Srinagar, December 18
Scenes of stone pelting at police and security personnel by angry protesters, mostly youths, have been making perfect pictures for many years for the media on the days of protest in Srinagar. And over these years, it seems, many of these “angry” protesters have honed their skills to near perfection to escape police attention.

The Police Department first came with the idea of putting cameras on their vehicles so that they could record the faces of those involved in attacking them and government properties. The idea was to identify the more aggressive of the lot and take tough action against them. But police officials say these miscreants have proved smarter.

They say groups of youths skilled in pelting stones — some are recognised for throwing them long, some are for throwing them accurate and some can pick up smouldering tear gas shells and throw it back on cops - travel to different neighbourhoods on days of strikes to escape identification. “I was told by local youths that the main stone-pelting gang had come from Ram Munshibagh. It is like professionals turning up to do their job and then disappearing after it is finished,” a sub-inspector posted in Maisuma police station said while talking of recent protests in the locality.

To say that all of them are mercenaries and professional would be completely wrong, officials says, but there are certain ringleaders in all localities who have grown to become “experts” in staging violent protests. It is these “experts” who are affiliated with certain organisations and move around on days of protest to inflict maximum damage.

When Kashmir had been seeing daily violence after the bodies of two women were found under mysterious circumstances in a nullah in Shopian, it was after days of crackdown on these ringleaders across the valley’s urban centres that the violence was curbed. Bandh and protests continued but not violence. Such was the ferocity of protesters’ violence that six CRPF personnel almost lost their eyes and teeth and some of them were even airlifted for treatment. “A common angry man can’t resort to such a level of violence. It is the handiwork of these stone-pelting experts,” a senior CRPF official said.

These “experts” have their political backers who make all efforts to get them released by leading protests to fighting for them in courts if they are arrested.

Vijaypur, December 18
Residents of Thalodi village, which falls under the limits of ward No. 02 here, get the supply of potable water once in a fortnight. Around 60 families of a reserved category are living in this village, which is situated on an upper slope due to which water supply in this area always remains affected although there is no such problem in areas situated on down slopes.

Villagers allege the Public Health and Engineering (PHE) Department had laid water pipes in the area, but water is supplied only after 10 to 15 days. They also allege that employees of the department are working according to their own wish.

“It is up to department officials. If they want to supply water, they keeps it on for the entire day, but they do not open the supply when they don’t feel like doing it and most of the time they don’t open the supply for weeks together,” alleges a villager.

Sham Lal, another resident of the village, says though the problem was brought to the notice of department concerned, it remains unresolved. Only false promises are made every time when the matter is brought to the notice of the authorities.

Expressing resentment against the PHE department, Arjun Kumar, another resident, says, “Whenever we approach department officials, they put up an excuse that the employees concerned have been transferred, hence the problem will get resolved only after the vacant posts are filled”. In order to tackle the situation, villagers store water in tanks, drums and buckets when the supply comes once in a fortnight.

However, one tubewell is installed at a distance of around 5 km near a railway track and the villagers use to fetch water from there also.

“When the stored water gets consumed, we have rely on the tubewell for which we have to cover a long distance which is a tiring process”, rues Manju Kumari, a village resident.

Advocating the use of power saving CFLs is the most common advice given by the government, the Power Development Board (PDD) and environmentalists. A survey by The Tribune reveals that most of the departments are yet to switch over to CFLs. Even the PDD is not using these power saving lights. Similar is the case with offices of most political parties and government schools, which continue to use incandescent bulbs

Jammu, December 18
Even as the government is trying to minimise the wastage of electricity by various means so as to lessen the burden on the state exchequer, the Power Development Department (PDD) itself is wasting electricity by using conventional incandescent lamps instead of energy-efficient CFL bulbs. Compared to conventional incandescent lamps giving the same amount of light, CFL uses less electricity and has a longer life, but has a higher purchase value. Though the PDD has been asking people to judiciously use electricity to save its consumption, the department itself has been wasting a huge quantity of electricity by using incandescent bulbs in its office premises and has failed to replace them with CFLs.

A visit to various offices of the PDD, including the chief engineer’s office, Gladni grid station and a complaint booking centre at Shastri Nagar, the department has failed to replace all bulbs with CFLs. At certain places, including the office of the power development commissioner, Janipur, and Janipur power house, some bulbs have been replaced with CFLs, but those CFLs are conventional tubes that consume much electricity as compared to energy-efficient CFLs.

A normal conventional incandescent lamp giving the same amount of light consumes around 100 Watts of electricity, whereas a CFL giving equal amount of light consumes only 15 to 20 Watts.

Though CFLs have been installed in some of the rooms in the chief engineer’s office at Bhagwati Nagar, it still continues to get maximum light from incandescent bulbs. The officials of the department say they don’t have sufficient funds to replace bulbs with CFLs as these are quite costly as compared to bulbs.

The seriousness of the PDD to save electricity could be gauged from the fact that most of the lamps in various department offices, including the Gladni grid, remain on even if they are not in use. Many halogen bulbs in such premises are kept on even in daytime thus wasting huge amount of electricity.

A visit to offices of various officials of the department shows that while they urge people to desist from the use of room heaters they themselves continue to do so and even don’t bother to switch them in their absence.

Jammu, December 18
While the world is going for the next generation lighting device, LED (light emitting diode) bulbs, the state is still yet to fully decide over the use of energy-efficient CFL tubes. Even after three months of the proposal sent by the Science and Technology Department, the state government is yet to take concrete action plan for enforcing the use of CFLs instead of incandescent bulbs. Official sources of the department maintain that they have proposed to distribute CFL tubes free of cost.

“We have asked the government for free supply of CFLs in the first phase or may be subsidised in the later phase,” said an official in the department. He said: “If electric bulbs get replaced by CFL tubes, at least 35 per cent of the power consumption can be reduced and the same can be used for other purpose in sectors like industry and farm”.

“People cannot switch over to CFL tubes due to their heavy price, but if they are provided CFLs free of cost or on subsidised rates initially, the power scenario will certainly improve,” he said. “Though we distribute CFLs free of cost in the rural areas under the Integrated Rural Energy Programme, it seems an inadequate measure aimed at power saving,” he said, adding, “We need to emulate Himachal Pradesh that successfully facilitated complete switch over to energy-saving domestic lighting from traditional electric bulbs by distributing 72 lakh CFLs free of cost last year”.

“In the rest of the states also governments are impressing on people to use CFLs as a substitute for electric bulbs. There is a strong need that the PDD in association with the Science and Technology Department and other allied departments starts awareness campaign regarding the advantaged of CFL tubes,” he suggested.

Jammu, December 18
Conservation of energy is the need of the hour and the government has claimed to take many immediate steps to preserve the energy. One of the most touted steps being initiated by the government is replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs to conserve energy.

Traditional electric bulbs consume more power as compared to CFLs. The state government claims to effectively take this step, but offices of the ruling Congress and the National Conference belied the claims of taking such steps.

Not even a single CFL is in use in the headquarters of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) situated at Sheedi Chowk. Those managing PCC office never care to switch off bulbs during the daytime. “Who are we to replace bulbs with CFLs,” is the reply of the office boy.

Same is the situation in the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan, headquarters of the National Conference (NC). Although some tube lights have been installed in the Bhawan, not even a single CFL is seen there. “No one cares for such an important issue. Most of the leaders who usually sit in the office throughout the day are only concerned about their petty personal gains,” observes a worker of the NC.

The Peoples Democratic Party, which has been repeatedly threatening to launch agitation against discriminating water agreement with the NHPC for power generation, never bothers to start energy conservation from its office.

The office of the PDP located at Gandhi Nagar is maintained by the Estate Department and the same department has installed incandescent bulbs in the office.

As far as the BJP is concerned, party leadership has no time to discuss other things than fighting with each other. The party has not replaced any bulb with CFL.

Jammu, December 18
The deep mystery of dense forests, myriad moods of an ocean, desolate deserts, frozen waterfalls, haunting icicles and the vastness of the sky splashed with the charming crimson of sunset. That is Shama Sondhi’s world depicted on her paintings, currently on display at Kala Kendra here.

Colours convey it all, not in traditional bounds of sketches but through free strokes of paint brush on the canvas. And the exhibits seem to be displayed in a particular pattern. Initial frames evoke sadness, chaos, disturbance with heavy use of raw brown and red, but as one moves to the last, a feeling of peace and bliss descends with cool shades of blue used liberally. That seems to be the statement of the artist, from sadness to eternal bliss.

The Delhi-based artist of Kashmir, Shama Sondhi has something new to offer in her solo exhibition that opened here this Wednesday. The seven-day long exhibition that concludes on December 22, is being supported by the J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages.

This is her 28th solo exhibition, including one at Nehru Centre, London, in 1999, and Wednesbury Museum in the UK.

Besides achievements in the field of painting, Shama is also a poetess and short-story writer. She has penned several books of prose and poetry so far.

Her genius as a poetess reflects better part of her imagery captured in paintings that is poetry in paint, passions splashed on the canvas with utmost accuracy and mastery of art.

Meanwhile, the inaugural function on Wednesday was largely attended by various artists. Prominent among others were renowned painter Gokul Dembi, sculptor Rajendar Tiku and Gojri writer Javed Rahi.

Jammu, December 18
Even as the government is developing an artificial lake on the Tawi to promote tourism, sewerage from as many as 23 direct and indirect channels continue to flow into the river, squeezing life out of the winter capital’s “lifeline”.

The dying Tawi has been polluted to the extent that at certain stretches it looks like a slushy drain. Polythene bags, household waste and discharge, debris and all sorts of garbage can be seen in the river. Sources in the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) say 23 direct and indirect channels of sewerage continue to end up in the river from Kishenpur Manwal right up to Makwal.

They say the river, which is a major source of potable water for a population of over 12 lakh, has failed to meet two parameters of dissolved oxygen (DO) and biological oxygen demand (BOD) at certain places, particularly from Jogi Gate to Bhagwati Nagar area.

Before embarking upon the artificial lake project, it would have been better for the government to have initiated steps to improve the quality of water of the river, they say.

The DO content in one litre of water should be 6 mg, but the Tawi water from Bagh-e-Bahu to Bhagwati Nagar has 1.3 to 1.4 mg DO per litre.

Likewise, BOD level should not be less than 2 mg per liter, but here, it was found 18 mg to 40 mg per litre.

PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Taj Mohi-ud-Din says aware of the problem, the government has already started the construction of three sewerage treatment plants at Bhagwati Nagar.

“In fact, the day Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the lake, he also inaugurated one of the sewerage treatment plants at Bhagwati Nagar,” says Taj.

Two more are in the pipeline and the government is concerned about the problem, he says, adding, “We have already initiated an exercise to divert these sewerage channels to the treatment plants to protect the river”.

Noorkah-Uri, December 18
Locals found it strange when a woman opened her cosmetic shop here. But despite being criticised, Shabnam Bano continued her venture and now more women wish to join her.

“Initially, people found it strange for me to start a shop but later they realised its importance. Women were shy to purchase certain things from male shopkeepers and there was no such shop run by a woman here. So I picked up the idea and worked on it,” she says.

It proved a good decision. “I expanded my business gradually and my husband supported me well”.

The Centre for Environment and Education (CEE), Himalaya, and Welthungerhilfe (WHH), formerly German Agro Action, played a crucial role in her endeavour. The organisation offered Shabnam financial assistance under its livelihood programme - 2006.

“I am a matriculate but had no job. I was looking for one. So I thought it better to start some business,” she says, adding, “The CEE gave me the opportunity. It also motivated many women to start a business on almost similar lines.”

Shabnam has applied for a loan to run her business in a better way. Interestingly, the shop is in her husband’s name. She didn’t stop here. Two years later, she along with her husband, Syed Arif Hussain and other women formed a self-help group, Mushade, in the village in 2008. The CEE again came forward to make their dream come true.

“We started a polygreen house, a demonstration-cum-training centre in seven villages. Each unit comprises three structures,” says Mubashir Ahmad, coordinator CEE.

Dr Abdhesh Gangwar, regional director, CEE, added, “Demand is good, others too want to work on same lines. Ours is a community-based approach”.

“Initially, we invited suggestions from locals as how to grow vegetables as we had no training,” said Hussain, Shabnam’s husband, adding leafy vegetables were cultivated and distributed free of cost, to begin with.

He added that he had seen a polyhouse at a residence of one of the agricultural assistants. “I couldn’t afford it. When the CEE offered help, we accepted it.”

Syed Rafiq Hussain, village sarpanch, said, “Villagers want polygreen house structures to be available to them at subsidised rates”.

Appreciating concept of polyhouse introduced in the village by the CEE, he said, “As the soil is fertile, temperature normal, water is available and women are interested, they can excel in it provided they are given the opportunity.”

The sarpanch added, “There are only a few educated women. Mostly, they lack family and financial support.”

He said, “It is the responsibility of the agriculture department to make them aware of such things. But officials never visit us. We get rabi seeds in khareef season and fertilisers when the harvest season is over”.

The beginning of the winter vacation in the valley schools has brought a smile on the faces of kids. It has relieved them of the exercise of going early to school in the chilly winter ahead of “Chillai Kalan’, the peak winter period of 40 days beginning December 22. But, it has not relieved them of the burden of heavy school bags. Many of these kids may be going to their tutors during winter months after being promoted to higher classes during October-November.