Jammu, November 20
Grinding between the soaring prices of essential commodities and failure of the authorities to streamline the public distribution system (PDS), woes of the commoners, especially of those belonging to the lowest strata, have been compounding with each passing day.

Earlier, the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department used to provide relief to the commoners at the time of extraordinary price rise. But this time, the department has failed to ensure supply of ration, especially the flour, rice and sugar, in its own outlets.

Even as authorities claim to supply adequate ration, most of depots in the city and adjoining localities are usually found closed or without ration. “I have deposited money a month back but till date I haven’t got my share of ration”, a dealer said on anonymity, alleging without giving the commission it was difficult rather impossible to get the ration.

In Jammu, there are 265 CAPD depots supplying ration but majority of them either remain closed throughout the month or without the ration. “A large numbers of dealers have surrendered their depots so we find it difficult to supply ration in some parts of the city,” Hemant Kumar, director, CAPD, admitted.

Keeping in view the soaring prices of essential commodities like flour, rice and sugar, common people prefer to purchase ration from outlets of CAPD as there is huge difference of prices. Open market price of flour is ranging between Rs 18 and Rs 20 per kg but in the CAPD depots its price is Rs 7.65 per kg. Similarly, sugar is available at the rate of Rs 13.50 per kg in CAPD depots and its price in open market is not less than Rs 40 per kg.

Now as prices of commodities spiral out of control, common people are rushing to purchase ration from CAPD depots but the authorities at the helm of the affairs have so far failed to ensure supply of ration.

“Opening of new ration depots, especially in the city, is not possible due to unaffordable prices of the shops. However, we are devising a strategy,” the Director said.

BJP leader Chaman Lal Gupta alleged that there was a nexus between black marketers and officials of the CAPD department. “In the Jammu region, entire supply of ration has been handed over to the private players”, he pointed out.

Recently, the crime branch of the state Police had detected a fraud and registered a case against employees of the CAPD Department, Udhampur, for large-scale bungling and misappropriation of ration meant for supply to the BPL, Antoday Annpurna Yojna (AAY) and other poor categories of the people living in the district.

Minister of CAPD Qamar Ali Akhnoon, while admitting that some cases of bungling were brought to his notice, told the Tribune that adequate steps had already been taken to streamline the department.

“Unlike the Army and the Air Force, which remain in a state of high preparedness and regularly hold mock drills, the BSF’s frequency of rehearsals is quite low,” they added.

Sources said, in Kanachak sector from where heavily armed militants had sneaked in and had carried out Chinore attack on August 28, 2008.

The BSF’s observation post is on a very low height and as a result

jawans atop the post don’t get a clear view of the border area.

The recent incidents at the IB, particularly in sectors like Kanachak, Pargwal, Samba and Ramgarh and intelligence inputs suggest that the BSF may face a litmus test again, they added.

Sources said, Pak Rangers in recent times constructed concrete bunkers inside their territory, primarily to keep on shuffling militants from one launch pad to another.

However, a senior police officer, who wished anonymity, said, guarding 229-km long IB and 749-km long LoC was not an easy task and that, too, when the enemy is desperate to push militants before snow plugs all the passes in the mountains.

The 749-km long LoC in difficult hilly and rugged terrain is being manned by the Army while the 229-km long IB mostly in plains is being guarded by the BSF.

Jammu, November 20
As the biannual Darbar move has started functioning in the winter capital of the state, all roads leading to the VIP areas and where the VIP movement is more have been macadamised while other roads have been left unattended.

Various agencies working in the state had dug up different roads in the city to carry out development works, including laying of sewage pipes. However, days before the shifting of Darbar to Jammu, most of the roads where VIP movement is more were macadamised, but other roads are still in poor state due to which residents continue to face hardships.

“The executing agency has not bothered to macadamise roads used by the common people. But to avoid the wrath of VIPs, the agency has blacktopped the main roads,” said Gopal Krishan, a shopkeeper at Gumat market here.

A few months ago, all roads in the area were lying dug-up. The road up to the Hari market has been macadamised, but the one in the Gumat market where there is no VIP movement has been left unattended.

Residents say the authorities have paid no heed towards their problems. The situation is already bad but if it rains it would create further problems not only for pedestrians, but also for motorists, they add.

“Thousands of people take this route to reach the market as this is the shortcut leading from bus stand to Hari market where the famous Raghunath temple is situated,” says Ashok Kumar, a shopkeeper in the area. He adds that not only locals but thousands of pilgrims coming to Jammu take this route to reach the temple, but since the road is in a shambles, they have to face a lot of problems.

Other shopkeepers say due to the kuccha road left by the department, there is a lot of dust and all their products get spoiled due to it. “The dusty conditions have not only made us prone to many diseases, but also hitting our trade prospects as the dust settles on the items displayed giving them a shabby look,” says Dheeraj, who runs an electronic shop in the area.

Similar is the situation at Akali Kour Singh Nagar where the dug-up road is still awaiting to be blacktopped months after the work was completed.

“It has become a health hazard. The authorities should take immediate measures to macadamise the road otherwise we will be left with no option but to protest,” says Manjeet Singh, a resident of the locality.

Meanwhile, an official of the R&B department says the left out work would soon be taken on priority so that people don’t have to suffer.

Jammu, November 20
Despite being a marriage season when you expect jewellery shops to be buzzing with buyers, it is a story of different kind. Major showrooms in the city are wearing a deserted look. Reason: the price of yellow metal has touched an all time high, forcing the shoppers and jewellers to cough up extra bucks.

The gold prices on Wednesday touched a record Rs 16,800 (22 karat) for 10 grams in the market, an increase of about Rs 5,000 over what the yellow metal had traded in the bullion market on the same day, last year.

It was found that the sale of gold in the winter capital had gone down by more than 50 per cent and all major jewellery showrooms in Gandhi Nagar, Raghunath Market and Jain Bazaar wore a deserted look.

The jewellers are a worried lot. Vishal, owner of Pawan Jewelers, said, “The skyrocketing prices of gold has dissuaded customers big time. We are worried about how and where are we going to sell our stock. Though it is marriage season, still few customers are coming to the market. The gold has totally gone out of the reach of common man.”

“Only those customers are coming, who are in dire need. Otherwise, no one is buying gold and the jewellers are simply waiting for better days to come,” said another Jeweller.

He also pointed out that the increase in price has nothing to do with domestic demand, it actually depends on the international market. Even no one can make a guess, whether the price will increase or decrease in the coming days.

Arun Saraf, owner of a jewellery shop, said they had told their customers to give them three-fourth cash in advance and only then jewellery would be prepared, as they don’t want to take any risk.

The customers have also found alternatives, as a customer, Gurpreet Kaur said, “My daughter is going to be married next month and that’s why we have come to the market to purchase the gold. But, the sky touching prices has forced us to polish our old jewellry. Thus, we have purchased fresh gold only for in-laws.”

Another customer said, “We have made our budget according to our needs and have fixed Rs 2 lakh for gold, now it depends on the price that how much we can buy.” Notably, the price rice has also increased the demand for artificial jewellery.

Srinagar, November 20
It is not uncommon these days to spot a beer ambling through the woods lining the National Park in Dachigam frequented by nature lovers.

Wildlife may be in jeopardy in most of the country due to a host of reasons, but it is flourishing in the valley. And one of the major reasons is the fear caused by militancy and the security forces' counter-operations as poachers and even residents, who killed animals for fun and, at times, their meat, mostly kept away from forests lest they should be mistaken for militants.

Wildlife warden Rashid Naqash said that militancy prevailing for two decades worked as a protection for the wildlife poachers did not dare to venture deep into forests.

The admirable work done by the state's Wildlife Department in protecting endangered species like black bear and hangul, a rare red deer whose numbers remain in the danger zone, has been a factor as well. But it is also true that even departments assigned with wildlife protections remained non-functional for many years as the government poured its resources into tackling militancy. "For most of the 90s, wildlife was left to its own. And it largely did well except for some species like hangul because poachers had vanished as well," another official, who did not wish to be named, said.

Bird watcher's delight like black partridge and pheasants saw a manifold increase in their numbers as they flew free of the dangers of poachers.

The increasing numbers of migratory birds, who descend in lakhs in the winter in Kashmir to escape the harsher colds of Russia, eastern Asia and other regions, is also indicative of how wildlife has thrived in Kashmir all these years.

However, the threat of poacher is rising again as militancy continues to be on the wane. Wildlife officials say they do not have enough guards to keep vigil in their jurisdiction to ensure the safety of wildlife. The poaching of birds for their meat or just adventure has been witnessed in the past few years and the police often turns down pleas for assisting these officials in nabbing poachers.

Wadura (Sopore), November 20
Skills to enhance production and productivity, new methods of farming were being imparted to progressive farmers during a Kissan Mela (camp for farmers) organised by the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir (SKUAST-K) here recently.

New varieties of crops, breeds of livestock and latest tools of farming were displayed on the occasion. Technical inputs were provided by experts. Some indigenous and newly introduced agricultural tools like ramba, khurpa, foot-operated paddy thresher, seed-cum-fertiliser drill (bullock drawn), solar drier were on the display.

“We sell these tools at cheap price. Profit is not our consideration. We want the farming community to avail benefits,” said Ghulam Hassan and Ghulam Nabi, stall owners representing the SKUAST-K.

Certain scented varieties of rice like Pusa Sugand-IV, Mushk Budji and Kamad that have almost become extinct here were also displayed.

“These varieties have been planted on three kanals, each at multi locations in Bandipora district, on farm trails and their results are satisfactory,” said Dr Khurshid from IKV, Bandipora.

A visitor, however, said: “Scented varieties of rice can be cultivated in Bandipora as it is the cold area. Our ancestors also cultivated it”.

Peerzada Imran, design engineer, Jain Irrigation, while demonstrating the drip irrigation system said: “Our motto is to save water, conserve electricity and increase production. After studying soil, its water requirement is worked out. We can provide water to thousand hectares of land”.

Heifer number-344, Vanraja and Gramapriya were some of the attractions on stall meant for livestock. The fishery stall included specimen like Mahseer (Tor potitora), Golden Mahseer (Tor putitora) and likewise.

Some progressive farmers also spoke on the occasion. Ali Mohammad from Kounchipora-Tangmarg said mushroom cultivation should be promoted and new technology ought to be used.

Ghulam Nabi Bhat from Wadoora-Sopore said they were being ignored. Mehraj ud din Mir from Tangmarg suggested that storage facility should be available at the tehsil level.

Dr AR Trag, director research, SKUAST-K, said: “Generally, production is less than 30 quintals per hectare, but if varieties introduced by the university are used, it will increase to 50 quintals per hectare”.

Shareef ud din Shariq, Member of Parliament, Baramulla-Kupwara, said: “Experts and scientists shall pay on-spot field visits and inform farmers about the latest methods of farming and technology”.

Prof Anwar Alaam, vice-chancellor, SKUAST-K, emphasised farmers to be self-sufficient. He informed that Cold Water Fisheries’ College, first of its kind in the country, would be soon coming up in the valley.

Javaid Ahmad Dar, Minister of State for Agriculture, stressed for developing joint mechanism between agricultural experts and farmers so that latter could avail facilities.

Ghulam Hassan Mir, Minister of Agriculture, said: “Mela is the best way to reach out to people and farmers shall take its advantages. No soil will be left without testing. Soil test card shall be made available to every farmer”.

Apart from various divisions of the university, the Department of Agriculture, Sericulture, the Jammu and Kashmir Agro Development Cooperative Limited and M/S Healthy Foods had pitched their stalls.

Jammu, November 20
Plant a kaner (nerium indicum or pink oleander) to check air pollution, this message was given by children in the recently held State Chapter of the 17th National Children Science Congress (NCSC).

Kaner (in Hindi) has proved as the best pollution-controlling plant as it has the ability to absorb smoke quickly and make the environment free from pollution. Along with enhancing the beauty of a home, nerium indicum would be helpful to reduce the rising level of pollution in the air.

Students of Carmel Convent School, Kunjwani bypass, presented this innovative idea in the NCSC and claimed that this flower could prove beneficial in getting rid of air pollution.

Before presenting this idea in the NCSC, the students had experimented with the flower by planting it at four locations in the city. At the Railway Station and the Trikuta Nagar areas, the nerium indicum showed the presence of more air pollution as compared to Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar.

The students received huge appreciation from Vilakshan Singh, who was the judge in the NCSC, and Arun K. Khajuria, district coordinator, NCSC.

Another good thing about the flower is that any one could purchase it easily as it is not so costly. It is available in various nurseries at Rs 30 only.

Stressing for generating awareness among the masses about the traffic rules and for adopting modern technologies to minimise the traffic problems, students of KC Public School, Muthi, highlighted the major areas where people face more traffic problems.

The students said in the areas like Jewel Chowk, Vikram Chowk and Rehari Chungi they found that people were facing more traffic problems as compared to other areas. They said the roads were not in good condition in these areas and footpaths were encroached by shopkeepers and hawkers due to which pedestrians were forced to walk on roads, which add to the traffic chaos.

They suggested that the Traffic Department should install traffic lights and CCTV's on the roads.

Similarly, a group of students from Shiksha Niketan, Jeewan Nagar, highlighted the problem of pollution caused due to the waste from temples.

A group of students from Jodhamal School, Channi Himmat, suggested for the systematical management of solid waste and a group of students from Indian Air force School, Satwari, spoke on "Save Energy-Save Earth by making maximum the use of solar systems".

Out of the 35 government and private schools, which participated in this NCSC, nine schools presented the best innovative ideas about how to tackle the problems like air, water and noise pollution. The students of these nine schools would participate in the state-level competition which would be held soon.

Leh, November 20
A Ladakhi educationist and member of the governing council of the National Mission of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Sonam Wangchuk, will advise the Royal Government of Bhutan in creating its national education system.

Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmet Y Thinley has invited him to visit Thimpu for a week in this regard from December 7-12 to advise the government in the preparation of a national education system.

Wanghuk is currently in Nepal on an advisory assignment to construct a prototype of cost-effective earthquake safe and climate responsive school building for the ministry of education. Earlier, he was an adviser for an educational reform movement in the Terai region of Nepal with an aim to improving educational facilities for children of freed bonded labour.

On being asked what kind of advise the Bhutanese government wants from him in the preparation of the national education policy, Wangchuk replied, “It is about incorporating gross national happiness in the main stream curriculum of the nation”.

He also added, “The gross national happiness would have all aspects like care for nature, sustainable development and happiness of all beings incorporated right from the formative age of the children”.

During the assignment, Wangchuk would be working with the Royal Education Council, top Bhutanese educators, officials, curriculum designers and elected representatives of the government.

Prior to advisory assignment in Nepal, Wangchuk through his non-government organisation SECMOL had launched Operation New Hope, a movement for education reform in Ladakh for primary children, with the collaboration of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.

It may pertinent to mention here that ever since the formation of the LAHDC, education has been its priority and Operation New Hope has been adopted as the LAHDC educational policy in the primary education sector.

Wangchuk also said to reform the education system in the local context under the Operation New Hope, text books for primary education were reworked based on Ladakhi cultural context and values. The village education committees formed in every village now own schools and monitor the schooling. Besides, physical punishment to the students by teachers had nearly vanished, he added.

For his effort to reform the education system in Ladakh, Wangchuk has won several awards. These include CNN-IBN India’s Real Hero Award in 2008, The Week’s Man of the Year in 2001, and Sanctuary Asia Magazine’s Green Teacher Award in 2005. He was also chosen as an Ashoka Fellow in 2005 and received the Governor Medal in 1996. 

Jammu, November 20
The ban on the use and sale of the prepaid mobile phone connections hasn’t only affected around 38 lakh prepaid mobile phone subscribers in the state, but the operators also. And that is why, they are working overtime to retain the existing customer base by offering various offers on postpaid connections.

Recently, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he had taken up the issue of the ban on the prepaid mobile connections with the Union Home Minister, but no decision to revoke the ban has been taken so far.

Mobile phone subscribers of the state were taken by surprise when last month the Union Home Ministry announced the imposition of the ban on the sale and usage of the prepaid mobile phone connections in the state citing security reasons.

The prepaid mobile SIM cards were banned on the pretext that they were being used by the anti-national elements. But the decision hasn’t gone down well with those who were prepaid subscribers as they have been suffering due to the ban.

“Around 38 lakh subscribers of prepaid connections in the state cannot be anti-national, you cannot just impose a blanket ban on the usage of prepaid connections in the state,” said Surjeet Singh, a prepaid mobile phone subscriber.

Various telecom operator companies in the state have launched various attractive plans for the subscribers to convert their existing prepaid connections to postpaid ones, but a large number of subscribers say that they won’t be able to afford the postpaid connection. “With a prepaid connection you have a free will to recharge your phone as per your choice, but when you convert it to a postpaid connection you have to pay a monthly rental,” said Kuwar, another prepaid mobile subscriber in Jammu.

Meanwhile, to keep their customers intact, the seven mobile phone operators in the state are offering various attractive schemes.

Many companies have introduced their pay per second call plan in the state and other have lowered their monthly rentals and security deposit. For instance, Airtel, one of the leading mobile phone operator in the state, with the maximum number of subscriber base in the state has opened two booths in Jammu to convert the prepaid connections to postpaid ones.

“I got a message from the operator to deposit an entry fee of Rs 100 along with two photographs, proof of identity and address proof to convert my prepaid mobile phone connection to a postpaid connection,” said Ankur, a subscriber of Airtel prepaid connection.

RK Koul, principal general manager of BSNL (mobiles), J&K circle, said that forms have been already issued for the conversion of pre paid connections to post paid connections and people in large number are opting to convert their connections to post paid.

Meanwhile, the residents are hopeful that the ban on the use of prepaid connections would be temporary as the issue has been raised by the Chief Minister with the Union Home Minister.

“Every body cannot afford to have a postpaid connection, so the government should think of revoking the ban, otherwise many people would have to leave their mobile phones,” said Priya, a college student.