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City of temples turns into concrete jungle
Eco-tourism plan on cards
Sainik school out of bounds for poor
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Women passengers allege eve-teasing
Devout Muslim who sings hymns to Hindu gods
CM’s assurance to redress hill people’s grievances
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City of temples turns into concrete jungle
Jammu, February 24 The city that falls in the seismic zone, has witnessed a mushroom growth in big structures, including shopping malls, banquet halls, hotels and even some government offices. “It seems there is no law of land in the city. Any influential and rich man could raise multi-storeyed structures in any of the 71 wards falling under the JMC jurisdiction,” said a JMC corporator, on the condition of anonymity. During the general house meeting last month, several corporators had raised the issue, bringing to the fore rampant illegal constructions in the city, he said. Over 12 shops were constructed during the same period on the land of a crematorium, right in the heart of the city and all these unethical practices could not have been possible without the involvement of the JMC’s enforcement wing, he added. Echoing similar views, another corporator said Barnai, Muthi, posh Gandhi Nagar and even some localities in the western part of the city witnessed rampant construction work. “Such people never seek proper permission from the JMC, which in turn deprives the cash strapped corporation of the revenue,” he said. On a surprise visit to the JMC, deputy CM Tara Chand has ordered an enquiry into the illegal construction work and had sought a detailed report, he added. Talking to The Tribune, Tara Chand admitted that several illegal structures have come up in the city in the recent times. “Considering this steep rise, I had ordered an enquiry into such illegal constructions. The report is yet to be submitted to me, but I can assure strict action as per norms against the violators,” said the deputy CM. In the backdrop of the illegal constructions in the twin capital cities, the government appointed divisional commissioner Kashmir and deputy commissioner Jammu to conduct inquiries in Srinagar and Jammu respectively. Further, JMC commissioner Mubarak Singh has been strictly told to check such malpractices, he said. However, he evaded a direct reply when asked whether illegal construction would be dismantled. “Action warranted under norms would be initiated,” he said. |
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Eco-tourism plan on cards
Jammu, February 24 Stating this chief wildlife warden AK Shrivastava hoped that the foreign as well as domestic tourists would certainly like to visit these wetlands once proper eco-tourism facilities are provided at these spots. Interestingly, the minister for forests and environment, Mian Altaf, has been also showing a lot of keenness on the safeguards of the wetlands. Informing about his plans for these wetlands, he said, “On the request of the state government, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has agreed in principle to provide financial assistance for Ranjit Sagar and Gharana wetlands of Jammu, Shallabugh, Mirgund and Hygam wetlands of Kashmir and Hanley/Chushul marshes of Ladakh under the national wetland conservation programme, in addition to the ongoing wetland development program for Hokersar, Surinsar-Mansar, Wular, Tso-moriri and Pangong lakes etc.” Some revisions in the project proposals of these wetlands are required to give more attention to the aspects of ecological security of the wetlands. |
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Sainik school out of bounds for poor
Jammu, February 24 The reason being the high rate of education fee and a meagre scholarship from the state government to those poor and talented students who wished to pursue their studies in this prestigious institution, which has acted as a feeder institution to the armed forces. “I wanted to enroll my son in this prestigious institution for further studies after he passes fifth standard, but going through the annual fee chart, it seems to be a costly affair for the poor people like me to get their wards admitted in this institution”, said Mohd Khaliq of border district of Kupwara. Khaliq admitted that every father has a dream to enroll his son in this institution that has over the years produced a good number of doctors, engineers, IAS and IPS officers. “But the annual fee is extremely high. The institution now seems to be only for those who could afford to pay huge amount”, remarked Khaliq. Principal of the institution Ajay Kumar said the school, which functions as a society, charges annual fee of Rs 80,000 from every student to meet the salary and other expenses of the residential staff. He admitted that the poor students, who get an annual scholarship of just Rs 12,000 from the state government, could not afford the fee. “We have taken up the matter with the authorities so that the scholarship in respect of the poor students could be enhanced up to Rs 44,000. The proposal, mooted over six months ago, is yet to be okayed'', said the Principal. He states that the school management has also raised the issue of setting up of a swimming pool within the campus. “It is necessary to have a swimming pool so that those students who later opt for National Defence Academy (NDA) after passing out from here, do not face difficulties in seeking admission at that level”, the Principal opines. He rejected the notion that the institution had been losing its sheen. “We recruit about 460 students every year. We have the best available facilities with a vast and a lush green campus'', the Principal stated. |
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Khatamband a dying craft
Srinagar, February 24 Following this poor treatment, subsequent generation of these craftsmen is shifting to other jobs which are mainly laborious in nature. Narrating his tale, Mohammad Ayoub, a craftsman, laments that the hands of craftsmen adorned mansions of elite and the same hands remain empty. The indigenous art remained incapable of providing comfort to craftsmen who worked for a subsistence wage. “My children would prefer a petty job than to be a khatamband artisan like me. The craft has suffered a great neglect and is dying its death,”
says Ayoub. The number of artisans carrying out khatamband trade is limited and they are faced with innumerable problems right from getting raw material to market their products. Bashir Ahmad, another khatamband artisan, also does not want his children to continue with it as, according to him, it barely provides any means of livelihood. Artisans and experts apprehend that this indigenous craft would lose its existence. "Children of existing craftsmen would move out of this profession. They know that there are no gains in the field," believe the experts. Unfortunately, craft is losing its glory with the traditional method paving way to machine work. Khatamband is a traditional Kashmir craft (cottage industry) of paneling ceiling with wooden pieces arranged in intricate geometric patterns made out of fir (budloo) timber. “It is made of soft, pinewood called fir or Budloo in Kashmiri. ‘Dawazda girdh’, ‘panch muraba’, ‘hashkan chot’ and ‘mooj’ are some commonly seen patterns,” says Akeel Ahmad, an artisan. Brought to Kashmir in 1541 by Mirza Hyder Daulat, khatamband is an art of making ceiling, by fitting small pieces of wood (preferably walnut or deodar wood) into each other in geometrical patterns. All this is done entirely with hands without using nails. Wood is processed, cut into buttons and panels and fixed in ceiling in various floral and geometrical designs. Uniqueness of this art is that when ceiling is complete, it acquires a unique geometrical pattern. With fewer or no nails at all, khatamband ceiling can easily be dissembled and reassembled. It is said that khatamband was brought to Kashmir during the 14th century by famous saint Shah-i-Hamdan who visited Himalayan valley along with many followers that
included khatamband artists from Iran. These artisans passed on this art to locals. Earlier, khatamband used to be the domain of shrines, palaces, houseboats and royal houses, but now every person wants it for their house. There are more than 160 designs for khatamband in Kashmir, but today's artists can only reproduce about 100. Artists have compensated lost designs with newer ones, where they experiment with mirror, colour combination and other things. The names of designs are derived from various cities of Iran and Central Asia. |
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Women passengers allege eve-teasing
Jammu, February 24 They allege that during evening hours, boarding a minibus means inviting eve-teasing and physical harassment. "Matadors are so jam-packed that we find it hard to inhale or exhale breath or even move our foot," said a girl at the vikram chowk. "Boys prefer to roam in matadors during evening hours as they get opportunity to pester girls and there seems to be no rule of law as far as traffic norms are concerned," she added. "No girl would like to travel with such co-passengers in these matadors or minibuses," said a female employee working with a private company. "Woman cannot board matadors after 7pm as the traffic police leaves traffic regulation in the hands of matador operators. These operators choose the routes of their choice and alight passengers far from their destinations leaving them in lurch," she rued. However, the SSP (traffic), Jammu, Parminder Singh, admitted that overloading happens only during the last ferries of the matadors or minibuses.
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Devout Muslim who sings hymns to Hindu gods
Jammu, February 24 Being a devout Muslim, Ghulam Mohammed has been singing hymns in the praise of Mata Vaisho Devi and other Hindu deities since the age of 10. Ghulam Mohammed along with his partner and nephew, Nasir Mohammed (57), is much sought-after person in the state during Navratra festival. He has performed Haj twice and Umrah once, but says his religion has always been an inspiration for him to spread the message of universal brotherhood and never puts any hurdle in his work. “I was born to Muslim parents and my father who was a devout Muslim taught me how to sing hymns in the praise of Hindu deities. I have been reciting the hymns praising Mata Vaishno Devi from the age of 10,” Ghulam Mohammed says. He says his religion has never been a hurdle in his mission to spread the message of universal brotherhood. “My religion never proved to be a constraint in my profession. For me this is a mission and not a profession”. The nephew-uncle duo has performed not only in almost all major cities of the country but also in the US and Saudi Arabia. “We have performed in almost all big and small cities of the country,” he says, adding, “I have also performed in the US and Saudi Arabia where people not only appreciated my work but also honoured me and urged me to visit again." Ghulam Mohammed says his busy schedule has never kept him away from offering his daily “namaz” five times a day. “Religion teaches to unite people and not to divide them and the job I am doing will help unite the people”. Born in Pakistan, Ghulam Mohammed along with his father and teacher Baba Changez Din migrated to Jammu in 1947 and settled in the border area of Dansal. He says wherever he goes people respect and honour him. “My biggest achievement in life is that people of all faiths respect me and receive me with love and affection." He says, "The biggest asset of my life is the message of universal brotherhood”. Ghulam Mohammed who is father to three sons says he loved his profession so much that he brought two of his sons into the profession of singing hymns in the praise of Hindu gods and goddesses. Ghulam Mohammed, who sings in Dogri, Punjabi, Pahari and Gojri has so far recorded a number of audio albums praising Hindu gods and goddesses. "I play traditional instruments like sarangi as these find a mention in Dogri culture. Our culture is like a flowerbed and the people of different religions are like flowers of different colours in it,” he concludes. |
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CM’s assurance to redress hill people’s grievances
Rajouri, February 24 Omar travelled to several villages through Sunderbani, Nowshera, Kalakote, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Shahdra Sharief, Dera Ki Gali, Buffliaz, Surankote, Poonch, Krishna Ghatti, Mendhar, Bimbergali and Manjakote. Addressing rallies at these places, he assured the people that the government would make allout efforts to be responsive to the people's demands, especially in the remote and far-flung areas. He said the development of hitherto underdeveloped areas would receive priority of the government. Omar assured that the coalition government would give justice to all citizens and every area would receive its due share in the process of development, irrespective of any consideration. He said that both NC and the Congress believed in secular and democratic principles and were above the politics of dividing people in the name of region or religion for self gain. The Chief Minister said that the coalition government would come up to the expectations of the people and the next six years would be known as years of public service. "I will bring the government at your doorstep. You will not search for officers but officers will look for you to hear you and redress your grievances", he told the people at all the public meetings he addressed. The Chief Minister said that he would be visiting the forward areas across the state regularly to personally monitor the developmental works and receive feedback from the people about the quality of service rendered by the administration. Seeking active cooperation of the people in launching and executing projects and development schemes, Omar said the people had to participate in plan formulation, execution and completion of works. Addressing district officers at Rajouri and Poonch, the Chief Minister asked them to be responsive and accountable. He said their performance would be judged by the service and the duty they rendered for public good. He told them to be on their heels, travelling all areas, meeting people and looking for their needs so that development plans could be accordingly formulated ensuring 100 per cent achievement.
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Letter
The forthcoming Legislative Council elections will be an acid test for the so-called champions of Jammu’s cause. Outfits like the BJP and the Panthers Party garnered support on the plank of Jammu, but what they did in the recent Rajya Sabha polls exposed their dual character. While the Panthers voted for the PDP, one BJP MLA cast his second preference vote in favour of the National Conference going against the party whip of not casting the second preference vote. Both these parties had indulged in bashing of Kashmir-centric parties during the Assembly polls and now their MLAs are supporting the same parties. This proves that the politicians have once again taken the people for a ride by duping them in the name of Jammu. Now, it remains to be seen whether these pro-Jammu parties stick to their “Jammu cause” in the Legislative Council elections or once again ditch it.
Narinder Gupta,
Jammu
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Jammu, February 24
