Srinagar, June 28
The Kashmir Valley these days is reaping the benefits of the ongoing peace as all the tourists destinations here are overflowing with both domestic and foreign tourists.

After witnessing a lull in the inflow of tourists for the past three years due to unrest in the valley, the prevailing peace is giving rich dividends to the people associated with the tourism industry here.

“Thanks to the prevailing peace this summer, the Kashmir Valley is once again the sought after heaven on earth, overflowing with tourists who have snapped up every possible airline seat and accommodation in hotels, guest houses, houseboats, tourist huts and lodges,” said Bashir Ahmed, a local tour operator.

The officials of the state Tourism Department say they are expecting that the number of visitors to the valley could even cross one million mark this year.

“Since January this year, 4,85,828 tourists have arrived in the valley, which include 4,42,540 domestic and 13,207 foreign tourists. More than 30,000 tourists have visited Ladakh after the Srinagar-Leh highway was thrown open,” an official of the Tourism Department said.

Though the mercury in the Kashmir valley continues to soar, but still the people who come from other parts of the country say that they have been enjoying the climate in the valley. The rise in the temperature in the valley promoted Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to tweet, “Srinagar is so damn hot. Where the hell is the rain when you need it?”

The tourism sector, which is the second major source of the state’s economy after horticulture, had suffered badly for the past three years due to the turmoil in the valley. The Amarnath land row in 2008; the Shopian double rape and murder case in 2009; and the unrest in 2010 had affected the tourism here.

Though tourists are here in abundance, the fear of last year’s turmoil is still on the minds of the people prompting the CM to tweet, “We are still 1 lakh tourists down on last year’s arrivals till date. Perhaps because of apprehensions of trouble.”

Most of the hotels, guest houses and tourist lodges and huts in Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam are fully booked. “If anyone has to make a booking, he has to do so in advance as we already have advance bookings for hotels and tourist huts for the next two months. All flights to Srinagar are operating at their full capacity these days,” the tourism officer said.

Not only regular tourists but honeymooners are also making a beeline in the valley as a large number of newly wed couples could be seen strolling around the Dal Lake at the boulevard lane during the evening.

“It was really difficult to find a room in the houseboat. We have been staying here for the past three days and we are planning to visit Gulmarg and Pahalgam in the next few days,” said Ajmer Singh from Chandigarh.

Jammu, June 28
House No. 200 in Muthi Phase I Migrants Camp has been the address of poverty of the Kashmiri migrants for many years. Almost all human rights activists, government representatives and lately interlocutors were shown this house as an example of miserable condition of the militancy-affected migrants.

While most of the migrants have got new residences in Satellite Township at Jagti that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 4 this year, the poster family was denied a flat in the township.

After most of the families shifted to Jagti, the Jammu Development Authority (JDA) reclaimed its land at Muthi and has been bulldozing the shelters, wherein the migrants used to live. A portion of his house was also brought down recently.

It seems that the Jammu and Kashmir Government has different values of humanity for different set of people. It reportedly denied accommodation to the family as its head, Yashpal Sharma, was born in Punjab. An abandoned child in Punjab, he came in Jammu and Kashmir in his childhood and since then he has been living here. It does not matter for the government that he, who has been living in state since childhood, his wife belongs to Jammu and their children were born in Jammu and Kashmir.

Nevertheless, his family was allotted a room in Muthi Phase I Migrant Camp like hundreds of other Kashmiri migrants in 1992. The family was also getting relief at the camp. Yashpal used to work in the Kashmir valley for more than 20 years. His family had to migrate along with Kashmiri Pandits at the time of insurgency in 1990.

“I spent two years in Geeta Bhavan along with my four daughters and wife with many other Kashmiri Pandit migrants. Thereafter, we were allotted a shelter in Muthi by the then tehsildar,” says Yashpal.

“Whenever some minister or other person would visit the migrant camp to assess the living conditions of Kashmiri Pandit migrants, the visitor would be brought to my house. Today I am undone and nobody seems to be bothered about me,” he says, adding, “My application for a shelter at Jagti was rejected on the ground that I am not a state subject. However, my wife was born in Jammu and Kashmir. My children were born here.”

“One of my daughters is struggling for life. She is a cancer patient. With the help of some philanthropists, she was operated at PGI, Chandigarh, recently. My wife is mentally unstable, asthmatic and anaemic,” he says, adding, “In the absence of a shelter, where will I go with my young daughters and sick wife?” “I have endured many shocks in my life since childhood. But this time, it is not the house they have broken…..it is I who is broken. Now I am left with only two options: Either I will kill someone or we all will commit suicide.”

“I sell coal in winter and fruits on a hand-driven cart in summer. For the last couple of days, I have not earned anything,” he says.

“We have rehabilitated almost 95 per cent of the migrants who were camping at Phase I in Muthi. Let me see records and only then I will be able to comment on the issue,” said, Narinder Jamwal, assistant commissioner, relief, Jammu.

Ghagwal (Kathua), June 28
Though early arrival of monsoon has brought cheers to the farming community in the Jammu region, villagers of three blocks of Hiranagar assembly segment of Kathua district are facing acute shortage of drinking water as schemes meant for streamlining supply of portable water remained only on paper.

Although most parts of Kathua district are facing shortage of drinking water, situation is worst in the kandi belt where water is so scarce that some people have decided to temporarily shift to towns during summer season.

Under the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) scheme, the authorities had decided to install four pump sets for the blocks of Ghagwal, Hiranagar and Barnoti. But these schemes remained only on papers and woes of people remained unresolved.

According to official document, these schemes were not implemented due to shortage of funds. The authorities concerned had prepared an estimate for the said scheme and an amount of Rs 386.51 lakh was required for pump sets at Hiranagar, Rs 380.19 lakh for Ghagwal, Rs 289.18 lakh for Barnoti-I and Rs 338.33 lakh for Barnoti-II.

Notwithstanding excuses given by the authorities concerned, resentment is brewing among residents of the kandi areas as the problem of drinking water is becoming worse with each passing day. 

Jammu, June 28
Bhushan Parimoo’s heart beats for forests. A diehard save-forest campaigner, he has single handedly fought for forest rights, protection of tress and prevention of loss to ecology. His petition of saving khair trees was taken up by the Supreme Court at the national level. He has also fought for preventing silt in dams.

An ardent traveller, Bhushan posts pictures of damage to forests and green cover regularly on Facebook and other websites. “I make a statement on the websites. It moves the government,” he told The Tribune.

Q: You had a several years of struggle to save forests. When did you start?

Bhushan Parimoo: It all began in late 1970s when I had just passed out from college. The Salal hydroelectric Project at Dhiyangarh over the Chenab in Salal village of Reasi district was being constructed. I took up the issue of making adequate provision of taking care of silt which river carries in its normal course. The construction company was allowing it to accumulate on the dam lake bed.

Over the years, it would get accumulated and will exert pressure on the dam structure itself thereby putting avoidable pressure on the dam. The authorities stressed that there was enough land to handle the pressure if water level arose.

I formed an organisation, Environment Awareness Forum, which is running till date. We took up the matter and it was eventually proved that our argument was right.

Q: The issues you took up went up to the Supreme Court. What and how did all that happen?

BP: After taking the dam silt issue. I was disturbed to know the fate of khair trees from which katha is extracted, which is used for manufacturing ayurvedic medicines and pan masala. The trees were being recklessly exploited in the state.

This tree comes under the Specified Tree Act, whose felling is strictly banned. Still the government had allowed a firm to vandalise a forest having such trees in abundance. We requested the Supreme Court to intervene. It is now a famous case known as civil writ petition No. 171/96 titled, Environment Awareness Forum v/s state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Court was so impressed with our petition that it asked us to submit an all-India petition for saving the khair tree.

Q. What is the status of forests in J&K now compared to several years ago? What would be your advice on expanding forest cover?

BP: It is on the decline rapidly. The forests are in a mess as warned in 1987 in a seminar by RK Mattoo, as then director, social forestry, that, “If earnest efforts are not taken to restore the existing forests and raise large-scale plantation, our state will turn into a muss bowl”. At present, we have about 15-18 lakh hectare of degraded forests of which just less than one per cent is treated annually leaving 99 per cent untreated. This cumulative degradation is mounting and soil erosion is on at very fast pace. All water bodies in the forest are under threat. Wildlife sanctuaries are in a similar state.

Q. Tell us something about your organisation? How do you manage to run it without donations?

Bhushan: I broached upon the issue of salal project with many like-minded people who agreed to my fears about loss to forestland. It soon took the shape of a forum and slowly but steadily it is moving in right direction with sincere intentions.

Q. What are your views on the controversy of tribal rights in the state?

BM: Forests belong to people more so who are in or near it and who are born and brought up there. They are children of nature and for the nature. It is those who know its importance to protect, preserve and expand because on its survival depends their survival. As such, their rights are first and foremost. They were there and are there and shall remain in and around the forests. They are the rightful claimants, not the Forest Department which came into existence a century ago while these people are there for centuries.

Q. What is your advice on expanding forest cover in the state?

BM: The state has no land to expand, but it can go for massive afforestation in areas under its control, but it lacks will for that.

Q. Do you agree with the government data over forest cover in the state?

BM: No, it doesn't know even which area belongs to it in actual terms. Its records are not tallying with revenue records. Not a single forest division as of today can claim its records vis a vis revenue land.

Srinagar, June 28
Terming the creation of anganwadi centres as a continuous process, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishan Teerat has said opening of centres under ICDS is subservient to increase in population. The Minister, who was on a three-day visit to Kashmir, was addressing a high-level review meeting of ICDS officers at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre.

Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo and chairperson, Social Welfare Board, Khem Lata Wakhloo, besides Commissioner/Secretary, Social Welfare, Jeet Lal Gupta, secretaries and directors of various commissions and boards participated in the meeting.

Teerat said 13,67,000 anganwardi centres were functional across the country to provide better nutrition, pre-schooling, health check-up and assistance in immunisation to children below six years. As many as 27,584 such centres were successfully functioning in Jammu and Kashmir, she added. The Minister said the objective of these centres was to contain malnutrition among children and lactating mothers. “We want to see our children healthy,” she said, adding that no area of any state should remain uncovered under centrally sponsored scheme “anganwadi-on- demand”. The Minister also took stock of the newly introduced central schemes Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana and the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls - commonly called as SABLA.

Addressing the meeting, Sakina Itoo said J&K was a sensitive state, which needed special attention from the centre in the creation of anganwadi centres under “on demand” scheme in the hilly and far-off uncovered areas. She also demanded timely approval of funds by the Centre to pay the honorarium to anganwadi workers and helpers.

Srinagar, June 28
A major tragedy was averted by the timely intervention and rescue operations launched by various government agencies and the locals, including the newly elected sarpanch, when an oil tanker turned turtle near Kangan on the Srinagar-Leh Highway recently.

The nine-tonne LPG tanker, on its way to Ladakh region, turned turtle near Margund village. The driver and the cleaner fled the spot fearing that the tanker may explode.

The tanker was noticed by the coordinator, Disaster Management, Kashmir, Aamir Ali, accompanied by his team of Civil Defence volunteers, while returning from a table-top exercise and a mock drill held at Sonamarg by the NDMA, in connection with arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra.

The tanker had been abandoned on the narrow road in a heavily inhabited area. There was an apprehension that LPG could have leaked from the loaded tanker, as it was dangerously titled and it could have caught fire affecting the entire area of around 5 sq km.

A rescue operation was launched immediately. SSP Ganderbal, police, fire services, Indian Oil Company, PCR, Civil Defence Control Room and SSP Traffic were immediately informed by the team and they were joined by a large number of the local people who supported their efforts.

Haji Ghulam Qadir, a sarpanch of Gund-A village, also extended his support to the rescuers. A recovery crane driven by Abdul Gaffar Dar from Srinagar along with Fayaz Ahmed from Tral, which was on its way from Sonamarg to Kangan, was stopped and a joint rescue operation was launched. In the absence of traffic policemen at the spot, the locals, police and Civil Defence volunteers regulated the traffic and heavy rush of tourists, pilgrims and convoys.

Fire tenders were kept in readiness while the crane lifted the nine-tonne load of the tanker. Since the driver of the tanker was absconding, Haji Ghulam Qadir Akhoon, sarpanch of Gund-A village, volunteered to sit on the wheel of the tanker and gradually it was straightened with the help of the crane, locals, police, firemen and civil defence volunteers and brought to safety, inch by inch.

The rescue operation had to be conducted in a professional manner as any wrong move could result in the leakage of LPG, which could cause explosion. The rescuers did not bother for their own safety and brought the tanker safely on the road. The operation lasted for over two hours.

The exemplary show of courage on part of the rescuers has been appreciated by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon, who has announced cash award for the rescuers, including the sarpanch and the crane driver.

Meanwhile, the ADG Police, Civil Defence, Home Guards & Auxiliary Police, Dr Ram Labayya, has also announced award for the Civil Defence volunteers, who participated in the rescue operation.

Srinagar, June 28
The Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) has announced admissions for 13 postgraduate, diploma and LLB courses for which 2,000 students from the Kashmir Valley, Leh and Kargil regions of the state will be enrolled.

The Directorate of Information Technology and Support Services is collaborating with the directorate in providing online facility to the students as well.

“The mission of the DDE is to extend higher education facilities to those students who because of social, economic, geographical constraints are not in a position to go for higher education,” said Prof Nilofar Khan, director, DDE.

Students would have to purchase prospectus from the accounts section of the DDE, University of Kashmir, against the cash payment of Rs 250. Students have to fill up the application for admission online, Prof Khan informed.

The students have been asked to log on to the university website www.kashmiruniversity.net or the website of directorate www.ddeku.edu.in for further details.