Jammu, August 25
Despite recommendations by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), former Miss Jammu Anara Gupta and her family still await monetary relief.

A porn CD, allegedly featuring the former beauty queen, had rocked the state in 2004, and since then the case witnessed several upheavals. Anara was crowned Miss Jammu in 2002.

While medical re-examination of Anara hangs fire due to the unavailability of certain scientific equipments in Government Medical College (GMC) here, her maternal uncle, Sanjay Sachdev, says, “Successive regimes have failed to provide justice to the victim and her family.”

NHRC’s latest order of July 16 to the state government reads: “After considering all circumstances of the case, it is prima facie satisfied that the Jammu and Kashmir government must make monetary amends for the humiliation being faced by Anara Gupta in the pornographic CD case.”

The commission also observed that there was a serious breach of human right of dignity and issued a show-cause notice under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, to chief secretary SS Kapur, seeking his comments within six weeks.The NHRC also observed that the entire blame in delaying investigations lay with the state and not with Anara.

“We demanded a compensation of Rs 100 crore in our petition moved before the NHRC by Anara’s mother Raj Rani and brothers Kumar Sambhav, Kumar Sangam and Satyaniveshi in December 2004, and the NHRC also made a recommendation of monetary relief on July 16 for the breach of fundamental rights, threat to life and liberty, besides illegal confinement,” says Sachdev.

The NHRC, in its report, was also convinced about the illegal confinement of Anara and her family, but paradoxically justice had not been delivered till date, he added.

Anara was accused of involvement in prostitution and preparation of a porn film, charges which the police could not prove in the high court.

Leave aside compensation, the state government had not initiated any action against the guilty police officers, said Sachdev, who accused the government of being hand in glove with the police to deny justice to the victim.

“Anara, who was barely 18 at that time, lost five golden years of her life due to police atrocities”, he adds.

“Time and again my niece had been proved innocent, but still the Jammu and Kashmir Police is resorting to different gimmicks, medical re-examination being the latest one,” he says.

“Can we ask why the state government has not initiated any action against the guilty police officials despite strong strictures passed by the NHRC?” he adds.

The state police had cited a lame excuse before the NHRC that sanction was awaited from the government, which clearly exposed malicious intentions of those at the helm of affairs, alleged Sachdev.

After acting in “Miss Anara”, a movie made on her real life, she had done three to four more movies and was struggling hard to brighten her career prospects, claimed Sachdev.

Jammu, August 25
The two-decade-old stalemate between residents of Gharana village, home to thousands of Siberian migratory birds in the winter, and wild life officials has finally come to an end.

Tahir Shawl, wild life warden of Jammu East and Kathua, and Sheetal Nanda, Subdivisional Magistrate of RS Pura convinced the residents that their interests would be safeguarded and they would not be dislocated for the expansion of the bird sanctuary in the village. The villagers have now agreed for the demarcation of the area for the construction of proper infrastructure and expansion of the sanctuary.

With the development, thousands of Siberian migratory birds whose number had come down from thousands to a few hundreds over the years will be able to enjoy their sojourn. The farmers considered the birds as their biggest enemy for spoiling their crops.

The farmers used to burst crackers in fields and beat the wild life officials to prevent them from rescuing trapped or injured migratory birds. They also did not allow the cleaning of the pond.

Once this wetland area gets developed, Tahir feels, it will have a huge potential as it has also been rated ‘IBA (Important Bird Area) at the national level.“We have assured villagers that their private land would remain safe along with their legally constructed houses.”

Not only this, he also wants to replicate the pattern of eco-tourism which he successfully experimented in Leh.He says:“This bird sanctuary can prove a boon to the villagers if the Leh model is replicated here.

According to this, a room in each of these houses is furnished by the government for the stay of foreign tourists. The villagers are given culinary classes, and the youngsters are trained to become tourist guides. This kind of complementary arrangement can change the fortune of this village for once and all.”

The wetland reserve has already been updated as Conservation Reserve and 1500 kanals has been allocated to the state government through a notification issued in 1986.

Contrary to the 1500-kanal notified land, it is 115 kanals which have been demarcated in revenue records. But the difference is no issue for Tahir, as he says, “We are happy even with 115 kanals, as even that much land would be suffice for creating infrastructure for the migratory birds in the village.”

SDM Sheetal Nanda has ordered the revenue department to demarcate it making a distinction of the land allotted to the reserve area and to villagers. 

Jammu, August 25
A patch of the damaged road on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway near Digiana Pully has virtually become a death trap for two-wheelers as everyday accidents take place on the road due to potholes.

Commuters and pedestrians in the city have to face various hardships due to the potholed road while the authorities have failed to repair it.

Local residents and pedestrians rue that despite their repeated requests the authorities have not taken any action to repair it.

“This place has become a frequent accident spot due to the potholes in it. Everyday two to three people get injured due to accidents at this place,” said Om Parkash, a local shopkeeper.

He said: “Recently, we shifted two people to hospital after their motorcycle met with an accident at the spot as they overlooked the potholes”.

The residents say every year the contract to mend the patch is given to a contractor who fills the potholes with mud and cover it with coal tar and whenever it rains, the potholes come up again.

“The work on this patch last year continued for more than two months and we expected that it would be properly repaired. But soon after the first showers lashed the city, the potholes surfaced again,” said Mulakh Raj, a provision store owner in the locality.

The residents here said this patch had become a death trap as many people had either lost their lives or were injured due to accidents.

“The authorities seem to be least bothered about the accidents that take place here. I think they are waiting for a major tragedy to take place after which they will wake up to repair the road,” said Vikram Mehra, a resident of Digiana Pully.

He said: “Whenever a driver overlooks the potholes, he mets with an accident. The situation is worst for two-wheelers”.

The drivers, too, rue that the potholes on the road have also led to the breakdown of their vehicles.

“First time when I overlooked this pothole, my car was in full speed and it hit the pothole so hard that the lower portion of the car was damaged and I had to spend a huge amount of money to get the car repaired,” said Sanjeev Sharma, a resident of Gandhi Nagar.

“If I would not have been wearing seatbelt, my head would have been hit hard against the roof of the car,” he added.

Repeated attempts to contact officials of the National Highway Authority of India proved futile as they refused to comment saying that the repair work of the potholes has already been given to contractors.

Jammu, August 25
Ameek Singh Raina and Priya Raina got appreciation by displaying their talent in a realty show, “India’s Got Talent” on a TV channel, Colors.

During a performance at the show, the melodious voice of Ameek overwhelmed two judges, Shekhar Kapoor and Kirron Kher, while the mimicry done by Priya left the judges and the audience spellbound.

In 2002, Ameek, now 13, participated in “Jammu Idol” when he was only six. Ameek had taken preliminary training in singing from Sunil Joshi. “Now, Ameek will pursue regular training in classical singing and will soon emerge as a classical singer,” said Ameek’s mother, Neena Kaur.

She mentioned that Khadir Mustafa Khan, who was Ameek’s mentor in Mumbai, would also be imparting training to him.

His mother said while applauding Ameek’s performance, Kirron Kher said the child was made for music, Sonali described Ameek’s voice as the voice of an angel and Shekhar Kapoor said his voice touched the heart and he was a kid with a great voice.

However, Ameek could not make it to final as he could not muster enough votes, but Neena is happy as according to her Ameek has become popular and availing such an opportunity is a big achievement for him at an early age.

Priya Raina, who fascinated the audience as well as judges by presenting her delightful mimicry, said, “In the beginning, I used to imitate famous cartoon characters and then I started imitating actors also. My friends encouraged me to go ahead”.

After displaying her talent on Colors, Priya would soon be seen in a realty show on Sony TV.

“I have received a contract from Sony TV for one of their reality shows for standup comedy. I will leave for Mumbai in September and I hope people of my state will keep on supporting me,” said Priya.

Dedicating her success to her first guru Deepak Kumar, Priya said, “I am thankful to Rang Yug which provided me an opportunity to perform in a popular Hindi play ‘Natak Nahi’ under the direction of Deepak Kumar”.

Bani, August 25
Sleepy villages in remote and rugged hills of Bani in Kathua district are starved of electricity in spite of vast hydel resources that have largely remained unexploited so far.

Gushing streams and waterfalls mark the landscape of most of the villages like Badyal, Saili and Lohai Malhar nestled in the hills, but no one from any government or non-government agency has taken any initiative to make the villages self-reliant in the power sector by installing micro-hydel projects.

Villagers rue that they have electricity connections in name only, but as a matter of fact electricity remains elusive.

“Unlike people in cities, we get power supply once in a week only, that too for minutes. Can a person imagine his life without electricity?” they complained.

The huge water potential has traditionally been tapped by the villagers by installing watermills or waterwheels, commonly known as “gharats”, over gurgling streams for milling of grains and other mechanical applications.

“Most of the watermills in our villages are based on old designs and work at very low efficiencies. There are more than 30 watermills in our area and remarkably the villages in these areas are also electricity starved,” revealed a local teacher Shokat Ali, adding, “If the existing grants are overhauled on the pattern of new and improved designs, they can be developed for mechanical as well as electricity generation”.

“We have heard that the Army is doing a bit in this regard. In some border villages of Rajouri and Poonch, the Army has developed gharats as small hydel projects which harness water power to generate 2KW to 5KW of power which can easily feed 10-12 households,” Shokat said, adding, “The renovated gharats have changed the face of such villages. We also demand for such steps to be taken here”.

The villagers said the government had not even bothered to make an estimation of the hydroelectric potential in the area. “If we get electricity, our area can see economic emancipation,” said Rafeeq, a local carpenter.

Official concerned on condition of anonymity said: “With an eye on tapping renewable energy to electrify the far-flung villages, the Integrated Rural Energy Programme of the Science and Technology Department has started assisting traditional operators of watermills to upgrade their units”.

“However, in the Jammu region, the department is running short of project officers. Official apathy speaks volume as there is only one project officer holding the charge of six projects. To implement such welfare schemes of the Central government, the project officer of Udhampur is holding the charge of five other districts — Jammu, Kathua, Doda, Rajouri and Poonch,” he added.

Ramnagar (Majalata), August 25
An outbreak of water-borne diseases in the Majalata tehsil of Udhampur district has exposed the tall claims of the authorities regarding the provision of basic amenities for inhabitants of this belt- located on the both sides of the alternative national highway-known as Defence Road.

Over 100 people fell ill during the last one week after consuming contaminated water being supplied by government departments. The water-borne diseases have also been engulfing others in Ramban subdivision where the number of diarrhoea patients is increasing daily.

On paper,the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has laid pipes in almost all areas to provide potable water , but the scheme seems to have been implemented only on paper. The pipes laid by the authorities are rusted and taps are running dry.

Twenty years ago, the PHE authorities had laid pipes in some villages of the belt to provide drinking water. Interestingly, the pipes are still visible in some villages but without water. “These pipes are of no use for us”, rued Pritam Lal, a resident of Majalata, who demanded regular water supply.

Inhabitants of Sundla village where the maximum number of people became victims of diarrhoea, had been drinking water mixed with mud for the last one month. “We were drinking contaminated water for quite some time and it was only after an epidemic-like situation that the authorities woke from deep slumber”, said Ravinder Singh, a resident of Sundla, and suggested that without taking some concrete steps, the situation in this belt was unlikely to improve.

As the pipes laid by the PHE authorities with huge public money are not for the common masses, villagers in this belt are forced to fetch contaminated water from natural resources. Out of a total of 16 panchayats in the Majalata belt, only half a dozen panchayats are getting safe drinking water.

Most of the inhabitants of the belt have been drinking water from the fresh water springs known as bowlis in the local language. During the rainy season, water of such bowlis usually becomes contaminated due to the flow of overflooded water from seasonal nullahs in these springs.

“Due to non-availability of potable water people have been depending on natural resources, especially bowlies, for drinking water”, admitted Tehsildar Majalata, Sapna Kotwal, who has been camping in the affected villages to assess the ground situation.

She further admitted that water of these natural resources usually became unhygienic during the rainy season, but people had to use the same for drinking due to non-availability of alternative sources.

It was only after the report of such a large number of diarrhoea cases that the health department had collected samples from all natural resources from where people fetched water. The non-serious approach of the authorities can be gauged from the fact that for quite some time, the inhabitants of Sundla are using water of the Basantar Nullah for drinking purpose. 

Srinagar, August 25
After three significantly unpleasant developments believed to have happened under the influence of “evil spirits” in the newly constructed state Assembly complex, things seem to be going smoothly.

The maiden budget session of the NC-Congress coalition government in the newly constructed complex began here on July 27. The smooth conduct of proceedings after first three days of turbulent atmosphere is believed to have been due to the conduct of a religious ritual to evade the “evil spirits”.

The ritual was held on August 5 in the Assembly complex to ward off the “evil spirits”, which is believed to have worked. Only five days later, a senior PDP leader, Moulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, pleaded for a cordial relationship and interactive atmosphere between the opposition and ruling parties. “We may have different political and ideological opinions, but that does not mean we are against each other. 

We belong to a single society,” he pleaded in the Assembly. “Why are we separated by walls? We should be talking to each other,” he said questioning the designers of the complex. He sought to break the “Berlin wall”, which separated the opposition chamber from the ruling members’ chamber.

The demand for a common hall for ruling and opposition legislators instead of separate rooms was instantly accepted by the government on the direction of the Speaker.

Though the session began usually with the obituary references on the first day, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti wrenched the Speaker’s mike for not allowing her party to take up certain important issues. The second day followed with yet another startling revelation when PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig alleged that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s name figured in the list of those involved in the sex scandal of 2006. This prompted the Chief Minister to submit his resignation, which was, however, rejected by the Governor.

Omar resumed his duties after remaining three days away from the Assembly and the Civil Secretariat. The third day in the Assembly again witnessed pandemonium with the PDP calling for a judicial probe into the sex scandal.

These unpleasant developments were not the first that took place in the Assembly. It had witnessed the resignation announcement of former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on July 7 last year, only a day after he had inaugurated the complex.

Even if he knew that he was not having requisite numbers to prove majority in the aftermath of PDP’s withdrawal following the Amarnath land row, Azad dwelt upon in detail about the lack of work culture and bad governance during the debate on confidence vote. Without seeking a vote, Azad announced his resignation and drove to the Raj Bhawan to meet the Governor and submit his resignation.

He had taken a keen interest in the completion of the Assembly complex, the foundation stone of which was laid on September 21, 1981, by the then Chief Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Only 22 per cent of the work was done and it was on Azad’s orders that the construction started again in 2007.

Srinagar, August 25
In the interiors of world famous Dal Lake, poverty-ridden life of inhabitants has so far remained deprived of any government or voluntary assistance. People here are devoid of most of the basic amenities.

Located on the outskirts of the city, Moti Mohallah Kalan, Saidakadal, lies in heart of the lake. The mohallah can be approached either through shikaras or through a bund.

The area reportedly has 100 below poverty line (BPL) families and 55 families fall under the Annapurna/Antodaya Yojana (free ration scheme) out of the total 162 families.

A survey by an NGO shows that 97 children work as child labourers while 351 work in other capacities out of the total population of 552 children here.

“Poor economy and the lack of educational facilities coupled with weak administration and volatile law and order situation are responsible for such a situation,” says Hafiza Bano, a social worker.

A group of youth says, “The status of education here is deteriorating. A primary school here has poor infrastructure and the dropout rate is on the rise. The school that started some 40 years ago has just 41 students on its rolls.” Hafiza says parents lack awareness about the importance of education. “They are not interested in educating girl children”.

The overall literacy rate is low, especially among women, although girls are more in workforce. “The only middle school in the area is 2 km away and girls are not allowed to move out, so higher education is out of question. The dropout rate among girls is higher,” says Shaheen Anjum, a volunteer.

According to Hafiza, a unit has been started by an NGO for adolescent girls wherein they are trained in making crewel and other artwork. Hafiza says she visits every house in the area, interacts with parents and motivates them to send their children to schools.

She adds that she has formed Child Group Development (CGD), a group of children, to look after the cleanliness of the area. The children are first educated about cleanliness and then they carry the message from house to house.

Health facilities in the area are negligible. A dispensary here has a helper and ancillary nurse-cum-midwife, who visit it once or twice a week.

“The area does not have proper medical facilities. Many deaths have taken place during night hours due to the absence of timely medical aid. Children mostly suffer from health-related problems like chest and intestinal infections,” says Tanveer Hussain, a local resident. He adds that no ICDS (Integrated Child Development Service) centre exists here.

People are not satisfied with the welfare schemes offered by the government. “I applied for widow pension, but the case is pending for the last one year,” says Mukthi Bano.

Kathua, August 25
Even after seven years, the bridge over the Baagh nullah to benefit about 70,000 villagers of this border district is yet to be completed.

The construction work on this Rs 12-crore project, which was devised to provide an alternative route to Punjab, was taken up by the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) in 2002.

Member of Parliament Madan Lal Sharma had laid the foundation stone for the bridge at Haria Chak village, falling in the Hiranagar constituency, to link it with Mukandpur, Salarpur and Nagri toll post on the Punjab border.

However, it was due to paucity of funds that the construction work initially started at a snail’s pace and was later completely abandoned for three years in 2005.The local villagers complained that in the absence of the bridge, they were facing a lot of hardship.”We put our lives at risk everyday while crossing the Baagh nullah to reach Haria Chak village even for getting essential commodities’’, remarked Jeet Ram of Mukandpur village.

Satpal Bhagat, a local social worker, said minibuses had no choice but to cross the nullah-bed to ferry passengers and students. “There is an apprehension of flashfloods every time as a number of tragedies have already occurred in the past’’, he said.

Durga Prasad, MLA, Hiranagar, blamed the authorities for ignoring the project.”At the time of its inauguration, it was claimed that the project would be completed in 18 months. Now, seven years have already passed and people continue to suffer’’, he said.

Deputy General Manager, JKPCC, Suresh Rekhi, while admitting that work had to be abandoned in the past owing to the paucity of funds, however, claimed that the bridge would be completed by the end of this financial year.”We are on the job as funds have now been provided and are being utilised to complete the project’’, he said.

Rekhi said initially the bridge was funded under the state plan. “However, after the shortage of funds, work is now being undertaken under the Central Road Fund (CRF) scheme’’, he said.

The JKPCC officer, looking after the Kathua district projects, claimed that by the end of this month, 80 per cent work will be completed as men and machinery have been pressed into service.”On completion of the bridge, the road from Chadwal village to the Nagri toll post over the Baagh nullah will provide an alternative route to the Jammu-Pathankot national highway. Besides benefiting the 
villagers, the project would also ease flow of traffic on the national highway’’, he added.

Srinagar, August 25
Life took a tumultuous turn for 17-year-old Mohammad Maroof, a resident of Parampilla-Uri, after he lost his parents in the 2005 earthquake. However, an NGO, Save Our Souls (SOS), working in Uri for the rehabilitation of quake victims, came to his rescue and provided him support.

“Being the eldest child, I had to shoulder the responsibility of my two brothers. I was then studying in ninth standard and our house, like many others, was razed to ground,” recollects Maroof, now a senior secondary school student.

Maroof’s father, Bashir Ahmad, was killed in the earthquake that struck the region on October 8, 2005. His mother, Zarina Begum, died two months later, after being bed-ridden. “The family plunged into crisis and for many days, there was no help. We used to struggle hard to survive, but somehow managed to keep the pot boiling. We mostly passed our days under tents or in the open till we found a support,” he says.

“Our team came across these three boys and we supported them financially,” says Naushad Raza, village director, SOS.

A two-room set was constructed for Maroof by the NGO where he is now living along with his two younger brothers, Mohammad Sadiq and Mohammad Hafiz.

Showkat Ahmad, a coworker of SOS, says children falling in the age group 0-8 can be enrolled with the organisation. The responsibility of SOS is over once the girl child gets married and some job is acquired by a boy, he adds.

JAMMU: Toyota Motors has launched Fortuner, the latest SUV from the company, at the Shree Toyota in Jammu.

Fortuner is a full-time 4WD SUV with a power going to all four wheels. It provides best traction on all types of terrains and is suitable for driving both on the city and off-road.

Jarden home appliances

Jarden Consumer Solutions, a leading brand in the home and kitchen appliance segment, has launched its Oster and Bionaire brand in the Jammu region. Oster has a basket of small kitchen appliances while Bionaire has a range of tower fans and air purifiers. — TNS