Jammu, October 20
Efforts are on to sensitise people against female foeticide; however, results don’t match as desired. Many believe that the importance of daughters would slowly be realised in the times to come, but for the time being, the inmates of old age home Ambphalla are finding the presence of daughters in their lives a boon.

Being deserted and dumped in the home by their sons, it is their daughters who despite being married off regularly visit them. This Diwali too the old age home saw more footfalls of daughters than sons.

However, a girl still remains an unwanted child for many as desire for a boy child rules the mind of many. Going by the official figures provided by the Directorate of Health Services at the sub-district level in several pockets of the state, the sex ratio has plummeted to 686. This has prompted the state government to seal as many as 16 clinics indulged in illegal prenatal diagnostic tests in Jammu.

The directorate has further recorded that the sex ratio has declined to 686 in RS Pura sub-district. In Bishnah block, Kot Bhalwal and Sohanjana, Dansal and Jammu district itself the figures are alarming with 701, 723, 751 and 894 respectively.

According to Dr Sabu George, an activist fighting against female foeticide for the past two decades, in Jammu district alone 2,800 girls are aborted or killed in the womb of mother.

“Out of one lakh estimated births in Jammu province in a year at least 7,800 girls get killed inside the mothers’ wombs,” he informed and maintained “If the trend continues the day is not far when the sex ratio would be 400 to 500 girls against 1,000 boys.”

On the other hand, people like Pritam Chand, who has been serving disowned old people at the home, believes: “Daughters do have a sense of commitment towards parents. Over the past 16 years stint with this old age home, what I have realised is that daughters are more magnanimous and humane as compared to sons.”

Said an octogenarian Des Raj (name changed), who joined the old age home some two years back: “There was dearth of rooms in my home after all my four sons got married. But I am comfortable here as it did not take long in developing camaraderie with fellow inmates.”

“My destiny was unfavourable to me, so I don’t hold any grudge against anyone,” he said with sheen in his wrinkled eyes and showed a pair of socks, a pair of warmers, a hand-knit women sweater and a cap.

“My daughter has presented me this stuff as Diwali gift. She knows its getting cold during morning and evening as winter is round the corner,” said Raj, who is in the throes of autumn of life.

Jammu, October 20
When corruption has spread its tentacles in almost every sphere of life, the recent incidents of Shopian twin rape and murder case followed by the murder of Amandeep Singh and alleged custodial killing of Rajnish Sharma in a police lock-up yet again brought a bad name to the state police - a force that was awarded President’s Colour by none other than Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

However, corruption charges are not new to the state police. Some of its officers had been either jailed or suspended in the past, reaffirming the belief of a common man that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

“The police force is not corrupt but few individuals could be, and the police is not proud of such corrupt individuals because they bring a bad name to the entire force,” said former DGP MM Khajooria.

Former Jammu SSP Manohar Singh, who allegedly received huge kickbacks in the Amandeep murder case to fudge evidences, was not the first police officer, who faced suspension on corruption charges.

In the militancy-plagued state, the police had witnessed certain unpleasant incidents in the past wherein not only functioning but integrity of some of its officers were at stake.

In fact, some of them were later found guilty of abusing their posts for monetary gains and for bolstering their promotion prospects by staging fake encounters.

If Saji Mohan, an IPS-cadre officer, who had a stint here in the state, had to face the charges of smuggling heroin to mint easy money then former Poonch SP Sewak Singh had been imprisoned for staging a fake encounter to kill a sub-inspector Ajay Gupta in Surankote in late 90s.

Similarly, Parihar, an SP posted in Kashmir, continue to cool his heels in prison for allegedly staging a fake encounter in the valley.

Likewise, a senior police officer had to be dismissed from services for his alleged controversial role in the killing of five militants in a fake encounter in Kashmir in 2003.

He, however, was reinstated later after he got a clean chit from a court of law.

Two other senior police officers, one of them recently shifted to JK House in Delhi, also faced suspension after their names figured in a police recruitment scam and arms smuggling.

However, former DGP Khajooria said since corruption was prevalent in society at large, the police is also part of it and hence the menace could not be wiped out completely when it had spread from top to bottom.

But corruption in the police department gets exposed very quickly unlike other in other departments like revenue where it takes place regularly, he said, adding in other departments interests of both the parties are involved and hence it goes without any fuss.

The former top cop admitted that stray incidents of corruption and abuse of powers by certain disgruntled officers did damage the police’s image.

He said, such officers, if proved guilty before a court, should be awarded maximum punishment as per law of the land.

Jammu, October 20
People who come to the Regional Passport Office here to get their passport made allege that they have to face a lot of hardships in getting the job done. While officials say they are ready to make the passport within a day if the applicant furnishes all prescribed documents, applicants allege that they are being unnecessarily harassed.

People allege that they have to run from pillar to post to get a new passport made. “We have to face a lot of problems in getting a passport made. I have been coming there for the past more than one month, but nobody is there to listen to my grievances,” said Anil Koul, a local resident

Official sources say the passport office is facing an acute staff shortage and the staff members are under pressure as they have to process a huge number of applications.

Residents blame that though they complete all formalities, officials concerned harass them by adopting delaying tactics in issuing the passport.

“I have been coming here for the past 15 days. Everyday, they tell me that either one document is missing or I need to submit some other document. I have to come from the far end of the city. Why can’t they guide the applicant well?” said Idrees Ahmed, a resident of Rajouri.

He said he wanted a passport for his younger brother who had to go abroad for his higher studies, but the apathetic attitude of the department was wasting their time.

Meanwhile, officials say they are ready to issue the passport in no time provided the applicant furnishes proper documents.

“If the applicant furnishes all documents, we have no reason for delaying the passport,” said regional passport officer Ashok K Magotra.

He said applicants whose case had been pending did not submit the required documents and he had personally asked his staff to educate the people about the formalities.

“In areas where there is no municipality, the applicant has to submit a certificate of date of birth with a registration number from the registrar of births and deaths,” Magotra said.

“I cannot ignore the guidelines and people who have an emergency must submit all necessary documents so that he can get a passport within six hours,” he added.

Srinagar, October 20
The “Shahtoosh” shawl industry, which used to provide jobs to most skilled craftsmen in the valley is virtually dead. Time and again concerns are shown by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to revive it and lift ban on Shahtoosh killing. Chiru, a Tibetan antelope, provides Shahtoosh.

Looking at its economic significance, policy on Shahtoosh ban deserves reconsideration. Efforts should be made to intensify breeding and semi-domesticate them”. This observation was made by Prof Anwar Alam, Vice- Chancellor of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K), in his address at the valedictory session of a three-day international conference on the “Conservation of Hangul and other Endangered Species” held at the SKICC in Srinagar on Monday. Over 150 scientists from different institutions of the country and abroad deliberated on the conservation of Hangul and other endangered species of deer. The three -day conference from October 10 to 12 was organised by the SKUAST-K in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India and the Department of Wildlife of the state government.

The delegates in five technical sessions deliberated upon various themes, including status, distribution and natural history, population ecology and deer management, habitat ecology and management, conservation genetics evolution and captive breeding, their behaviour and response to the global climate change, diseases and health management, endangered deer management, conservation and future needs, community-based approach for the wildlife conservation in general and Hangul in particular.

“The conference helped in enhancing and updating our scientific knowledge on globally successful recovery, conservation programmes and aspects of deer ecology that should help in long-term conservation of these precious species, particularly, mitigating measures for its declining population”, Dr Khursheed Ahmad of the SKUAST-K, organising secretary of the conference said.

The Vice-Chancellor said, the five endangered species in the state are hangul, musk deer, markhor, snow leopard and Himalayan bear. Though the Department of Wildlife Protection was active on their conservation, it was not so “well equipped” to save the species especially from human-wildlife conflict situation, he observed. “Poaching and hunting of wildlife is a vocation for many for meat, skin, bones, and economically and pharmacologically valuable organs. For some, bust of wildlife is object of aesthetics and decoration for their drawing rooms”, he stated. With the result many wild anials were running the risk of losing their existence on the surface of earth, he added. “Hangul is one of them, which is the state animal of the state”, Anwar Alam said. He lamented that laws, sanctuaries and reserves, protecting endangered and vulnerable wildlife could not prevent those who continued to hunt wild animals to make money.

“Unless there is awareness and people participation, their conservation is doubtful like tigers, lions, snow leopards”, he said. The man-wildlife conflict was rampant as a result of human population explosion leading to expanded human economic activities in forest areas encroaching upon habitats of these endangered species.

The Hangul, which was found all over the valley, has now shrunken to 141-square km of the Dachigam National Park, experts at the conference observed. They sought foolproof measures against poaching and predation, banning of livestock grazing in deer habitats, which however, would hurt the farmers and herdsmen. Conservation measures, according to the deliberations at the conference, were needed to restore Hangul in different areas of the valley where it used to be in abundance in the past. These areas included Kishenganga and Erin catchments in Bandipore, Baltal-Thajwas Wildlife Sanctuary, Sindh forest division, Tral reserves, Daksum Wildlife Sanctuary, Kishtwar High-Altitude National Park.

Jammu, October 20
Balwant Thakur, a renowned theater director and writer, has done the country proud by staging a Dogri play, “Ghumayee”, at six international theatre festivals held in Russia, Germany, Poland and Hungry last month.

Elated over the success of the play, Thakur, on his return to the city, said, “The way the play has been received in Russia and other European countries is a testimony of the creativity and innovative strength for which the group has been striving since 1983, when Natrang was established. At the Frantfurt International Theatre Festival in Germany, the audience gave a standing ovation and kept clapping for over 15 minutes. In Russia, a child came with a bottle of water on the stage to give it to the lead actress when he took her performance of being thirsty for real. It moved all of us there”.

The international exposure which the group received will take it to long way. “Natrang will now be known as an international theatre group. The language and the culture which it represented will have global presence. The thrust will now be more on producing world-class productions as the group is looking forward to more theatre events abroad,” Thakur said.

Thakur wants to continue to delve deep into Dogri theatre by bringing out more Dogri folktales and weaving it with resounding folk music. He said, “Correct projection of the culture is more important than personal satisfaction for any artiste. They have to protect the identity and revive the culture. So I will continue to do more of Dogri theatre but by giving it an international treatment”.

It was in third attempt that the Natrang theatre group was selected for the international theatre festival.

Thakur, who started participating in theatre events at the college level, has staged 150 plays till now. He started pursuing serious theatre by established his own theatre group, Natrang, in 1983.

Though Jammu and Kashmir is a land of rivers water still remains a luxury for many here. In the wake of rivers drying up rapidly, the state government has been educating people about using water judiciously.

Jammu, October 20
The winter capital of the state is being beautified with renovation, repair works, black-toping on roads, white washing of government quarters and with other allied work, well before the opening up of offices in Jammu on November 9.

The civil secretariat building and other complexes, along with the accommodations of employees, has started getting a fresh facelift in Jammu. Bangalows of ministers, senior bureaucrats are also being spruced up.

“Crores of rupees are being spend every year on the arrangements which includes maintenance of civil secretariat, VIP quarters, complexes and government residential quarters,” said Arun

Manhas, Deputy Director, Estate Department.

According to sources, more than 4,000 employees, including all officers come to Jammu during the darbar move.

Manhas said the Estate Department has 4,000 quarters from Roop Nagar Janipur to Channi Himmat in which they accommodate employees. “We require around 800 more quarters to accommodate darbar move employees. Besides, these 4,000 quarters, we adjust around 300 employees in rented accommodation like 120 employees are accommodated in dak banglow and 180 in hotels,” said the Deputy Director.

He further said this time the department had upgraded four clerical halls in the civil secretariat. Around 25 additional rooms are also built in third floor to facilitate the employees.

Besides, a Chief Minister’s grievance cell is also built in the secretariat and on the top floor of the secretariat a water cooler along with filter has been installed by the department. The Roads and Buildings Department is also working quickly.

Re-carpeting of all city roads in patchwork on the potholed roads are in full swing. The department looks after 6,798 km of roads in Jammu province.

“All the city roads will be mettled before darbar move for the smooth movement of vehicles. About 95 per cent of the work has been completed and rest will be completed before November 9,” said DL Sharma, Chief Engineer, Road and Buildings Department. He added around Rs 60 crore have been spent so far on these developmental works.

The Municipal Corporation, Jammu, is also working hard.

“We will try to keep all wards clean by putting extra labour. The number of population increases when darbar shifts here. The employees come along with their families, due to which garbage accumulates in large quantity in every ward,” said Mayor Kavinder Gupta.