The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Tawi river cries for attention Efforts to revive its pristine glory remain cosmetic Varun Suthra Tribune News Service Jammu, December 6 Although the administration has taken a slew of measures to restore the pristine glory of the Tawi river that gives identity to the city of temples, the exercise has proven cosmetic so far as the riverbed continues to be used as garbage dumping ground besides a confluence of all the municipal drains. On the one hand, the administration is developing an artificial lake in the riverbed, but on the other hand side vehicles of the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) have been dumping all the municipal wastes along the river, thereby, contradicting the official claims. Raj Bharti, eminent social activist, said, “Since 1947, I have been witnessing constant deterioration in the state of the Tawi. It has religious importance as most of the Dogra rituals are performed on its banks. Ancient Hindu scriptures have mentioned the Tawi as “Surya Putri”, daughter of sun”. She said, “The holy river is not only quenching our thirst for centuries but also has given us an identity. Jammu is distinctively known as Jammu Tawi across the globe”. She said the successive governments had failed in enforcing the laws concerning protection of the natural resources. Nirmal Padha, an environment activist, said the issue was frequently raised by various Jammu-based social and non-governmental organisations, but the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to it. “A major part of the land alongside the riverbed has been encroached. It was not an overnight process, gradually it happened and our politicians are responsible for it. People who started encroachment in the early 90s by putting in bamboo sticks have now constructed huge structures and everything occurred under the nose of the administrations,” Nirmal said. She also alleged that although some organisations took the initiative to raise public awareness and attempted to launch a drive against the deterioration of Tawi, they could not reach any conclusion due to political pressures. Even as the High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of the depleting Tawi due to the surplus dumping of household and municipal wastes and directed the administration to take strict actions against those who violated the Jammu and Kashmir Water Resources (Regulation and Management) Act-2010, but still nothing could be substantiated. However, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control, Taj Mohi ud Din chaired a high-level meeting of officers in the recent past and directed the officials concerned that no kind of municipal waste would be allowed to be dumped in the Tawi in view of its heritage and water usage value. He had directed the JMC to look for alternative sites where the waste could be dumped and asked to identify various sites on the outskirts of the city. “I have reminded the officials concerned that dumping of waste in the Tawi would attract relevant provisions of the J&K Water Resources & Management Act-2010 and anyone indulging in it will be dealt with accordingly, “ the minister said. What the act says According to the J&K Water Resources & Management Act, 2010, whoever disposes of house sewage or other household waste into any water source is liable to be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000, or with both Threats posed by dumping * Menace of spreading epidemics due to non-biodegradable waste dumped on banks * Makes the water unfit for consumption. The Tawi is the only water supply source for household use in Jammu * Change in the course of the river leading to trouble during floods and incessant rain
	Kashmiri Pandits set up community radio station Rajesh Bhat Jammu, December 6 The displaced Kashmiri Pandits have set up a community radio station here in a bid to preserve, promote and revive their rich culture, art and language, which has received a set back during the past two decades of their mass migration from the Valley in 1990. The community radio station, a first of its kind in the state, was formally inaugurated by Minister for Relief, Revenue and Rehabilitation Raman Bhalla at Muthi, near here yesterday. Christened as “Radio Sharda FM 90.4’’ with a punch line “Boojiv Te Khoush Rooziv (Listen and be happy)” this broadcasting institution will function under Pir Panchal, a socio-cultural organisation, with the active participation of the community. The radio station, with a 10-km aerial distance, will cover areas like Janipur, Barnai, Durga Nagar, Bantalab, Roopnagar, Anand Nagar, Bohri, New Plot, Sarwal and Chinore, where hundreds of community members are presently putting up. The programmes broadcast from the station will be mainly in Kashmiri, Hindi and Urdu. It will, however, take care of the interests of other listeners who speak Dogri and Gojri and reside within its aerial distance. Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla hoped that the radio station could provide a platform to the artists who are nostalgic of their past. The minister said setting up Radio Sharda here would help the community in promoting their culture, art and language. He said the government was committed to help any organisation who worked for the unity and integrity of all the regions of the state. Shabir Mujahid, director, Doordarshan Jammu, who was present on the occasion, hoped that the radio station should have been named as “Awaz-e- Dard’’ (Voice of Pain). “It is the pain of migration and living away from the Valley that Kashmiri Pandits wanted to have a community radio station here,” Mujahid said. Romesh Hangloo, president, Pir Panchal, said since the displaced community members were scattered all over, the need of the hour was to have a strong community institution. “Radio Sharda is a step in that direction. It will give voice to the voiceless community,” he added. Hangloo said the plan to set up a community radio station here was okayed after the organisation had approached the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 2008. “Today, the dream of every community member has been fulfilled,” he said with tears in his eyes. Eminent broadcaster Brij Nath Betab feared that the present generation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, living in alien conditions, was losing strong community bonds and getting drifted away from their roots. “If we did not have such strong community institutions, our survival would be at stake,” he added.
	Mahamaya forest cover under threat Ashutosh Sharma Tribune News Service Jammu, December 6 Environment activists here have apprehended that the Mahamaya forest area may go the Bathindi and Sunjawan way if encroachment and construction activities are not checked in time. The peripheral areas of the city like Sunjwan, Bathindi, Ragoora and Majeen used to be dense forests a few years ago, but over a period of time, concrete jungles have cropped up there. Recently, the Roads and Buildings Department ventured into the Mahamaya forest area which is a wildlife habitation, along with heavy earthmoving machines and a road map, for constructing a proposed road in the middle of the forest. However, after The Tribune highlighted the issue, the work on the proposed road could not take off. Bhushan Parimoo, president of the Environment Awareness Forum, said: “We have filed an RTI application so that the responsibility can be fixed in the recent incident by knowing who sanctioned the construction of a road in the Mahamaya forest area in the clear violation of the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Conservation Act and the Wildlife Protection Act besides a Supreme Court order”. “When a motorable road is laid in the forest area, human activity is likely to increase and it is dangerous for eco-sensitive areas,” he added. The forum had submitted an RTI application to the Divisional Forest Officer, Urban Forestry Division, Jammu, to provide a sanctioned copy of the order under which a motorable road was to be constructed in the officially demarcated forest and the wildlife area, Parimoo said. Meanwhile, the Tribune team visited the forest and found several concrete houses coming up in the forest area. “At a time when the Mahamaya City Forest project was being conceived by the then Governor, Jagmohan, the people who have settled in the Bandigam area of the forest were given compensation and asked to move out of the place. But many people even after getting compensation are still staying there,” Parimoo said. “There are many forests on the outskirts of the city which have turned into human habitations. The unfortunate part is that former ministers, bureaucrats, including retired officials of the Forest Department and politicians, have constructed their homes on the forest land,” he said. The president of the Environment Awareness forum said, “If timely action is not taken by the government and civil society, Mahamaya forest is likely to meet the same fate as the Sunjawan, Bathindi, Ragoora and Majeen forests”. However, the officials of the Forest Department declined to comment on the issue. “The people who have set up concrete structures on the forest land for residential as well as commercial purpose enjoy political patronage and, therefore, the department cannot take any step against them,” they said.
	This year, record number of tourists have visited Valley: Govt Srinagar, December 6 The number of tourists visiting the Kashmir valley so far this year has surpassed the nearly 7 lakh mark set before the eruption of militancy in the state in 1990. “In the history of Kashmir, we have not witnessed so many tourists. Even during the pre-militancy years we would receive a maximum of 7 lakh tourists. This year we have received a record number of tourists,” Tourism Minister Nawang Rigzin Jora said at a function to celebrate the birth anniversary of NC founder Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah here. Although Jora did not reveal the exact number of the tourists, according to officials the number had crossed a million. ”Tourism is the backbone of our economy. We aim to make this state a prominent tourist destination as it was before the militancy era,” the minister said. The tourism industry in the state has suffered a huge setback after eruption of militancy in the state in 1990s. Three years of summer unrest from 2008-10 also hit the tourism industry in Kashmir. — PTI
	College students collect money for accident victim Raju William Tribune News Service Udhampur, December 6 In a humane gesture, students and staff members of Government Degree College , Bhaderwah, collected funds as a token of help to the poor family of one of its students killed in an accident last month near Thathri in Doda district which had claimed 25 lives. The deceased, Hundeep Singh (19), a BA-I student of the college, was on the way to his village, Malanoo, in Thathri tehsil, about 70 km from Bhaderwah, when the accident cut short his life. He was the elder of two siblings and was staying in rented accommodation at Bhaderwah to pursue studies. His father, Piyar Singh, is a Class 1V employee of the state Horticulture Department. “Though one cannot compensate for the loss of a son, collecting funds on the occasion was a humble gesture on the part of the students and staff members of our college to the family shattered by the tragedy,” said college Principal Mohammad Iqbal Zargar who, along with the staff members, visited the village to hand over Rs 21,000 to the grief-stricken family. A senior faculty member, Dr Shafqat Rafiquee, said though it was the decision of the college staff to collect funds, after coming to know about it, the students too chipped in voluntarily. “So we would like to give credit to our students who went around the college to collect money. All the students contributed,” said Dr Rafiquee. The father of the deceased said it was touching to see the college Principal and the staff members coming to his house to share the grief and provide help.
	Army organises inter-school painting competition in Doda Tribune News Service Udhampur, December 6 The Army recently organised an inter-school/college painting competition for the first time in Doda in association with the local Young Star Cricket Club at Government Girls Higher Secondary School as part of Operation Sadbhavana. The competition was organised for the senior category (from Class 9 and above) and the junior category ( Class 8 and below). Major Tanay Kothiyal, Officiating Commanding Officer, 10 Rashtriya Rifles (RAJPUT), GN Balwan, Additional District Development Commissioner, Doda, Mohammad Arif Rishu, Superintendent of Police, Doda, and YR Thusoo, Chief Education Officer, Doda, presented certificates to the participants. A total 100 students from 10 schools of Doda and the surrounding areas participated in the competition. In the senior category, Akhyar Nehru of Shaheen Public School, Doda, got the first position whereas Manisha Katoch of Government Degree College, Doda, and Sachin Jhandial of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Doda, won the second and third positions. In the junior category, Allina Surwardy, Asma Riaz and Sabhia Batool of Chenab Valley Public School, Doda, got the first three prizes. Cash prizes of Rs 1,500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 and trophies were awarded to the winners. The chief guest, GN Balwan, Additional District Development Commissioner, Doda, exhorted the students to continue to work towards excellence. He also appreciated the Army for organising such an event for the first time in the remote Doda region. Major Kothiyal praised the participants for their enthusiasm and the spirit to excel. He exhorted them to develop interest in co-curricular activities apart from studies and in different hobbies to achieve holistic development of their personalities.
	Use of non-lethal weapons reduces casualties in Valley: Police Jammu, December 6 Use of non-lethal weapons while dealing with demonstrators and stone throwers in the Kashmir valley had successfully prevented casualties and reduced injuries to civilians and security men, according to the police. “Use of non-lethal equipments and body protectors by the police has resulted in zero death of civilian or security personnel and injuries to only 58 persons in law and order disturbances this year,” a police official said. Last year, 112 civilians and policemen died and 1,049 civilian and 4,000 security men were injured in law and order disturbances in the Valley, he said, adding that of these 825 security men suffered critical injuries due to stone throwing. However, only 13 civilians and 45 policemen received minor injuries this year, he said. The three-month-long civil unrest in the Valley last year saw angry mobs torching government properties. Security personnel used grenades, modified plastic body tear smoke shell, dye-maker grenade (which dyes protesters), water canons to deal with demonstrators and stone throwers in down-town and Srinagar city, the official said. — PTI
	Govt seeks people’s support to eradicate corruption Dinesh Manhotra/TNS Jammu, December 6 As the menace of corruption has become a much debated issue in the country, the ruling parties in the state have started seeking people’s help in eradicating the menace. It seems that the institutions constituted by the government are not competent enough to curb the menace. The Opposition parties have been accusing the government of undermining the institutions which were constituted to eradicate corruption. Shamsher Singh Manhas, state president of the BJP, dubbing the present regime as the worst-ever corrupt government, said the only noticeable achievement of the present regime was the legalisation of corruption. Balbir Singh, general secretary of the PDP, while claiming that during the tenure of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed institution like the State Accountability Commission was constituted, alleged that the present regime had eroded that institution. In Jammu and Kashmir, there are institutions like the State Accountability Commission and the Vigilance Organisation to keep a check on corruption but the Opposition has been alleging that these institutions have become defunct due to the non-serious attitude of the state government in dealing with corruption. “During the last three years, corruption has crossed all limits. Instead of taking some steps to curb corruption, the government has been going slow in strengthening institutions which were formulated to eradicate the menace,” Yudhvir Sethi, state secretary of the BJP, alleged. He said the government should formulate a comprehensive policy to curb corruption. The Panthers Party has also flayed the government for taking cosmetic steps to eradicate corruption. Panthers Party leader Harsh Dev Singh had recently levelled serious charges of corruption in various Central-sponsored schemes. Besides taking steps to streamline functioning of these institutions, the government has also started efforts to involve people in eradicating corruption from the government departments.
	Tourism award for Leh Jammu, December 6 Recognising Leh belt as among the best tourist destinations in the country, a UK-based magazine has honoured the region with the “Readers’ Travel Award”. State minister for Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora received the award, given by Conde Nast Traveller, from Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai at an award ceremony held in New Delhi recently. — PTI
	jammu DIARY Traffic (mis)management It seems that the administration itself is responsible for adding more mess to the already existing traffic chaos in the city. The dividers installed on a narrow road outside the Amar Singh Club make a good example of traffic mismanagement(see photo). The road is the main artery connecting ever-busy Bikram Chowk. However, due to the dividers the road has become more chaotic and traffic snarls have become a regular feature. Curiously, mini bus drivers, for whom the administration claims to have divided the route for traffic regulation, never use the path, which remains encroached by kiosks during the day. Moreover, the traffic police deputed on this road can be seen to be interested more in challaning two wheelers only. (Compiled by Varun Suthra)