Leh, October 8
Phunchok Stobdan, who earlier used to do business worth lakhs in a day, has left with a little money in his bank account and with which he has started his business in a small booth here. Earlier, he was having a lavish lifestyle, but as destiny would have it, he is now craving for every single penny.

Phunchok owned Zen Hardware and Sanitary Store near the New Bus Stand in Leh, which was completely washed away in the catastrophe that struck on August 6, making him poorer by Rs 1.25 crore.

Phunchok was one of the top five richest persons of the town. This ill-fated man is an electrical engineer and has completed his education from Chandigarh. Everyone in the town knows him for his good behaviour and jolly nature.

“Though I have almost came on the road, people still respect me. It is not because I suffered huge losses, but due to my professional growth, which I attained in a short period of seven years,” says Phunchok and cries while remembering the loss, which he suffered in the 20 minutes of nature’s fury.

Even as he is trying his best to put his life to back on track, his eyes become wet a number of times when he remembers his good old days.

“I have suffered a huge loss of Rs 1.25 crore and it was not even insured. So, it is still giving me sleepless nights that how I will be able to get back the position that I earlier used to enjoy in the market,” asserts Phunchok.

He says his entire money has been lost in the catastrophe and he couldn’t blame anyone for his loss. “My tension becomes graver as my credit in market is about 60 lakh and people are now refusing to return it to me, as my all account books, including computers and ledger books, have been washed away,” rues Phunchok and adds that he could not even claim his money back from his clients as he has no proof left.

“Now, I have been regularly meeting the deputy commissioner and the local MLA to get any relief against my loss, but they have shown their helplessness,” claims Phunchok.

He adds that the authorities told him that they had no order or power to give any relief money to people whose shops had been damaged in the flash floods.

Phunchok, however, is not the lone person who suffered huge losses as there are a number of other persons who are waiting to get any relief from the government against their loss of commercial establishments.

Another such person, Tashi, earlier used to do brisk business of marble, but now nothing has left at his shop. He is the immediate neighbor of Phunchok.

Tashi suffered a loss of around Rs 20 lakh and is visiting senior officers these days in the hope of getting some aid.

A number of other moderate shopkeepers are also seeking relief.

However, neither the Union nor state government has framed any policy to give compensation in shape of money to shopkeepers, who suffered heavy losses.

T. Angchok, Leh deputy commissioner, says, “There are no norms to give any compensation money to shopkeepers. Everyday, a large number of people visit my office seeking some relief against the loss of their shops, but I have no power to grant any money. Even I am waiting for directions of the higher-ups to help the needy persons”. He further says though he is aware of the loss suffered by Phunchok and many others like him, his hands are tied.

The deputy commissioner adds, “People in Leh are less aware or not interested in getting their business establishments insured. That is why they are facing this kind of situation”.

Jammu, October 8
The statement by Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Qamar Ali Akhoon in the Legislative Assembly regarding survey to update the below poverty line (BPL) lists is a clear indication that during the past one year the government has just been giving assurances without doing anything concrete so far.

The government has been claiming that survey of the BPL lists has been going but till date the lists are yet to be updated.

In the budget session of the Legislative Assembly held in Jammu in March, the minister concerned had promised that updated lists would be prepared within three months and pasted at panchyat ghars all over the state. Even after six months, the government has again been stating that survey has been under way to update the lists, giving credence to the allegations that the authorities are not serious about updating the existing BPL lists.

It is widely alleged that some influential persons, with political patronage, have managed to get their names incorporated in the BPL lists while a large chunk of the deserving lot has been excluded from the

BPL category. In every Assembly session this issue was taken up by the members irrespective of their party affiliations but except for promises nothing has been done so far in this regard.

In the last Assembly session at Jammu, the minister had had admitted that deserving families had left out, assuring that these discrepancies would be removed within three months.

After six months the minister has again assured the MLAs that committees have been constituted for conducting a fresh survey of the BPL population to update the BPL lists.

He said the government had constituted committees, making the Deputy Commissioners concerned as the nodal officers for re-verification of the BPL population so that the genuine beneficiaries reaped the benefits of various state and centre welfare schemes.

The minister has once again assured that the survey would ensure that only genuine people are listed in the BPL category.

The minister rued that due to the exclusion of their names from the BPL category, a large number of deserving poor families in the state were not getting the benefits of schemes exclusively meant for them. 

Srinagar, October 8
Minister for Revenue, Relief and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla has said that the government has put up a relief demand of Rs 211.28 crore to the Centre for providing succour to drought-hit farmers in the state.

He said the comprehensive relief package was formulated after conducting special girdwari in all areas and the losses have been worked out through joint departmental teams under the supervision of concerned deputy commissioners and tehsildars.

This was stated by the Minister while replying to a question by Ashwani Sharma in the Legislative Assembly here yesterday.

Bhalla said the relief would be distributed among the affected farmers soon after the Centre accords approval to it.

The Minister said to provide immediate relief to affected farmers whose crops were damaged due to the drought during kharif-2009, the government has released Rs 70.45 crore and kept it under the disposal of divisional commissioners, Kashmir and Jammu, for providing rations free of cost at 35 kg per family per month for three months through the Department of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.

Bhalla said a Central team also visited the state and assessed on-the-spot losses of all drought-hit areas and the report was under consideration with the Centre.

Replying to the supplementaries of MY Tarigami, Harshdev Singh, Balwant Singh Mankotia, Hakeem Yasin, Radhey Sham Sharma, Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, Sajad Ahmad Kitchloo, Er. Abdul Rashid and Jugal Kishore, the Revenue Minister said 18 districts had been declared drought-hit areas and special survey of the losses in these districts had been already worked out for financial assistance. He assured the members that necessary financial assistance to all affected farmers would be provided after receiving financial assistance from the Centre.

Leh, October 8
Leh district is facing an acute shortage of labourers, which is hampering the construction of houses for hundreds of displaced victims of the recent disaster.

The District Administration had to approach the Border Road Organisation (BRO), which is working in the region and has many labourers, to engage their labourers in the construction of houses at Solar Colony, where 158 displaced families of Choglamsar are being rehabilitated.

Deputy Commissioner Tsering Angchuk said: “After the intervention of the PMO, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industries, New Delhi, has committed to bringing 50 labourers, including masons, from Delhi and a few of them have already arrived in Leh”. Angchuk further said the BRO had also promised to provide 200 labourers, including masons. Due to the shortage of labourers, the wage has increased threefold in the district and presently it has reached up to Rs 500 with food.

Under the incentive schemes, additional Rs 2 lakh under the Prime Minister National Relief Fund and financial assistance for engaging labourers in reconstruction of houses would be provided to the flood victims.

Angchuk said: “An incentive of Rs 30,000 per fully damaged house and Rs 20,000 per partially damaged house will be provided in two instalments to the victims for engaging labourers during the reconstruction of houses. The first instalment will be released only if they start the reconstruction by October 15 and the second instalment will be released after the 50 per cent completion of houses by November 10”.

Srinagar, October 8
Goods worth `356 crore were exchanged between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during the last financial year.

The value of cross-LoC trade on Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route was to the tune of `164.21 crore, while goods worth `192.57 crore were exchanged on the Poonch-Rawalakote route during the last financial year, State Industries and Commerce Minister SS Slathia said recently.

Responding to a question in the state legislative council here, Slathia said exports from this side along the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was worth `71.80 crore, while the import from PoK was of the value of `92.41 crore.

On the Poonch-Rawalkote route in the Jammu region, goods worth `70.73 crore were exported to PoK and goods worth `121.83 crore were imported. Slathia said the government had conveyed its desire to the Centre for the opening of more trading points, including Tatapani, Balnoi, RS Pura-Sialkot, Keran-Bimbergali and Kargil-Skardu. He said opening of more trading routes was a matter to be decided between India and Pakistan.

Responding to a question about banning of import and export of profitable items, the minister said goods produced in the respective countries were to be traded along these routes.

"How can 5,000 tonnes of garlic be exported to this side when the total produce of the country (Pakistan) is just five tonnes? It was found that the extra quantity was made in China, hence the ban," Slathia said.

Slathia said five telephone lines with ISD facility were functional at the trade facilitation centres at Salamabad in the Uri sector of Kashmir and Chakan-da-bagh in the Poonch sector of Jammu for the convenience of traders. He said `40 crore had been sanctioned for creating infrastructure and facilities like yard, custom building and allied equipment at these centres. "`4.82 crore has already been spent on it," he added. — PTI

Srinagar, October 8
Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Rural Development Department, has said that the engagement of 17,500 supporting staff under MGNREGA will be fast-tracked to give fillip to the execution of the scheme.

He said 6 per cent administrative expenditure component of MGNERGA would be utilized for the purpose.

The minister was replying to a question by Charanjit Singh in the Legislative Assembly. The wage rate under MGNERGA had been enhanced from `70 to `110 per day after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took up the issue with the Centre. He said the government had also put up the demand for enhancing the rate to Rs.150 to the Governing Council of MGNERGA.

Sagar said the expeditious engagement of supporting staff would catalyze the execution of flagship programme of MGNERGA and ensure meeting the targets in time.

He said the government had succeeded in securing `575-crore wage budget for the current fiscal as against last year's allocation of `192 crore for the state. He asked MLAs to set apart some amount from their Constituency development funds and panchayat development funds to boost development in their respective constituencies.

The minister said Rural Department officers had been directed to take five works in each village under MGNERGA, adding that any complaint in this regard could be brought to his notice. He assured action against the erring officials within 24 hours if any official of his department was found committing any irregularity.

Earlier, replying to a question by Charanjit Singh, the minister informed the House that steps were being taken to fill all posts speedily in Kathua district under MGNREGA.

Sagar said an expenditure of `60.97 lakh had been incurred in the Kathua constituency under the scheme out of which the material component was `12.20 lakh and wage component `53. 77 lakh. He said the low material cost of ratio was due to execution of more kachha works in the constituency on the basis of a demand driven action plan approved at the village level.

The Minister informed that MGNREGA was launched in district Kathua with effect from April 1 2008. He said Kathua constituency comprises of 50 Nos of Panchayat halqas falling in Kathua and Barnoti blocks adding that during 2008-09 and 2009-10 no work under JKMRGES was started without estimates and administrative approval. 

Most of the time, roads across the city remain deserted these days either due to the curfew restrictions or the general strikes. It is only for the office-goers, students or teachers of government or private schools that they make it early in the mornings. A majority of the children in the urban areas of Srinagar and other major towns of the Valley have suffered a lot during the past four months of turmoil. Usually the roads, lanes and bylanes remain deserted with fewer people there during daytime. 

The people seem to have become used to such situations. It may be difficult at times for the two wheelers to ply on the roads, but the bicycle (See picture) has continued to be a safe mode of transport even in the midst of clashes. While many office-goers have shifted from cars to motorbikes to reach their offices, the poor lot remains sanguine with the bicycle as long as the curfew restrictions are not enforce strictly in the congested localities 

While most fruit growers make money by selling the crop in the markets of Delhi and other parts of the country, small children are seen collecting the fruit fallen from the trees to sell it to local people. Early morning children in large numbers collect heaps of fallen apple. 

These apples laid out in boxes are placed along the main roads for making a quick buck. As the shelf life of the fallen fruit is very low as compared to the hand-plucked fruit, these children sell these at a cheaper price. After selling the fruit, these children share the money with the owner of the orchard concerned. Many orchard owners hire these kids to sell the fallen apple so as to make some money.

As this fallen apple is not packed lest it should get rotten soon, it is sold in the open. The good-quality apple goes to the markets outside, neatly packed in wooden or cardboard boxes.

@(Contributed by Ehsan Fazili and Tejinder Singh Sodhi)

Srinagar, October 8
The development of Lakhanpur-Bani-Basohli-Sarthal tourist circuit has been taken up under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Programme (PMRP) at a cost of Rs 7.99 crore, out of which Rs 6.39 crore has been released till date by the Centre.

This information was given by Nasir Aslam Wani, Minister of State for Tourism, in reply to a question by Lal Chand in the Legislative Assembly. 

He said till August this year, Rs 4.7 crore had been incurred on the development of infrastructure of varied sorts under the circuit and added that the construction of Art Development Centre, Basohli, and Tourist Development Centre at Sarthal had been completed while the work on viewing corridor, Basohli, wayside amenities at Bhoond and tourist complex at Bani was in progress.

He said over Rs 2.19 crore had been incurred so far on the construction of tourist complex at Bani.

Replying to another question by Krishan Chand Bhagat, the minister said the development work of health resort Mantalai and other adjourned areas had been entrusted to the Patnitop Development Authority. All tourist resorts of the areas would be developed in a phased manner after the formulation of detailed project report, he added.

Nasir Aslam Wani said the remaining tourist resorts falling in their respective constituencies would also be developed. The construction work of Jammu cable car project would be completed within one and a half years, he added.