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State fails to cash in on its natural resources
Reel perspective on climate change
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Social stigma continues to haunt HIV patients
Misuse of cross-LoC route on the rise
Mughal road to benefit farmers, traders
MC needs more funds, says Mayor
Domestic Violence
English version of Dogri book released
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State fails to cash in on its natural resources
Jammu, December 1 The treaty was signed between India and Pakistan in September 1960. After the treaty, Pakistan obtained exclusive rights for the Indus, Jhelum and the Chenab, which pass through the state. India retained rights to the Ravi, Beas and the Sutluj. Since 1947, ruling elites of this state have brazenly been plundering the green gold and a huge chunk of this natural resource has already been extracted by the successive rulers with the connivance of the bureaucracy. As far as the water is concerned, the successive regimes miserably failed to exploit it properly due to political considerations. According to an estimate, the state has a potential of generating more than 20,000MW of power, but only 10 per cent of it has been exploited. As the Chenab basin has a huge potential of power generation, a joint venture company - Chenab Power Project Pvt Limited - was constituted last year to the tap the potential but it was considered as only a small project. The company, formed after the state government signed an MoU with NHPC, would generate 2,120 MW by setting up projects on the Chenab. Some experts have raised objections regarding handing over projects to the NHPC and demanded that the government should have to tap this potential on its own. Construction of the Baglihar Hydroelectric Project is an example that the state has the capability to tap the potential so there was no need to sign the agreement with the NHPC, observed some experts. Despite financial constraints and other hassles, the Baglihar Project is a success story as the state completed it in nine years, while as the NHPC has taken 30 years to complete the Dulhasti Project in Kishtwar. Instead of taking effective steps to utilise this resource, successive regimes have roped in companies and further deprived the state of its right. “Exploitation of the state’s water and power resources is the worst kind of ‘sahukari’ system in which the state is deprived of its right,” observed former principal secretary Niam Akther. He said: “The state has already suffered huge losses due to the treaty and discriminatory agreements with the NHPC have further deprived the state of its right”. “In lieu of three rivers to Pakistan, India got rights of the Beas, Ravi and Satluj so the state should be compensated as it has been suffering a recurring loss of Rs 650 crore annually due to the treaty”. |
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Reel perspective on climate change
“I got a shock of my life last summer when I saw houses in Srinagar having air-conditioners. Even hotels in Pahalgam (a high-altitude tourist town) had ACs,” he says animatedly. And it is not only about ACs in Kashmir. Fazili, 44, is using his professional skill to good use to spread awareness about climate change. He recently shot in Western Ghat in Karnataka, to make a film showing how global warming has given birth to new varieties of insects and fungus, affective people and greenery. He shot it for NGO Earthwatch. A former mass communication student from Kashmir University, Fazili moved to Delhi in early 90s and got trained in Jamia Millia Islamia. There he came in contact with Mike Pandey, a noted filmmaker and conservationist, and he was soon following the footsteps of the highly rated professional and venturing into serious cinema. With a genuine interest in matters of earth and environment, Fazili opened his own production house, Panther Films, and joined hands with the Earth Matters Foundation, with an aim of educating and uniting people for the protection and conservation of environment. “The decay of Dal lake is obvious. Everybody says they feel so bad for the Dal but few are doing anything to reverse the damage. And this is what I want to do. Make people do their own bit,” he says. A big recognition of his good works came recently when his film “Building safer communities in south Asia” was nominated in best director category of International Gold Panda Awards for Films. Though he did not win the award, Fazili says it was a disappointment but nomination was itself an award. “So many entries from 60 countries were selected. My film was one of them and it’s heartening,” he says. The film has highlighted the poignant destiny of people caught up helplessly in nature’s fury, “which vents itself in periodic, ruthless onslaughts against its inhabitants. While remedial measures are being adopted on a global, regional and national scales with increasing fervour, we are still, to a large extent, victims rather than survivors.” Fazili says rapid population growth, poverty, unplanned urbanisation, environmental degradation and global warming are major contributing factors for natural disasters and his job is to drive home these points again and again. |
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Social stigma continues to haunt HIV patients
She was on crossroads when the Community Care Centre at Talab Tillo, Jammu, run by the Bee En Charitable Trust in association with the National AIDS Prevention and Control Society, came to her rescue and gave her a job. Yet her children are reluctant to go to school for fear of social stigma. But after their mother has started earning livelihood, they no longer sleep on an empty stomach. Rohit (name changed), 10, belonging to Sunder Bani tehsil of Rajouri district, stopped going to school because he was infected with HIV. After schoolteachers came to know that the boy and his parents have tested positive for HIV, they started treating him as a social outcast. But with the intervention of the centre, Director School Education ensured that the boy gets education along with normal students without any discrimination. After having got married this year, Rajini (19) and Gurpreet (21), (real names of both withheld), have not seen their first marriage anniversary. Recently, they came to know that they had contracted HIV virus from their respective husbands. Unaware of the nature of the disease, both of them decided to get divorced and get remarried. Counselling motivated them to drop the idea of getting remarried as it could have further spoiled the life of some more people enhancing its spread. However, both of them are yet to come to terms with the life. At the centre, there are as many as 68 patients registered with it and everyone tells the tale of social stigma, discrimination, rejection, dejection and desperation. They are living on edge in hope and despair, but with a revengeful attitude owing to social seclusion as most of them contracted the virus unknowingly. Such stories of people living with HIV clearly indicate that the results of the awareness drives aimed at sensitising the masses have remained far from being satisfied. However, DP Sharma, project coordinator at the centre, informed that the centre, which started functioning in April this year, had been disseminating information about the spread and control of the disease vigorously. “We hold seminars, put banners at crossings and all important junctures and pamphlets, besides distributing contraceptives so that people, including village heads, teachers, students and transporters, could be educated about the disease,” Sharma said, adding, such activities were held everywhere en route Lakhanpur to Srinagar. |
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Misuse of cross-LoC route on the rise
Jammu, December 1 In the last few months, security agencies have apprehended cross LoC traders and passengers who were sympathisers of militants and were using the route to either bring the Hawala money to fund the terrorists or were indulged in transportation of sophisticated equipment for militants, including satellite phones and SIM cards of Pakistani mobile companies. These incidents have put the security agencies on high alert as they suspect more such incidents could take place in the future. Earlier this week, the police arrested a citizen of PoK Tufail Hussain Shah, a resident of Islamgarh in Mirpur district of PoK, for his links with the militants. He was arrested on charges of brining a Thorayya satellite telephone and two Pakistani SIM cards which were to be handed over to two youths at the Poonch bus stand. On questioning, Tufail revealed that another visitor from the PoK Muddassar Hussain Shah, alias Babbu Shah, a resident of Panag Shrief in PoK, was also an agent of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI and was putting up in Mendhar. Another agent of ISI had managed to return to PoK after more than a month long stay in Mendhar. The security agencies are tightlipped over the slip as how even after proper verification these ISI agents managed to enter the Indian territory through the cross-LoC bus service. The first cross-LoC bus service was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from Srinagar on April 7, 2005. The bus known as Cravan-e-Aman joined Srinagar with Muzaffarbad. Later, the service was extended for the members of divided families in Poonch Rawlakot. Interestingly, the first legal visitor from across the LoC, Tufail, who came by the bus service, was arrested for having links with the ISI and has been booked under the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act. The Army too is concerned over the incidents of the misuse of the cross-LoC passenger and trade route for anti-national activities. On his recent visit to Jammu, the Army chief, General Deepak Kapoor, when asked to comment on the misuse of these routes for anti-national activities, said, “It is a matter of concern and the government is taking steps to ensure that there is no such misuse of the facilities.” Prior to the arrest of the cross-LoC passenger, the police had apprehended traders of the cross-LoC trade who were involved in transportation of Hawala money to be used by the militants in the state. Chairman of the chambers of commerce and Industry, Jammu, YV Sharma said, “The person who is caught for anti-national activities is not our member and the law enforcing agencies should deal with him as per law of the land.” |
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Mughal road to benefit farmers, traders
Poonch, December 1 The road was built by Mughals some 400 years ago to reach the Kashmir valley when they were rulers. The 86.9 km-long road, starting from Bufliaz (in Jammu region) and passing through
Poshana, Chattapani, Peer Ki Gali, Aliabad, Zaznar, Dubjan, Heerpora to Shopian (in Kashmir) has reduced the distance of 541 km from Poonch to Srinagar to only 174 km. A tunnel of about the length of seven kilometres is under sketch and after the construction this new route will become an alternate to the
Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1-A, which often remains closed due to avalanches and landslides. Local residents, a majority of whom are farmers, said “I have 15 kanals of land and grow maize on it. The price of maze is very less here. Before the opening of this road, we had no option and now we can sell our products in Kashmir, where we will get good rates”, said octogenarian, Asif Khan, resident of Chandimar. “At first there were some problems while constructing the road, but almost problems have been solved and the road will be finally opened to public in May next year,” said, Jasvir Singh, engineer of the Mughal Road Engineering Department. Nomads have already started to use this road to take their animals to the valley. It may be recalled here that earlier the Defence Ministry had objected to the construction of this road, as it could provide additional axis to militants for the furtherance of terrorist activities into the Kashmir valley in future. It is believed that Rajouri and Poonch districts are the entry points for terrorists and have made their bases on the hills of these two districts. Keeping in view these observations of Defence Ministry, the project was abandoned for sometime. An NGO had also filed a PIL, claiming that not only the green cover is being denuded, but also the wildlife is suffering due to the construction of this road and it should be stopped with immediate effect. Later, in September 2007, the Supreme Court gave the go ahead order for the construction and work was again started. Even Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, who after becoming the Chief Minister of state, rebuilt pressure on the Central government to provide funds for this road and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had provided a grant of Rs 38 crore for this road. |
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MC needs more funds, says Mayor
Jammu, December 1 The MC came into existence only after the conversion of Municipal Council into a corporation through election in 2005. The functioning of the Municipal Council was limited to sanitation and health only but with the extension of municipal wards from 23 to 71, the functioning of the corporation also got extended. Now the corporation looks after development work, street light, sewerage and drainage and building permissions, and maintain birth and death records. Earlier, the only source of revenue for the council was the local octroi
(chungi), but now the government allocates Rs 23 core to the corporation every year for salary purpose and Rs three crore as development funds. Mayor Kavinder Bhushan Gupta said the funds provided by the government were insufficient. He asked the government to bring in other revenue-earning departments like Public Health Engineering
(PHE), Roads and Buildings (R&B), Primary Education and Traffic departments under the jurisdiction of Municipal Corporation. He further added, “Though this proposal was passed in the cabinet in 2005, it was not implemented by the government till date. Besides making the corporation self-sufficient, this proposal could also improve the functioning of the corporation” Presently, the Municipal Corporation headed by Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Commissioner and Joint Commissioner. It has 27 Congress
councillors, 25 councillors from the BJP, five from the National Conference, 10 Independents, two from Democratic Party Nationalist and one from
Shiv Sena. The BJP councillor, Sat Pal Grover who is the councillor since 1972 said that earlier the council looked after drainage and sewerage now the corporation has bigger canvas and it was doing all-round development in the areas falling under its jurisdiction. While explaining his point of view, he said, “When it was council, bureaucrats were less amenable to the people, now people could directly approach to the corporation through their
councillors. Elected Councillors are attending the problems of every ward effectively”. During these five years, the corporation has launched various drives pertaining to sanitation, anti-adulteration and anti-encroachment, to further improve its functioning and to provide better civic facilities to
the people. |
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Giving shapes to dead wood
Hiranagar, December 1 Ever since hundreds of trees were felled or uprooted by different government agencies responsible for the widening of the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway, this local boy here has been tirelessly collecting all small branches and roots of the felled trees to give them a shape. “During the past six years, I am a witness to the merciless felling of hundreds of trees, some as old as 150 years. On the pretext of the so-called development, trees were uprooted and converted into logs. Their small branches and roots were left on the roadside, considering them as good as dead wood,” recalled Sagar. However, an artist in Sagar gave life to this dead wood. “For engineers, on whose orders trees were felled, branches and roots were of no use. I, however, tried to shape them to perfection so that they could be a part of anyone’s drawing room,” said this ITI-trained craft artist. Apart from collecting branches of the felled trees, Sagar also has a good collection of driftwood and logs which resemble so many characters of human and animal kingdom. “Some local nullahs flowing through the nearby Maya forests provide me a lot of such material, particularly during the rainy seasons,” he said. Making a livelihood out of his passion, Sagar lamented that there was no scope for artistes like him living in the rural and far-flung areas. “All government-sponsored facilities seem to be only meant for city dwellers. Whenever I approached the authorities concerned for assistance, I was considered a dead wood,” he regretted. Sagar, however, appreciates art lovers, especially pilgrims to the Mata Vaishno Devi, who halt their vehicles at his roadside shop to take home some marvel pieces of his imagination. |
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Jammu diary
Just two days before the commencement of the week-long All India North Zone Hockey (men) championship, the host - Jammu University - had been toiling hard to put in place requisite preparations for the mega event coming its way after a gap of 27 years.
While players and officials from across the northern region had started to flock the capital city, the sports department of Jammu University at the eleventh hour had “mobilised” its resources to give a facelift to the KK Hakku AstroTurf Stadium. However, the tourney got off to a flying start on December 1 with Sports Minister RS Chib inaugurating the event. Offices sans officials
“Sahib secretariat gaye hain meeting ke liye,” is an oft-repeated response of the personal secretaries and PROs of officials in the capital city here. Ever since Darbar Move shifted offices to the winter capital here, the senior officials have virtually become inaccessible. Visit any of the offices, ask about the official concerned and pat comes the tailor-made reply. Going by the meetings and elusive Sahibs, it seems the present coalition has pulled up its socks to ameliorate the socio-economic condition of the people in the state. However, it would be very kind of them if they spare some time for the media to share a word or two with information choked journos about various planning and policies because if they are pre-occupied then scribes, too, don’t have time to rely upon the RTI tool every time. In-house hygiene tops MC agenda
Doesn’t matter if the 71 wards of city are ‘hygienic’ or not but it seems the Jammu Municipal Corporation had decided to keep sanitation a prime agenda on its premises. The corporation has not only displayed signboards reading “Spitting is prohibited” but it has also placed bins so as to maintain sanitation. But, who can teach civic manners to the people with lesser or virtually no grey matter, who perhaps take pride in depicting their “savagery” at public places with impunity. Firecrackers adding to air pollution
Environmentalists are concerned over the the increased use of firecrackers during the marriages. To further compound the problem, there has been an increase in the number of marriages during the ongoing marriage season in Jammu. “It has become a trend to burst firecrackers during the marriage ceremony. These marriage ceremonies have become a health hazard as they not only create noise pollution but also add to air pollution,” said an environmentalist. He said that people should restrain from using large quantity of firecrackers during marriage celebrations to save the fragile ecosystem. Ultra gives
security agencies the slip
Two militants, including a self-styled divisional commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) Firdous Ahmed Mattoo, were trapped in Pinjrari area of Kishtwar. As soon as the security forces moved towards the spot where the militants were hiding, some over-enthusiastic media persons flashed a message through SMS that Mattoo had been killed and his accomplice a Hindu militant Subash Sharma was still trapped. When security personnel reached the spot where Mattoo was trapped, news was already flashed about his elimination in the encounter. As the militant was “killed” on the occasion of Id-ud Azha, some separatist leaders, who want to prove themselves as sympathisers of gun toting youth, offered even Namaz -e-Janaza during Id prayers. By the evening it was confirmed that the militant was not killed but he managed to give a slip to the security forces. (Contributed by
Archit Watts, Ashutosh Sharma, Sunaina Kaul, Tejinder Singh Sodhi and Dinesh
Manhotra)
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Domestic Violence
Srinagar, December 1 Living in a sub-urban area of Srinagar, this middle-aged woman had never thought that the disease would bring misfortune for her. Though she got the cancerous cells removed, her husband closed the doors of his house on her. She was literally driven out of the house. “The breast cancer was detected after 14 years of my marriage. The detection wasn’t painful but the trauma that it brought was,” she said, adding “as if that was not enough, my husband divorced me.” Similarly, in another case, Shamima Jan (name changed) of border district Kupwara was divorced by her husband after 25 years of the marriage. “The woman had developed certain problem in her foot and that became the reason for her divorce,” says Hafiza Muzaffar, State Women Commission, Srinagar, during a workshop for consultative for law on “domestic violence” organised by Jammu and Kashmir Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development, (JKIMPA) in sponsored collaboration with Lawyers Collective, last month. In another case, Sara Begum (name changed), who is in her early 40s, is fighting for maintenance in a matrimonial case under for the last 10 years. “She has not got the maintenance yet. There are many such cases to quote where women are tossed from pillar to post to get justice on account of domestic violence,” says Raheela Tabasum, a noted attorney. The list is unending. Couple of days back, Rubina, a mother of two children and resident of Pandach was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Rubina’s in-laws claim that she has committed suicide. However, her family members allege that she has been poisoned to death. They have further alleged that she was continuously harassed by her in-laws and was reeling under tremendous mental stress ever since she got married. As news of her death spread, hundreds of people took to streets and staged a strong protest. They demanded immediate arrest of her husband and other family members. A case under section 174 CrPC has been registered. There have been innumerable cases where the fairer sex has been subjected to ill-treatment. Though the Domestic Violence Act is there to safeguards the rights of women, many of them continue to live under difficult circumstances. There is a dire need for making the women aware of their rights so that they are not subjected to any kind of ill-treatment. |
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English version of Dogri book released
Jammu, December 1 On the occasion, an audio CD having six songs written by the poet and composed by peace singer and daughter of Yash, Seema Anil Sehgal, was also released. Prof Varun Sahni, vice-chancellor of the varsity, was the chief guest on the occasion, whereas Ved Bhasin, veteran journalist and chairman of the Kashmir Times group of publication, was the guest of honour. Earlier the book and the CD were released in Singapore in August this year. Seema enthralled the audience with her compositions. In the CD, all six songs have been composed and sung by Seema, whereas music arrangements have been done by film music director Sandesh Shandilya. Squadron leader Anil Sehgal (retd), who has done the translation of the book, has to his credit the audio cassettes of celebrated Urdu poets like Ali Sardar Jafri and Allama Iqbal. “Good literature, especially poetry and music, is like fragrance. It must reach out to people. This world seems beautiful to those who love poetry and music and it’s the only way to counter violence,” he said. Prof Sahni also appreciated the artistic pursuits of the family and lauded the role of the Department of Dogri and English for organising the event. “The varsity in its endeavours will continue to promote literature of different languages,” Prof Sahni said and maintained that Dogri faced concrete challenges in the present times. Earlier, Yash recited some of his poems in front of the audience that included writers, poets, journalists and other artists. |
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Srinagar, December 1
Jammu, December 1