Jammu, March 31
With the electricity transmission and distribution losses from the point of generation to distribution estimated to be more than 47 per cent, the menace of power theft is prevalent in almost all localities of the city.

Be it posh localities like Gandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar or areas in the old Jammu city or the slum areas, power theft is rampant, which costs the power department crores of rupees every year.

While official sources say they are aware of electricity pilferage in the city, but they cannot ask their men to guard every transmission line or electricity pole where the theft takes place.

“The loss on account of electricity pilferage is worth crores of rupees annually, but the department cannot place one person near every electricity pole to guard it,” an officer of the state power development department (PDD) said.

While the officers of the department admit that pilferage on such a large scale cannot take place without the convenience of the ground staff, the department expresses its inability in keeping a check on its entire staff.

Though the department has taken various measures to prevent power theft, it has failed to check pilferage completely.

“Those who indulge in power theft are either affluent people or people belonging to the lower strata of society. The department cannot check it completely,” the officer said.

Even the vendors selling sugarcane juice are openly stealing electricity from transmission lines. These vendors use heavy motors to extract juice from sugarcane without paying a single penny to the power department.

“The lineman comes every week and we pay him some money and he allows us to use kundi connection to operate our juice extracting motors,” a vendor in Gandhi Nagar said.

When The Tribune team visited various localities of the city it found that despite tamperproof meters, consumers have been able to steal electricity by using “kundi” connections.

Officers of the state electricity department say be it winters or summers, the department had to face losses worth crores of rupees as people resort to “kundi” connections.

“In summer, people put kundi connections to run their air conditioners, fans and other cooling gadgets whereas in winter, they steal power to run heating appliances,” an officer of the PDD said.

The chief engineer of the PDD’s maintenance and repair unit, Ajay Gupta, said, “If a consumer is found using kundi connection, for the first time we disconnect power supply. If he is again found guilty, we confiscate wire and other gadgets, and if the fellow is again found indulging in power theft, we initiate a legal action”.

Jammu, March 31
The campaign for the Lok Sabha elections has started gaining momentum after the candidates of various political parties filed nomination papers.

However,what is really missing amidst all the frenzy is an effective election issue, which can stand out and make an impact on people.

The political parties are dishing out the same old and repetitive issues, which have lost their charisma and pull. Each one of them is trying to amalgamate as many issues as they can in their manifestoes. Reading manifestoes too, has become a dreary exercise. The Congress has though released its manifesto but the BJP is yet to do so.

The BJP and the Panthers Party have reiterated the issues pertaining to discrimination and delimitation of Jammu. These issues raked up in the past , especially in the last assembly elections, do not excite any more. Lying in cold storage for all these years, they are dug out of the closet only in an election year. Tired of the want of the willingness on the part of political parties to act on this plank, mere shouting has just becomes an inane exercise.

The Congress has given a call for development in this Lok Sabha election. Seeing the states, which made development their poll plank, registering wins in the Assembly elections last year, the Congress too took the cue for J and K. But the voters aggrieved about the bad roads, the poor drainage system and traffic operations, that too during the rule of Congress , are not ready to buy this any more. The assurance of ‘sadak-bijli-pani’ has failed to move people as long power cuts and irregular water supply have continued all these years.

How much the formula of social engineering of the BSP will work is yet to be seen. The BSP has still a long way to go before it strengthens its base here.

West Pakistani Refugee (WPR) voters, who are almost 1.5 lakh , are,however, excited as this time they would not vote for any other party but for their own people standing for the first time in last 60 years on the ticket of ‘Kranti Dal’. Labha Ram Gandhi, president of the WPR, says that he and others are standing to expose empty promises of different political parties and to provide members of the community citizenship rights.

Jammu, March 31
The Jammu and Kashmir government along with the union ministry of environment and forests has come to the rescue of the endangered species of red deer popularly known as hangul.

The government has prepared a Rs 22- crore species recovery plan for the conservation of hangul for five years.It has been formulated by the Wildlife Department through the Wildlife Institute of India and submitted to the union ministry of environment and forests for approval.

The main activities under the project include the survey and census of hangul, leopard and black bear in the hangul habitat, purchase of field equipment, holding of workshops and seminars on management planning, training and capacity- building of the frontline staff, purchase of satellite imageries and GIS hardware and software, habitat improvement works, fire- protection measures, construction of in-situ carnivore proof enclosure, anti- poaching, anti-grazing activities, infrastructure development like construction of guard huts, watch towers, inspection paths, publicity and awareness and eco-development activities for the benefit of the forest- dependent locals.

Hangul is a critically endangered species found mainly in the Dachigam National Park and its adjoining areas. The conservation of this species assumes great significance as this is the only survivor of the red deer group in the sub-continent and its population has been declining over the years. The significant feature of the plan is that it will not only be confined to the Dachigam National Park but will also include other forest areas, sanctuaries and conservation reserves of the Kashmir valley which are the relic habitats of hangul.

The Wildlife Department has simultaneously started a census and survey of hangul all over the Kashmir valley in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, the Wildlife Trust of India, New Delhi, and several research and academic institutions.

The department has also started the construction of a Conservation Breeding Centre for hangul at Shikargah, Tral.

Jammu, March 31
With the law and order situation showing a considerable improvement in the recent past, there has been a resurgence of theatre activity in the state.

Prior to the outbreak of militancy, there were a number of well-established theatre groups functioning in Kashmir. Through their satirical shows like “Bande Paither” that appealed to the audience, the theatre groups were highlighting the social and economic miseries prevailing in the society.

However, such groups had to pack up under the diktats of the militants, who had banned any such cultural activities in the valley. Many drama artists and stalwarts like Moti Lal Kemu had to move to Jammu, as Srinagar’s prestigious auditorium, the Tagore Hall, was closed for any such cultural activity.

“Now, the theatre movement is back in Kashmir, as during the past two years, a number of theatre groups from the valley have again come together to perform the shows and revive the ancient practice of the Kashmir theatre,’’ said state’s eminent theatre personality Mushtaq Kak.

Mushtaq, who has worked as director at the Sri Ram Centre, New Delhi, said, “A number of drama festivals and folk shows were organised in Kashmir this year. The film and TV crew members are also back, which is a good omen’’, feels Mushtaq.

State’s another theatre personality Anil Tickoo said, “The theatre is again flourishing both in Jammu as well as in Srinagar. Only this week, the State Academy of Art, Culture and Languages organised a number of theatre shows in connection with World Theatre Day. There was a tremendous public response to all the 11 plays staged at the Abhinav Theatre here”.

Tickoo has so far acted in over 150 theatre shows. He, however, lamented that some of the theatre groups were not serious towards this ancient medium of communication. “Such groups revive their activities only when World Theatre Day or drama festivals are round the corner,” he said.

Natrang has, however,been the only group in the state that kept the theatre activity alive even during the times when militancy was at its peak. The group has maintained a tradition of staging shows every Sunday.

“Despite hardships, lack of support and official apathy, theatre in Jammu has made its existence and presence felt due to the selfless efforts of the few individuals’’, said Natrang director Balwant Thakur, who has also served as secretary of the cultural academy.

Jammu, March 31
With the introduction of an e-dictionary, the Dogri language is going to write its maiden chapter in the cyberspace very soon.

The Department of Information Technology, Government of India, recently released a CD of the Dogri software tools in Delhi under the Technology Development for Indian Languages programme.

It is being seen as a milestone in the growth of the regional language, which was registered in the eight schedule of the Indian Constitution in 2003.

The CD would be soon uploaded on the internet to make it accessible to the web browsers.

Some significant Dogri writers, including Lalit Magotra, Shashi Pathania and Veena Gupta of Jammu University (JU) have compiled the Dogri-English dictionary with the help of the technical expertise from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, (CDAC), New Delhi.

Lalit Magotra, who is also the president of the Dogri Sanstha, Jammu, believes that it has opened doors for many opportunities for the development of the language. “With the upload of this software, all the internet and computer work would be possible in this language. The full fledged website that is in the pipeline would offer an option for auto translation of Dogri into other languages and vice-versa.”

“We seek suggestions from the users also, so that their significant inputs are incorporated in the software to upgrade it from time to time,” he added.

“It was an independent initiative on our part. Having read an advertisement, we had submitted a glossary of around 6,500 words that was appreciated by the CDAC,” said head of the Dogri Department, Jammu University, Shashi Pathania.

“We are looking forward to launch CD in Jammu anytime soon, so that the students, scholars and writers of the language could get maximum benefit from our work,” she said.

She further said the department is planning to start a short-term vocational course in computers, so that students could get attuned with the technological advancements and computer applications.

Having 2 lakh strings, at least four synonyms and 16,700 entries in dictionary, which have been translated into English.

The content of CD also includes Dogri language unicode compliant open type font, keyboard drives, Dogri version of bharteya open office, web browsers, e-mail client, multi-protocol messenger, sunbird calendar application and content management system for this language

Sukhrala Devi, March 31
This Navratra, the devotees of goddess Sukhra Devi in Kathua district are facing a tough time, as the road that leads to the historical shrine temple on a hillock has caved in at many spots.

"In the absence of the proper road facility, it is extremely difficult and dangerous to drive on this 10-km-long slippery single track from the Billawar town to the Sukhra Devi shrine’’, said a pilgrim from Jammu, Jasmeet Singh.

Temple head priest Ramesh Kumar Sharma said despite repeated pleas, the authorities have not repaired the road in time to make it motorable. "There has been a long awaited demand to make it a double lane, but the officials as well as the politicians have been giving assurances only. They are not even repairing the portions of the road that have caved in", he regretted.

Giving the historical and religious background of the temple Sharma said, the holy shrine is the abode of the goddess Mal Devi, the reincarnation of the Sharda Devi. "The shrine was built by an exiled prince of Chamba, Madho Singh, about 500 years back.

The shrine is located at a height of 3,500 feet on a hillock amidst sylvan surroundings and the pilgrims have to scale many steps to reach the venerated temple.

While the buses are available from the district headquarters of Kathua and other places like Jammu and Udhampur and but the hilly road, after crossing Billawar town, is in a dilapidated condition and prone to the accidents.

The head priest claimed that during the Navrataras, over 4,000 devotees from different parts of Kathua district and the neighbouring states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh visit this famous temple everyday.

"There is a rush of pilgrims every Tuesday and Sunday, but we do not have proper inns to accommodate the devotees coming from the far-flung areas’’, he said.

Rattan Singh, who runs a tuck shop at the Sukhra Devi bus stop said, despite the importance of the place, the temple complex has no mobile phone networking, as the BSNL tower does not catch the signal in this forest area.

Deputy Commissioner of Kathua Mandeep Kour defended the question about the lack of facilities at the shrine temple. She, however, said the district information officer of Kathua was there to speak on the subject. However, the official was not available for the comments despite repeated attempts.

Rajouri, March 31
More than a decade after three persons were allegedly gunned down by the troops in an encounter, the family members of the victims are awaiting with hope to get justice. Three persons were allegedly killed by the Army troops in an encounter in the Peer Badeswar area here in early 1997.

Muhammad Yousuf, son of Raj Muhammad, Abdul Aziz, son of Sher Muhammad and Abdul Aziz, son of Muhammad Hussain (All from Kotdhara), were allegedly killed by the troops of the 18 Dogra in an encounter and were buried in a pit some where near the Army camp in the Peer Badeswar area near LoC.

After disclosure of the infamous fake killings in Ganderbal, where body of Abdul Rehman Paddar was exhumed for a DNA test, families of these victims, too, were pressing hard to get the bodies of their members exhumed for test to ascertain whether the persons buried were their members.

The families of the three men waged a grim battle for a decade, to even get a missing report registered. The fight for justice by the family members of the victims saw the court interventions too, but the police continued to slumber over what has been termed by the State Human Rights Commission as a gross violation of the Human Rights.

The police was reluctant to take on the Army and attempted to dissuade them from not filing a report, they alleged. Baggo Begum, wife of one of the victims, Muhammad Yousuf, remembers how they visited the police station in Rajouri only to be abused by the police personnel.

"However, we did not give up and continued to go to the police station. We were often terrorised by the Army personnel in the plain clothes on the way", she said.

Slowly, the stress began to take a toll on her two young sons. "Unable to comprehend the disappearance of their father, my sons suffered so much that they have become abnormal in their behaviour,'' Baggo said. "However, despite so many ups and downs in the case, we are still hoping that justice will finally be done and the accused Army personnel would be booked by the law".

Muhammad Farooq, brother of Abdul Aziz, who was allegedly killed in an encounter, said he read a news item regarding the Ganderbal fake encounter in 2007, which triggered hope. "The very next day, we filed an application in the deputy commissioner's office for exhumation of the bodies, since a source told us that, after killing our relatives, the Army had buried them in pits near Kancha post in the Peer Badeswar area."

The DC referred the case to SSP Farooq Khan, who, after much dilly-dallying, asked the SHO to register a missing persons report. "That was March 29, 2007, a decade after the three men were done away with,'' he said.

With a "young and dynamic" Chief Minister at the helm of the affairs, the families are hoping that they will get justice from the system. Repeated attempts to get the comments of the senior police officers on the case did not materialize, as they refused to comment on the issue.

Meanwhile, commenting on the allegations that the Army killed three persons in an encounter in the Peer Badeswar area in 1997, a defence spokesperson told The Tribune that "These are just allegations. There is no record of such a case with the Army".

Jammu, March 31
Residents of Tawi Vihar, Sidhra Colony, Municipal Ward No 71, the smallest in the city, have alleged discrimination by their councillor.

The sanitation from the main gate i.e Lane No -1 to Lane No- 25 where VIPs reside is good while the conditions in the rest of the ward are bad. The main drain is covered with slabs only up to VIP lanes. In the rest of the area, it is open and is choking with garbage.

G.Q.Matoo,a retired SSP, alleged that the areas which were inhibited by people for the whole year were neglected by the corporation whereas maximum care was taken of the areas where people came only for the winter season.

Though the drains have been constructed in the colony, there is no proper exit for the main drain. Residents of LIG and MIG quarters allege that during the rainy season, all sewers get choked and overflow.

Dustbins are placed around the areas where VIPs reside while plots are being used for garbage dumping by the residents in the other lanes and those living in the LIG and MIG quarters.

The colony being located in a hill area also faces the problem of stray animals. Roads are littered with cowdung.

The residents have demanded the construction of boundary walls around the colony to check the stray animal menace. Alleging discrimination, a resident of LIG quarters on condition of anonymity said: “In the absence of bins, garbage is dumped in the open drain and plots. Safai karmacharis come once a week for cleaning the garbage from our lanes whereas the lanes of the VIP area are cleaned every day”.

Sanjay Koul, a resident of the area, said during the summer, they faced shortage of drinking water and the existing reservoir did not cater to their needs. He demanded construction of one more water reservoir in the area to overcome the water shortage during the summer.

The condition of the Municipal Park in the colony is bad. Wild grass and shrubs are an example of the neglect. Beyond Lane 25, most of the lanes have not been metalled . The residents of LIG and MIG quarters alleged that the Municipal Corporation did not take steps to improve the sanitary conditions in their area.

The residents also demanded adequate transport services in their areas.

Rani Gargi Blowria, councillor of the area, denied the residents’ charge that she was not accessible and said that if they were facing any problems, they should contact her. 

Leh, March 31
Profession of astrology in Ladakh is dying out from the society with the younger generation not showing keenness towards it.

Astrologers, who are integral part of the Ladakhi culture, used to perform many crucial roles ranging from the spiritual, religious and the social matters of the society. They were even consulted before opting any allopathic or ayurvedic medicine and performing the rituals in the name of god and goddess to help cure the diseases.

Research officer of Sowa, the Rigpa Research Centre, a unit of AYUSH, Leh, Amchi Padma Gurmet said, “According to a survey conducted recently by our research centre, there are only 30 astrologers in the entire Ladakh and they are in their retiring age.”

Gurmet added, “Following the survey we have started discussion and debate at the local level on the need of preservation of the astrology as an indigenous knowledge of the Himalayan states of the country.”

Earlier, every village of Ladakh used to have an average of two astrologers, who provided services to the villagers. In return they would get help in their farming and were offered special position known as “talgo” during all the social functions of the village as remuneration. Duties and taxes levied by the village were also exempted to the astrologers.

At present there are three astrologers in Leh town, who are meeting the needs of the urban people. One of three astrologers of the town Thusptan Shanfan lamented, “There are several factors that are responsible for the extinction of the profession.

One of the main factors is that the people are more attracted towards the salaried jobs followed by the decline of the social remuneration with eroding of the social values in which astrologers, monk and “amchi” (traditional health healers) enjoyed respected position in the society.”

Writer Tsering Angdo said, “Extinction of the astrologers clearly indicates negligence on part of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), which is a special autonomy for development purposes here, by not including cultural preservation and promotion in its general council meeting, which is held at least twice a year.”

Jammu, March 31
The Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Women has been functioning without a chairperson and two members for the past six years.

Constituted in 1999, the commission started functioning from 2000, but it has been functioning without a chairperson since 2003.

Hafeeza Muzaffar, member secretary of the commission, has been managing the affairs alone with the help of a consultative committee, which comprises nominated members from NGOs and the legal department.

She said on an average the commission received two to three cases of violence related to women daily. “The commission has so far received 1,500 cases of violence against women since it started functioning. Out of these, 1,150 cases have been solved,” said Hafeeza.

During the past two years, 670 cases related to remarriage, divorce, maintenance and desertion were settled through counselling both in Jammu and Srinagar divisions.

Hafeeza said the majority of cases pertained to desertion, domestic violence and maintenance.

“In Srinagar, we receive more cases of desertion and sexual harassment whereas in Jammu we receive more cases regarding domestic violence and maintenance,” she said.

However, the functioning of the commission is suffering due to the absence of its chairperson.

She said many NGOs were working with the commission both in Srinagar and Jammu while the police department had also been cooperative at several instances when respondents in certain cases failed to appear before the commission.

Hafeeza said in order to reach out to more people they were organising workshops to make them come to us for the redressal of their problems.

Kewal-Buddhal (Rajouri), March 31
The state government may be planning to introduce information technology in government schools in the far-off areas, but Government Middle School here does not even have a toilet facility for its students having sizeable number of girls.

The students complain that since there is no toilet facility in the school, they have to suffer a lot. They add they have raised the matter with their teachers numerous times, but they, too, are helpless as the government has failed to sanction funds for the construction of toilets.

“In the absence of the toilet facility in the school, we have to suffer a lot. On many occasions, we have taken up the matter with the school authorities, but they say that they don’t have funds”, said Nageena Akhter, a student. “The government should look into the matter and immediately sanction funds for the construction of toilets.”

“Our children are facing problems as they have to go out in the open. This is not safe for them,” said Muhammad Ameen, whose daughter studies in the school. “We have approached the education department authorities, but to no avail. We want to urge the government through media to provide funds for the construction of toilets in the school”.

However, a teacher of the school revealed that there was a toilet for students but that had been damaged and rendered useless.

Kuldeep Kumar Gupta, chief education officer, Rajouri, said the school authorities should send request to his office for the repair or construction of the toilet facility.

Meanwhile, the adjoining Government Primary School, too, lacks toilet facility for girls making them to suffer.