Mehbooba Mufti-led PDP has also expressed anguish over the government’s inability to help the fruit growers who were forced to face the worst due to the unrest.

Srinagar, September 24
Qamar Ali Akhoon, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) and Transport, said 7.42 lakh quintals of foodgrains had so far been distributed this month. Of this 3.50 lakh quintals were provided to consumers of Kashmir Division and 3.92 lakh quintals to those of Jammu.

This was revealed at a meeting of Consumers Affairs & Public Distribution (CA&PD) department officers to review the supply and stock position.

The minister called for gearing up of field staff to make sufficient availability of essential goods. He directed the authorities concerned to maintain the present ration scales for the month of October also. He asked for strictly compliance of the rates of essential commodities fixed by the government, besides displaying of rate lists at the sale outlets.

Akhoon also directed the authorities to stock essential commodities in faroff and inaccessible areas for the winter season so that people did not suffer in

The meeting was told that 52,000 quintals of sugar was provided to consumers in different districts. The meeting was informed that the stocking of foodgrains for winter months in inaccessible areas of Kashmir Division was going on smoothly. As much as 49,690 quintals of rice, 16580 quintals of atta, 5,000 quintals of sugar and 1.68 lakh litres of kerosene had so far been dispatched to the remote and border areas of Kupwara district and Gurez sector of Bandipora district for winter stocking. Similarly, 94,930 quintals of rice, 9,240 quintals of sugar and 83,780 quintals of atta and wheat had been dispatched for stocking in the twin districts of the Ladakh region. EOM.

Meanwhile, Ali Mohammad Sagar has called upon the divisional administration to gear up its men and machinery for giving fillip to developmental activities under execution in the Valley. He also stressed on ensuring the availability of essential commodities, medicare and other public utilities to the people during the prevailing situation.

The minister urged the health authorities to ensure medicare facilities to the needy people round the clock. He also asked the Consumer Affairs and Public Administration (CA&PD) authorities to ensure that adequate stocks of essential commodities are available at the ration depots and other departmental outlets so that people do not face any hardships during the present situation.

Sagar also called upon the Social Welfare Department authorities to ensure timely disbursement of pension and other benefits under different welfare schemes to the people.

Jammu, September 24
Some officials engaged in the ongoing developmental projects in Jammu are likely to face action after Nasir Aslam Wani, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, publicly expressed his anguish over the pace of work of a sewerage project in the city.

Despite sanctioning of funds by the state and Central governments, work on the sewerage and drainage project in the city has been going on at a snail’s pace. As many parts of the city have been dug up, locals have been facing hardships.

The sewerage project was scheduled to be completed by the end of March this year, but owing to slow pace of work it has been delayed.

Sources said the minister had received a number of complaints from locals about the problems being faced by them due to dug-up roads. Residents in their complaints had pointed out that after digging up lanes, the authorities left the work midway. It was also mentioned in the complaints that neither the administration nor the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC), which is executing the project, were acting on the complaints.

The sources said after receiving the complaints, the minister inspected the work and found that it was going on at a slow place. The minister observed that most of the officials have failed to meet the deadline.

The sources added that the minister had made it clear to the officials concerned that responsibilities should be fixed on those at the helm of affairs to complete the project within a stipulated time.