Srinagar, December 21
With water bodies frozen due to sub-zero temperatures, thousands of migratory birds in the Kashmir Valley are fighting for food and space in reserves here. So they are being treated to free lunches and dinners - of paddy!

Each year, thousands of greyleg geese, mallards, common teals, pintails, pochards, wigeons, coots and shovellers travel thousands of miles to their winter homes in the Valley. They fly down to the Valley to ward off the extreme winters in Siberia, north Europe, Philippines, China and central Asia.

“This time, we have over six lakh migratory birds in Hokarsar Bird Reserve and over three lakh in Shallabugh Bird Reserve," Ghulam Ahmad Lone, wildlife warden (wetlands), said.

“The extreme cold, especially during the night, has been freezing the wetlands pushing the birds to extreme conditions,” he said.

“They cannot do natural feeding as the water surface is frozen. We have been using paddy to arrange artificial feeding of the birds twice daily and if the temperature continues to fall, we will resort to artificial feeding on a larger scale,” he said.

“We have already made enough stocks of paddy at the reserves to ensure that these wonderful creatures do not suffer because of the lack of natural feeding,” said Lone.

Boats moving out into the wetlands with paddy for the birds have to literally cut through the frozen surface to reach the pockets where they remain glued to each other on the frozen surface.

“By sticking close to each other, the birds manage to keep a small pool of water warm enough not to freeze because of their body temperatures,” Lone said, describing one of the many survival tricks of these hardy souls.

“The tryst has continued for thousands of years and the arrival of these birds in late September is no less than an event for a bird lover like me,” said Master Habibullah, 65, who lives in Chanduna village of north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district close to Shallabugh bird reserve. “I make it a point each year to spend long hours in the evenings in my lawn with my sons and grandchildren watching the majestic flight of migratory birds,” he said. These days, this ardent bird watcher spends most of his time to ensure that no poaching takes place in and around the reserve. Ironically, Habibullah was a keen bird shooter himself when there was no ban on it in the Valley.

“Perhaps, I was too young to understand the complexities of ecology. I am also perhaps paying a penance by looking after the birds now,” said the retired schoolteacher.

Officials claim to have curbed poaching effectively in the bird reserve. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of my staff, we have ensured that no poaching takes place inside the bird reserves,” said Lone.

He also said poaching had mainly been occurring during the evenings when the birds leave the reserves for feeding in lakes and unprotected water bodies of the Valley.

Asked whether the birds could move down to the plains in other states of the country if the present cold spell continued here, the wildlife warden said: “It is possible, but not probable. As the winter progresses we are going to have snow here and that would come as a bliss for the birds”. “Not only do their natural habitats expand because of the snowfall but their mobility and agility also picks up after the snowfall,” Lone said. — IANS

Jammu, December 21
Life would have been a desired journey for Mohammad Farroq had the overcrowded and decrepit mini-bus, in which he was traveling, negotiated the sharp curve thereby averting the mishap that took place at Tata Pani in Kalakote tehsil on December 1.

However, the vehicle plunged into a deep gorge and Farooq was one of the critically injured passengers. He is currently struggling for life at the ICU of Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

Since childhood, this 21-year-old boy had a burning desire to join one of the country’s security forces. His efforts did bring him some success, but destiny failed him. Last month, he reportedly got selected during a recruitment drive of the BSF in Rajouri and was supposed to join the training on December 22.

Farooq, a class XII student, comes from a humble Gujjar family of Sonchal village in Darkeri. On December 1, he boarded the ill-fated mini-bus for his school.

In the accident, he sustained serious injuries and his left leg was broken. He was flown to Jammu in an Army helicopter along with 13 other mishap victims in a critical condition. In the accident, at least 40 persons were injured whereas four died on the spot and three succumbed to their injuries later.

Due to a long list of patients waiting for surgeries at the orthopedic ward of GMCH, he could not be operated upon for a fortnight. During this period, a traumatised Farooq kept regretting his fate.

“We waited for the operation till December 16, when he was taken to the operation theatre. As soon as he was administered anesthesia, he suffered a heart attack and was shifted to the ICU,” Abdul Rashid, Farooq’s cousin narrated the events, regretting, “Had he been operated on the same day or a day after, he could have been recuperating by this time or at the least his agony would have been cut short”.

Farooq is the only son of his old and ailing parents, Abdul Latif (75) and Noor Begum (65). He is being looked after by Rashid in the hospital.

“Most of the diagnostic tests are being referred to private labs. Blood too had to be arranged on our own. Besides tests, medicines have cost us about Rs 6,000. We hope the amount would be reimbursed by the government,” Rashid said, adding, “The MLA (Rashpal Singh) has not visited us as yet. Our entire family supported him during the Assembly elections. We wish if someone could convey our plight to him”.

Jammu, December 21
While Jammu residents await the coming up of Central University in Samba district, the state government has still not deposited Rs 16 crore with the Forest Department for using 200 acres of forestland in Khoo Talab and Suchani village for setting up the university.

The government has often claimed that the university is being delayed due to the non-appointment of the vice-chancellor by the Central government, but it has been learnt that even the process of acquisition of land has not been completed.

The university, if it ever comes up at the announced site in Samba district, would affect the ecology of the region as the forest cover in 200 acres is house to various species of birds, wild boars, barking deer and even leopards, who were also spotted there recently. However, so far no one has raised objection regarding damage to the ecology that the setting up of the university would cost.

Officials revealed that the land was chosen by mistake. “There is no clarity on the revenue land and forestland in the state. The Samba district authorities thought that the 200 acres was revenue land and earmarked it for the university. The state Cabinet also approved it but when officials reached there, the forest range officer stopped them claiming it as forestland.”

The official said in that case, the state government had to start the process of change of land use. “For this, the Forest Department was to be given compensation and an equal area elsewhere to develop forest. As no other land was available, the compensation had to be doubled as per the norms laid down by the Supreme Court.”

“This money has not been paid so far due which there is no physical activity on the ground”. Official sources disclosed that the appointment of the vice-chancellor was important as he would be in charge of the setting up of the university, but most important was that the land had to be legally available to the state government.

Revenue Minister Raman Bhalla recently claimed that the setting up of the university had been delayed due to the non-appointment of the VC.

Talking to The Tribune, he insisted that the process of giving compensation to the Forest Department was under way and the government was committed for the setting up of the university. He stressed that VC’s appointment was must so that there was some nodal officer available to set up the university.

Jammu, December 21
As curtains come down on 2010 in a few days from now, a look back into the year reveals that the security forces eliminated 72 militants, apprehended 18 and ensured surrender of seven militants.However, fighting the Pakisatan-sponsored terrorism has never been easy in the restive Jammu and Kashmir.

The security forces, particularly the Army, lost 18 of its men while 41 sustained injuries in various encounters across the Jammu region.

During the year, the Army launched several seek-and-destroy operations that led to phenomenal success against various terror outfits in Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban and Udhampur districts, said a senior Army officer.

“Our concerted operations inflicted heavy losses on top leadership of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) and Hizbul Mujahideen outfits in the region,” he added.

“In first half of 2010, we succeeded in eliminating at least 44 militants, including top leaders of Lashkar, Hizbul and Jaish,” said the officer, who attributed the success to close synergy between various counter insurgency forces, including the police, CRPF and the BSF.

“Since militancy remained at low ebb in 2008 and 2009, we had sufficient intelligence inputs of a spurt in terror activities this year. In a bid to take them (ultras) head on, we launched a number of seek-and-destroy operations. The strategy paid off as constant pressure took militants by surprise”.

In January, a surgical operation led to the elimination of two HM ultras, Maqbool Hussain and Abu Umar, alias Vedha, alias Ibrap, in the Thanol area. Thereafter, the security forces kept up pressure on militants, killing Abu Dawood, a dreaded ultra of Jaish in the Chunga area on January 17.

“From January 10 to June 17, we killed 44 militants in various operations across Jammu and then there was a brief lull till July 10,” he said, attributing the “calm” on perplexed militants who were forced to run for their lives.

Then followed a daunting task for the security forces in Beri Rakh forests in Mendhar where the Army lost a young and valiant officer, Maj Amit Thenge, and injuries to a colonel and over 12 soldiers in a protracted gun battle.

“In the gun battle, we eliminated at least six militants, but also lost Major Thenge, but that’s the part of the game. We should be proud of our men who are always ready to sacrifice their lives in the line of duty,” said the officer.

It may be stated that in the long drawn out battle, the Army, in consonance with other counter insurgency forces, gunned down six Lashkar militants from July 11 to July 18 in the Saranwa, Dhalyot, Uttreni and Lanka Top areas.

While constant pressure forced some of the ultras to flee the state, seven of them surrendered because had they carried on with their subversive activities they would have also been killed in encounters, he said.

On March 3, two HM ultras, Abdul Rashid, alias Hamza, alias Bali, and Sher Mohammed, had surrendered in Doda followed by Gul Mohammed Mangnoo, alias Rafia Moulvi, and Mohammed Asif Hussain, a.k.a. Abu Maaz, both of Lashkar, in Doda on August 22.

On September 29, another ultra Taj Mohammed of HM surrendered before the security forces in the Thannamandi area.

Similarly, two other militants of Hizbul viz Mohammed, Iqbal Naik, alias Majeed, and Abdul Majeed, alias Farooq, returned to the mainstream laying their arms at Ramsu and Kalai on November 8 and November 29, respectively.

“While surrender has always been an option for the militants, they return to the mainstream only when they realise the futility of violence and at the same time know their fate (of getting killed in encounters) at the hands of security forces,” the officer said.

Talking about militants, who were apprehended by the security forces in 2010, the officer said 18 ultras, including a woman, were nabbed by the Army till December 11.

“We apprehended a woman militant, Shafina Bano, on February 4 this year from the Sangram Bhatta area. She had links with HuJI and we had specific inputs about her involvement in militancy-related activities. The woman had been providing logistic support to the ultras”.

The officer also referred to the arrest of dreaded ultra Abdulla Inqullabi of Doda from Karol Bagh in New Delhi and Moulvi Gulam Nabi, alias Javed Quershi, and his associate Tanveer from Dehradun where they had fled.

Even as security forces continued fighting terrorism, the Army this year lost 18 of its men, including Major Thenge, while 41 men in olive, including three officers and three JCOs, sustained injuries in various operations across Jammu.

The year also witnessed the death of two soldiers, one each of the Army and the BSF in ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

“This year, Pakistan so far violated the ceasefire 23 times, 19 times in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district alone,” said the officer.

Giving the break up of the past five years, he stated that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire 11 times in 2006, 24 times in 2007, 37 times in 2008, 13 times in 2009 and 23 times so far this year.

“In such violations in the past five years, we lost 12 soldiers, including a BSF jawan, but at the same time, our morale is high and we act professionally”.

“They (Pakistani troops) indulge in misadventure to try and push armed ultras but we know their game plan. Compared to last year, when the Army had foiled three intrusion bids, the number has risen to six this year so far”.

Jammu, December 21
The statue of a veteran Congress leader Girdhari Lal Dogra in Hiranagar town on the Jammu-Pathankote National Highway is presently in a state of neglect and fighting a battle for its existence.The construction of an elevated flyover on the highway is dwarfing the otherwise high stature of the Congress stalwart who had served the state as the Finance Minister for 27 years and also represented the region in the Parliament.

The Dogra Samiti, which had installed the statue at the Hiranagar Chowk soon after his death on November 27, 1987, lamented that the construction of the flyover too close to the statue was seemingly posing a grave problem to its existence. Hiranagar was a birthplace of Girdhari Lal Dogra who was born on July 17, 1915 in the town.

A spokesperson for the Dogra Samiti said the widening of the road, to make it four-lane after the construction of a flyover, was bound to cause problems to the statue and the option of shifting it to somewhere else was not plausible.

He said the issue was raised many a times with engineers of the National Highways Project responsible for the construction of the flyovers on this highway. “We were assured that the flyover would not be constructed too close to the statue and also it would be of a normal height. However, the way flyover is attaining elevation, it is surely going to overshadow our leader’s statue that was known for his simplicity, honesty and forthrightness in politics,” he said.

Shops and business establishments that once boasted of facing the highway and being identified by the veteran leader’s statue are also finding themselves in trouble. Local shopkeepers said both elevation and length of the flyover were dividing the town in two parts. “Such a divide is bound to cause severe problems to our trade and business,” said Sudesh Kumar, who owns a readymade garments shop.

Some shopkeepers said they were not averse to development. “But it shall not be at the cost of our business interests. All we need are some lanes and openings beneath the flyover to link both parts of the divided town,” said an owner of an automobile shop.