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Shahpur Kandi project a distant dream for farmers
Three principals for 3 students
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Cellphones hit PCO business
Flesh trade on rise in Jammu
Accidents kill more people in Doda-Kishtwar than militancy
Kulgam health centre
Village without regular water supply for 3 years
Campus Notes
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Shahpur Kandi project a distant dream for farmers
Jammu, May 5 In 1979, both states (J&K and Punjab) had signed an MoU on water sharing from the Ravi. Even after three decades, the Punjab government has failed to construct the barrage on its side. Due to the failure of the Punjab government to construct a barrage on its side, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has suffered cumulative loss of more than Rs 850 crore in all these years. With the construction of the barrage, nearly 79-km-long Ravi-Tawi irrigation canal in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts would have been flooded with water and would have helped boost the economy of farmers of the belt, who have been facing acute shortage of irrigation water. As per details, the construction of the canal was taken up in 1975-76 at an estimated cost of Rs 29 crore. The project cost was subsequently revised and reached up to Rs 130.13 crore till its completion. The state government had constructed 79-km of canal having the length of its distributaries as 482 km in Jammu and Kathua districts. In 1979, an agreement of the construction of Ranjit Sagar dam was executed between the J&K government and the Punjab government. Due to some reasons, the Punjab government agreed to give water for the canal from a point about 4 km downstream from the earlier identified location by constructing a barrage at Shahpur Kandi. At the same time, it was also agreed that the savings coming to J&K due to the reduced length of feeding canal from 6 km to 2 km should be paid to the Punjab government, which comes out to be nearly Rs 70 crore. Shahpur Kandi barrage is a multi-purpose project from which the water has to be used for power generation and irrigation. The canal was supposed to get water by gravity from the Ravi, but due to non-construction, the state was forced to lift water through pumps from Basantpur station and crores of rupees were being spent annually for their operation. As against the carrying capacity of 1,150 cusecs, only 300 cusecs of water is available through lift station at Basantpur with the result hardly 7,900 hectares of area is being irrigated in J&K as against the targeted area of 31,800 hectares. Minister for Irrigation and Flood Control Taj-Mohi-ud-din said, “The Punjab government has always betrayed us, every time when we built up pressure on them they start working on the project for two days and again stop the work”. “They have been betraying us for the past three decades due to which our 1.33 lakh acres of land, which can produce 2.66 lakh tonnes of crops, is lying barren. I will soon take up the issue in our cabinet meeting and will find an alternative as our entire infrastructure is ready,” he said. He said the state government would lift the water from a nearby dam and won’t let the farmers of the area suffer due to the indifferent attitude of the Punjab government. |
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Three principals for 3 students
Jammu, May 5 In the absence of facilities for Kashmiri migrant students, this higher secondary school has just three students on its rolls, but ironically, the strength of the teachers drawing salary on the establishment of this school is like this: three principals, two zonal education officers, over 12 lectures, 20 teachers and clerks. Informed sources said this was not the case with just this school. “Similar is the situation at Migrant School, Bakshinagar, and some other government schools where the ratio of the teachers and the clerical staff was exceeding the students,” the sources said. Admitting a flaw in the system, Suresh Sharma, chief education officer (CEO), Jammu, said the matter was presently under the “active consideration” of the government and the decision would be taken soon after the Lok Sabha polls. “Due to the enforcement of the code of conduct, such teachers will be shifted only after the polls,” he said. “We also have reports that there were only 11 students at Bakshinagar Migrant School, whereas the number of teachers and clerical staff adjusted in this institution was above 50,” the CEO said. He said all state cadre migrant teachers of both these institutions would be shifted and adjusted in those schools, falling in the outskirts of Jammu district, where there was a dearth of the staff. “We also intend to adjust these few students of both these institutions in regular schools of Jammu,” Sharma said. Zahida Khan, director education, Jammu, said some of these teachers were adjusted at Bakshinagar and Satwari schools after Camp School at Batal Balian, Udhampur, was closed sometime ago due to environment hazards there. Some of the migrant teachers, while commenting on the issue, said they should not be blamed for all this mess. “The government over the years has slept over the issue and failed to build-up the infrastructure for migrant students. The teachers were just adjusted in camp schools and even deprived of promotions, house rent and other allowances,” said Bal Krishan, a migrant teacher. Krishan claimed that the government was deliberately not adjusting the migrant teachers in Jammu schools. “Instead, we are being every time transferred to far-off places like Doda, Kishtwar and Bhaderwah under a sinister plan,” the teacher alleged. |
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Cellphones hit PCO business
PCO as a franchisee was first introduced in 1989 to make telephones accessible to the general public. As a matter of policy, PCOs were allotted liberally to war widows/dependents, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, handicapped, ex-servicemen and educated unemployed persons, besides charitable and educational institutions and Army establishments. Thus, a large chunk of people was
provided indirect employment. Jammu, being a place of religious importance where thousands of
tourists visit daily, was the first city to witness the establishment of PCOs on a large scale. A flourishing business till a few year ago, people connected with it have either switched to other trades or diversified their business to the sale of recharge coupons of prepaid mobile phones and other accessories to earn their livelihood. Dinesh Arora, who has shifted his occupation from a PCO operator to a photographer, says, “I have closed my PCO shop because with the entry of various telecom operators in the state, customers have disappeared. I have converted the shop into a photography studio from where I am managing my earnings”. He adds that in the changed scenario, income from franchised public telephones is becoming less attractive. Further, there is hardly any scope for increase in the commission rates of BSNL/MTNL for the franchised public telephones. One would witness a PCO after every few yards from the Jammu railway station to the Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra some years ago, but now at many places, the shopkeepers have converted their shops either into a tea stall, a grocery shop or a travel agency. Lesser revenue during the past five years has adversely affected the PCO business. With the falling tariffs and spread of mobile phones and other related developments, the income of PCO owners witnessed a sharp decline. Altaf Hussain, another PCO operator, says, “Our business has been ruined. Earlier, I used to earn around Rs 2,000 per day, but now I hardly earn Rs 100 a day. This has created a situation of
starvation in the families of those whose earning were totally dependent on PCO business”. While agreeing that the PCO business has been affected drastically by cellphone services, BSNL general manager RK Koul says BSNL is optimistic that it would sustain the PCO business community with new schemes of converting them to direct selling agents, called single window shops, and benefit them with the business of selling recharge coupons and receiving payment of telephone bills on commission basis. |
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Flesh trade on rise in Jammu
Jammu, May 5 The Jammu police unearthed three sex rackets, including two in the Trikuta Nagar locality. Close on the heels of sexual exploitation of a 21-year- old girl by a TV journo on April 27 and unearthing of a sex racket being run by a self-proclaimed doctor, Shrivasta Virk, in the Trikuta Nagar locality on April 6, the city of temples was rocked by another sex scam on May 1. In the latest sex scam, a woman, Bimla Devi of Kanachak, had been running the brothel from a rented accommodation, located near the house of a senior police officer in Sector 3 Trikuta Nagar Extension. Two young girls (cousins) and two youths were also arrested along with the woman kingpin. “Going by the rising graph of the flesh trade, it appears that the city of temples is turning into a city of brothels,” said Pawan Kumar, a banker. Though the police claimed that it had been doing its job, the moral degradation of society was largely responsible for the increase in the trade, whether organised or unorganised, he added. The police also attributed the menace to the degradation of society. SSP, Jammu, Manohar Singh says:“Whether flesh trade (organised or unorganised) or other crime, mostly youth are found involved.” It clearly showed that parents, schools and civil society were responsible for the degradation of the youth, he added. In most of
the sex rackets busted by the Jammu police, it was found that locals were involved. A senior police officer, who insisted anonymity, candidly admitted that ever-growing Jammu had been witnessing an increase in flesh trade. “The police being overstretched, it is not possible for us to completely check flesh trade,” he said. He also attributed the rise in such crimes to inadequate time with the parents for their children and lack of conviction in the teaching community. If on May 1, the woman kingpin, Bimla Devi of Kanachak, was arrested along with two girls, one a teenaged and another in her early 20s, and two youth from Trikuta Nagar, then on April 27, a 21-year old girl had lodged a written complaint with Gandhi Nagar police, accusing the bureau chief of a news channel of sexual exploitation and subsequent blackmailing via her pornographic video clippings. And on April 6, the police had arrested a self-proclaimed doctor, a young girl and three boys from a clinic in Trikuta Nagar. The self-proclaimed doctor, Shrivasta Virk, had been running a brothel in his clinic in Sector 2, Trikuta Nagar Extension, fixing deals with the clients to provide them girls. |
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Kulali, Marah villagers’ exemplary feat
Poonch, May 5 After facing ill treatment at the hands of those whom the people of Kulali and Marah fed, the villagers with the support of the Army succeeded in freeing themselves from the clutches of the militants and now they are living a dignified life. Remembering the old days, Muhammad Bashir, a resident of Marah village, says, “About six years ago, our area was considered to be a ‘liberated zone’ by militants who used to come to our homes for food. For the fear of being killed, we used to feed them. But despite this, they used to beat us and even show disrespect towards our women”. “Fed up by the harassment, we finally gathered courage to inform the Army. An operation was launched to flush out the militants who had even built fortified structures here. We heaved a sigh of relief after the success of the operation”. Interestingly, these villages form an important area of the famous Hill Kaka area where the Army with the support of local villagers few years back carried “Operation Sarp Vinash” to liberate this area from the control of the militants. More than 150 militants were killed in the operation. “Few years back, when the Army launched ‘Operation Sarp Vinash’ in our area, we actively supported them by providing information about the militants, which brought us on their hit-list. After the operation was over, we received training from the Army and the police to operate weapons, which helped us in foiling militant attacks a number of times," says a woman who has received special arms training. “We are now competent enough to foil the evil designs of the militants. We won’t allow them to occupy our land again”. A senior police officer told The Tribune that the villagers of Kulali Marah showed their love for the nation by supporting the Army. He said there were 278 persons who were part of the village defence committee formed to safeguard the villages from militants. |
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Accidents kill more people in Doda-Kishtwar than militancy
Udhampur, May 5 After every accident the authorities assured to streamline the functioning of transport, but these assurances have so far remained only on papers. On an average, five persons get killed regularly on the road accidents in the region where road connectivity is less than 17 per cent and the conditions of the road invites accidents. According to official data, till January 1, 2009, fatal road accidents have claimed 205 lives only in Doda and Kishtwar districts. This is an indication of the seriousness of the situation with respect to traffic and road safety in the region. Shockingly, official of the departments are passing the buck on others and claiming that their functioning is up to the mark. The traffic police blamed the Transport Department for issuing licences to untrained drivers, while as the later charged the former with not checking overloading. “Different government agencies are skirting their responsibilities and playing with the lives of innocent people,” rued Sayed Asgar Ali, MLC, who hails from Kishtwar. He is of the opinion that the lack of coordination among different department is the main reason of frequent road accidents in this belt. After February 25 accident in Bhaderwah, in which more than 35 passengers had lost their lives, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had promised to deploy fleet of the State Road Transport Corporation buses in the region to avoid overloading, but the promise is yet not fulfilled. “Promises made by the government remained only on papers,” regretted Sunil Sharma, a BJP leader from Kishtwar, who pointed out that condemned vehicles were plying on the road with the connivance of the Traffic and Transport Department. Taking a serious note of frequent road accidents, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had recently issued directions to the state functionaries to streamline traffic to minimise road accidents. But it seems that the directions have not been implemented. “Neither there is checking on the plying of condemned vehicles nor overloading so killing on the roads have been going unabated,” Asgar Ali argued. Recently, the state government had announced to rope in Central Road Research Institute to prepare a detailed report on the ways to prevent accidents in the hilly areas, but no further action has been taken so far in the regard. “As an emergent measure, the government should deploy additional buses in the belt to avoid overloading, which is the main cause of accidents,” said Mohammad Sharief Niaz, a former Minister and Congress MLC. There is a need for the formulation of a realistic plan to combat accidents and this should be implemented in letter and spirit. Further, more responsibility should be fixed on the government departments for frequently road accidents and there is need for coordination among various organisations to curb the frequency of road accidents in the belt. |
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Fancy names of minibuses, a Jammu speciality
“Lover Boy”, "Super Girl", "Look at Me", "Gangster", "Road Romeo", "Miss World", all these seem to be titles of movies, but these are actually the names of mini buses and matadors plying in the city.
Ingenuous drivers and owners of mini buses have given these fancy and attractive names to their vehicles, making them unique. For a driver, it is not just a vehicle made of lifeless metal. It is his friend or a manifestation of his ownself. “You got to take care if you are riding in the bus named ‘Gangster’. This fellow would be driving speedily and bully others. On the other hand, the one named ‘Lover Boy’ or ‘Love Café’ would surely be plying on routes where girls are the main travelers,” says Shruti, a commuter. The graffiti and slogans behind trucks and autos are well known to the world. But it is the christening of the vehicles in such a way that provides a novelty and amuses everyone. “I like the word ‘Romeo’, it is my nick name given to naughty boys. I like the name as my bus roams around all day. But it is a well-behaved bus. It is just that it sounds musical,” says Shoib, conductor of one such bus. “The titles give a unique identity. Such names give a distinctive look and most of the times commuters know the minibuses plying on their routes from their names. This makes a unique identity of the vehicle and it is also easier for the public to spot the vehicle from a distance," says Raju, driver of a minibus named “Gangster". Interestingly, many drivers and conductors don’t know the actual meanings of the names. For them, it is just to keep pace with the trend. Like if something is written in English language, it seems more impressive to them. “I don’t know the meaning of ‘Love Castle’, my owner wrote it,” says Rahul, driver of a minibus. Not only this, these public transport carriers are well decorated from inside. Distinctive key chains, mostly in the shape of heart, teddies, dolls, hanging near the driver seat and some placed on the dash board are some other commonly used accessories. "I love to decorate my vehicle. Whole day from dawn to dusk we drive, so a decorated dash board keeps me fresh and energetic, otherwise driving is a tiring job," says Vicky, who plies his vehicle on the Panjthirthi-Paloura road. |
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Kulgam health centre
Pahloo (South Kashmir), May 5 It has many features that differentiate it from other PHCs in the valley and the sub-centres attached to it. It boasts of a complex having two structures, one for the health centre and the other for residential purpose. The complex came up about six years ago. The foundation stone of the complex was laid by the sitting National Conference MLA of Noorabad, Sakina Itoo, during her earlier tenure in 2001. The premises of the health centre are well maintained where patients, staff and visitors leave their footwear at the entry. The centre is located at a distance of 3 km from Kulgam, but it falls in the Noorabad constituency. “This is the oldest health centres in the area,” claims Dr Mushtaq Ahmad, medical officer at the center. Locals believe that the PHC has been functional for the past about five decades. Ghulam Mohiuddin, an elderly person of the township, points to a crossing, about 50 yards away from the centre, and says former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had addressed a public meeting here in the 1980s. Gandhi had also inaugurated the PHC on the occasion, he adds. However, doctors lament that once a block medical centre, it was downgraded to primary health centre several years ago. But that did not deter the centre from catering to the poor patients, many of whom have to cover long distances of about 10-15 km on foot to reach the centre. About 40-45 patients visit the PHC every day, says Mushtaq Ahmad, medical officer. The staff members include a medical officer, a dentist and an assistant surgeon, paramedical staff, including a health educator, and 15 other members. The single-storey complex has four rooms, one each for a medical officer, dentist, ISM doctor and a labour room. But many things are lacking here, opine the residents and the staff. There is a labour room, but without a gynaecologist. The dental section offers facilitates like tooth extraction or simple treatments while filling and other specialised treatment cannot be conducted, for which the patients have to travel to Kulgam or Anantnag. The laboratory is without basic facilities like an X-ray machine and USG. |
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Village without regular water supply for 3 years
Srinagar, May 5 There are reports that residents of Pendobal-Kokernag in Anantnag have to purchase water at the cost of Rs 30 per bucket. As water taps are running dry in the area, people have to look for alternative sources of water for daily chores. Pendobal, which is 30 km away from Anantnag, is in the grip of severe water crisis. The residents claim that they have not been getting regular water supply for the past three years due to which they have to purchase water for household consumption. Nazir Ahmad, a resident of the area, says they have approached the authorities in this regard a number of times, but so far nobody has bothered to consider our request for regular water supply. “All our requests have fallen on deaf ears and we have been left to fend for ourselves,” he adds. Zubair Ahmad, a local youth, says during elections politicians promise to solve their problems being faced on account of water crisis. “However, once the elections are over, they never come back to fulfill their promises,” he says. An official of the public health engineering department says the report about the sale of water is not correct. “I am not ready to accept this that water is being sold in a remote village like Pendobal. People would not pay a single rupee for a bucket of water in Srinagar and how can you expect the same from the one who is living in a far-off place,” he adds. |
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Campus Notes
Jammu, May 5 Earlier, the campus used to present a deserted look due to the rise in mercury. ‘Lovers’ point’ on the campus
Two isolated zones, commonly known as “Panchwati-I” and “Panchwati-II” or “Mughal-e-Azam Panchwatis”, are popular among students as “lovers’ point”. The students find this place ideal for interacting with their “close” friends. College and school students are frequent visitors to these two locations. Most of the university students avoid visiting or sitting near these two points to avoid disturbing the “couples”. Though university guards keep visiting the places to check the identity cards of the visitors, they avoid taking any action on the outsiders. Water shortage
Some departments of the university face the shortage of potable water. Most of the water connections are within the departments and there is no provision of taps and water coolers on the campus grounds. “With the rise in the temperature, the need for water increases, but due to the absence of water coolers and taps outside the buildings, students have to rush to their departments. But finding taps dry creates an awkward situation for them forcing them to wander for drinking water to other departments under scorching sun,” said a student. “The administration should provide water coolers and taps at reasonable distances on the campus as well,” students demanded. Toilets in bad condition
Toilets in almost all departments of the university are in bad condition due to the inadequate supply of water. Students rued that in the absence of proper supply of water, toilets had been rendered useless. Immediate attention of the authorities was needed to address this problem, they demanded. |
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Degrading moral values
The recent exposure of a flesh trade racket in Jammu is a shocking reminder of the infamous Srinagar sex scandal that remained in news for long. This shows that the lust of money have subsided the moral values of society and money has become the primary objective. The state was once away from such type of moral degradation, but the recent incident has shown that the state has become a safe heaven for the people who indulge in such practices to earn money and resort to such things which otherwise bring shame not only to their own family but also to the entire community and the state. It is the duty of the government to check such practices. Besides, stringent steps should be taken against the guilty. Anu Kapoor Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words, at jk@tribunemail.com or write in at: Letters, J&K Plus, The Tribune, Sector 29, |
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Jammu, May 5