Where have all the ducks gone?
By Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 24 — Morning walkers at the Sukhna Lake may have been missing the majestic sight of a big gaggle of Indian geese, as out of a total of 30 ducks released by the Environment Society of India(ESI) on June 5 — World Environment Day — nearly two dozen have disappeared mysteriously during the past three months.

The geese were released by the ESI with much fanfare with claims that these would add to the natural beauty of the lake, particularly when the water body was devoid of migratory birds during summers, amid apprehensions by wildlife officials and those present on the occasion regarding the safety and security of the birds. The ESI authorities had also claimed that the presence of birds could possibly result in enhancement of migratory birds in the lake and it would help these acclimatise according to local climatic conditions.

But much to the dismay of nature lovers, most of these ducklings brought by the ESI from Lucknow have disappeared gradually, with the ESI shifting the buck by saying that the responsibility of the safety and security of the birds lay with the Wildlife Department since the lake was a protected sanctuary.

During a visit to the place, it was observed that only six out of 30 ducks were present and were seen relaxing in the wild vegetation growth at a small island in the lake towards the regulator end of the water body. Mr Nath, an official of the Engineering Department at the lake, confirmed that only six of the birds were alive as the rest were either poached by villagers or had been eaten up by dogs and wild cats. "Actually, these birds are so fearless that at times they even climb up to the jogging track and go back only when we herd them back to the water body," he said. People had an opportunity to see the entire pack for a few days only as the number started diminishing slowly from the first week of July, maintained another official.

Mr S.K. Sharma, President of the ESI, asserted that as many as 16 ducks were alive. He claimed that the responsibility of the safety of the birds was that of the Wildlife Department and it should have deployed its personnel to keep a watch on the birds and their movement.

On the other hand, Mr H. S. Sohal, maintained that as the ducks were put into the lake by the ESI, their safety should have been the task of the latter. "We had made it clear on day one that the Wildlife Department will have nothing to do with the safety of the birds," he added.

Interestingly, Mr Sharma said the CITCO should be given the responsibility of the ducks. "We have urged the CITCO authorities to make arrangements for the stay of the ducks at the island in the lake, where a hut should be made by them where the birds could take shelter and breed properly," said Mr Sharma.

Poor amenities irk residents
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, Nov 24 — Low water pressure, damaged roads and dead streetlights have caused dissatisfaction among residents in this township.

The President of the Citizens Welfare Council, Mr S.K. Nayar, in a press note, said there had been low water pressure in many sectors for a long time. Mr S.K. Kalra of Sector 17 said he had not received regular water supply on the third floor of his house for the past three months.

Similar views were expressed by other residents. The association criticised the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for its failure to regulate water supply through overhead tanks.

The association also regretted the deteriorating condition of roads, especially the C, D, and E roads in some sectors. Mr Nayar said roads needed to be relaid rather than patchwork repairs done by the HUDA. Mr U.S. Sharma of Sector 11 said areas, particularly behind showrooms, did not have well-laid and maintained roads.

The association urged the authorities concerned to ensure proper functioning of streetlights. Ms Lity Bawa of Sector 12 said the absence of streetlights caused accidents and encouraged anti-social elements.

Harrowing time for patients
From Bipin Bhardwaj
From Our Correspondent

DERA BASSI, Nov 24 — A liquor shop stands by a government dispensary on the Kalka-Ambala highway here. Patients visiting the ayurvedic dispensary often find it a harrowing experience because of the drunken men who roam around and the vehicles of customers which block the entrance to the dispensary.

Residents of the area complain that people often buy liquor from the shop and go to a nearby dhaba for drinking. These persons often create nuisance and urinate against the walls of the dispensary. Some pass indecent remarks on women patients.

The dispensary is frequented mostly by persons belonging to the weaker sections and has not received any attention regarding its maintenance for years. The building was constructed in 1976 and was used as a rain shelter before the dispensary was opened. The building is below the road level and doors look like windows when viewed from the road. Vehicles of liquor buyers, parked in front of the building, further block the view.

The dispensary is functioning with a staff of five, including a doctor and a nurse. The number of patients has declined to 25 to 30 a day, most of them being those who cannot afford costly allopathic treatment.

A light shower is enough to make the roof leak. Water leaking from the roof damages the records of the dispensary. The staff has to shift furniture and papers from one place to another. They have to place buckets and trays where water comes down from the roof. The plaster on walls has peeled off at places.

Knee-deep water accumulates on the floor during the rains and they have to shift to the nearby veterinary dispensary. "The authorities concerned have not taken any notice inspite of many representations regarding this problem," says Dr Kiran Sharma.

According to another employee of the dispensary, the Municipal Council intends to shift the dispensary to another building but the proposal hangs fire. Stinking water remains in the drain and garbage and filth remain in front of the dispensary for days.

Mr Sher Singh Sidhu, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, says the dispensary will be shifted to another building in two months. The Municipal Council has been asked to find a suitable building at a better location.

Moving documentary on MSF
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 24 — Spine-chilling images of half-dead persons, gun-totting rebels, children orphaned by wars and bodies lying in the midst of everyday life — this was what a one-hour video documentary on a French non-government organisation 'Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) showed today evening at Alliance Francaise Le Corbusier de Chandigarh. The documentary, in English, was screened on the occasion of the Nobel Peace Prize being conferred on this organisation. The objective of this organisation, over the past 20 years, has been to act in cases of extreme emergency and crisis — like wars and other calamities.The documentary in three parts, narrates the 20-year story of the organisation. 'A Coeur' recalls the creation of 'Medecins Sans Frontieres' in 1971, which was in reply to the indignation of having witnessed the war in Biafra (from 1967 to 1969) and the tidal wave in Bangladesh in 1970. The second part, 'A Corps', describes the filed life, material and moral difficulties, the critical summing up of the situation. The final part, 'A Cris', denounces the political mediatisation of what is termed the 'humanitarian show'.

The documentary capsules the turmoil across the globe, where everything from genocide to civil war to malnutrition seems to strike millions of human beings. The horror images of civil war in Somalia, the Genocide Museum in Vietnam, young and mentally-retarded orphans in Romania or a body being eaten up by a dog, not only elicited loads of sighs from the audience but also left impressions of the misery on the mind.

One of the volunteers who was being interviewed on screen said, "In the midst of all this crisis, when we sit down together and talk, we realise that we have a family and a home and something to offer."

Through this documentary, the organisation has also commented on the "ignored conflicts" in countries like Liberia or how governments can mess up like during the Ethiopian famine in 1985, from where the MSF was later kicked out.

On the issue of politicisation of "human values", the documentary said the whole issue involved image and vote-bank building, besides international prestige. Showing various shots of items like food and medicine being thrown in and around refugee camps, the documentary termed it as "bombardment, without any clear or honest motive, except publicity". These shots were followed by images of men and women fighting over relief items.

The documentary also said it was only a large catastrophe which drew the attention of the media, "which slowly dies out". It commented on how even crisis served to be "on-show" today, with the media rushing forward only to capture prize-winning photographs or hair-raising number of persons dead. The documentary captured a hard-hitting shot of a scribe busy recording the statement of an MSF volunteer without being distracted by even the cries of an old refugee Kurd woman, sitting nearby.

The city audience certainly missed this moving documentary today, since only a handful attended the screening. The video projection of this documentary will be held again tomorrow at the same venue at 6 pm.