|
|
|
|
20 yrs on, farmers await land compensation
Apple hub or ‘encounter’ town
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Katra facing acute water scarcity
Tea with The Tribune Samrat Shankar, magician
Ruckus during question hour proving costly
Colleges lack canteen facility
Jammu don invited to Mongolia varsity
Study calls for end to violence
Srinagar Diary |
|
20 yrs on, farmers await land compensation
Jammu, February 26 It may be stated here that to safeguard the IB and to foil intrusion bids by Pak militants, New Delhi had spent crores of rupees on border fencing. “Over 20 years ago, a vast tract of agricultural land on forward areas of the Samba, Bishnah and RS Pura sectors were acquired by the BSF to raise the barbed fence but hitherto neither one-time compensation nor rentals have been given to farmers,” Jammu State Morcha (JSM) MLA from the Bishnah Assembly constituency Ashwani Sharma told The Tribune. The land in these areas was acquired without any assessment by the Revenue Department and as a result hundreds of farmers, who were dependent on farming, were left to face starvation, he added. “On February 10, I had raised the issue before Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the Jammu District Development Board meeting and the latter had assured me to take up the matter with the Centre,” Sharma said. In the Bishnah Assembly constituency alone, around 2,500 families from 15 villages await relief in the form of one-time compensation or rentals for their land acquired by the BSF. Agriculture being their only source of livelihood, these families continue to bear the brunt of government apathy, he added. “In some cases, farmers in my constituency have lost their entire land to fencing,” said Sharma, who felt that though security could not be compromised but the government should have conducted some exercise to compensate the farmers. The previous PDP-Congress government had admitted that the BSF in certain villages had forcibly acquired the land to erect fence. Farmers in these forward areas also face a slew of other problems in the form of fenced-out agricultural fields vis-à-vis restrictions imposed by the BSF to allow access to their fields and totally clogged network of canals due to embankments raised by the BSF. The JSM legislator referred to Kotla Camp, Pindi Camp, Pindi Chadkan, Kaku-De-Kothe, Rakh, Chanana, Pindi Kadwal, Changiya, Jabowal, Trewa, and Chak Gorian villages where vast chunk of agricultural field were fenced out. When reminded about realignment work by the BSF to retrieve fenced-out fields, Sharma said the move had not paid desired dividends.
|
|
Apple hub or ‘encounter’ town
Sopore, February 26 Residents of the town have been living under constant fear of an encounter for the past few days. In the past less than two months, the town has witnessed six encounters, the latest being two days ago in which four armymen and five militants were killed. “The revival of militancy-related activities is a matter of great concern for the local residents who were leading a peaceful life,” said Ghulam Qadir, a resident of the town. An increase in terror activities in the area could be gauged from the fact that in the past two months, the Sopore police station has been attacked by militants several times forcing the authorities to carve it as a separate police district from Baramulla. “No doubt the activities of militants have increased, but we are fully prepared. We have intercepts that some top militants are in the town,” said a senior Army officer. Meanwhile, residents said, “Whenever there is an encounter in the area, it is the common civilian who is at the receiving end”. “If we don’t give shelter to militants they might kill us and if we do, we have to face the wrath of the security forces,” said another resident. In the past two months, scores of houses were raised to ground in Army action against militants. In yesterday’s encounter, three houses in which the militants took shelter were raised to ground. “We try our best to avoid collateral damage, but when militants take shelter inside a house, to kill him there is no other option but to blast the house,” said an Army officer.
|
|
Katra facing acute water scarcity
Jammu, February 26 The government has officially admitted that the base camp of the Vaishno Devi shrine has been facing the shortage of over 12 lakh gallons of water everyday. In a written reply in the Legislative Assembly to the question of the local MLA, the government informed that the total water requirement of Katra town is 18.50 lakh gallons per day while the availability of water is 6.50 lakh gallons. There is a shortfall of 12 lakh gallons of water per day in Katra, admits the government. Local MLA Baldev Sharma said water crisis would be worst in the coming summer. “Instead of taking some concrete steps, the government has been trying to skirting its responsibility,” he regretted and informed that in the last Assembly Session, the concerned minister had given the reply that filtration plant at Katra would be started within a couple of months. “More than six months have passed, but the plant is yet to be commissioned,” he said. The filtration plant at Katra is one of the components of the project for water supply schemes taken up under the state sector and during the current financial year, an amount of Rs 30.46 lakh has been released against which Rs 23.62 lakh stand utilised up to January 2010. Sharma, while charging the authorities with adopting casual approach towards the problem, regretted that the number of pilgrims has been increasing with every passing day and their problems are also compounding. He said the government has formulated some schemes to cope up with the scarcity of drinking water, but the implementation process of such schemes has been going on at a snail’s pace. The government on the other hand claimed that to meet the shortfall of 12 lakh gallons of water per day, a project report costing Rs 47.42 crore for the improvement and augmentation of water supply schemes in Katra by lifting water from Dhansar Spring has been submitted to the Urban Development Ministry of the Union government for sanction and release of funds. “The project has been technically cleared by the authorities in the meeting held on January 4 in Jammu. To kick start the project, funds to the tune of Rs 50 lakh have been released out of the state plan which stand utilised as of now,” the concerned minister stated in a written statement. Keeping in view the increasing demand of water, especially due to the heavy influx of pilgrims, a project at an estimated cost of Rs 9.90 crore is also in progress under the state sector. “I do agree that schemes have been formulated, but the situation is deteriorating and if immediate steps were not taken Katra town would face worst-ever scarcity of drinking water during this summer,” Sharma warned.
|
|
Tea with The Tribune Samrat
Shankar, magician
Renowned magician Samrat Shankar belongs to a traditional business family of Aggarwals of Sri Karanpur in Rajasthan. He exhorts all to use magic with good intentions. He wants the government to set up an institution for teaching magic, a pure Indian art form.
Karthik Hakim and Kripa Shankar Tiwari, students of BSF Senior Secondary School, joined The Tribune team in an interaction with the magician. Following are some of the excerpts: Jupinderjit Singh (JJS): Why and when did you choose to be a magician? Samrat Shankar (SS): Not many know that I am the first person in my family to become a magician. We are Aggarwals, traditional baniya businessmen, and my choice of career met with more opposition than one can expect. It so happened that I saw a show of magician Dev Kumar in my town which fascinated me a lot. I started learning from him and later from others. My parents were angry that they threw my equipment and freed the animals and birds I had brought home for tricks. I was told that no one would marry me and I would be outcast. But I persisted and today, even remotely connected relatives boast of having links with me. JJS: So one learns magic, but does it really exist. What exactly is magic? SS: It is an art, a combination of yoga, tricks, hypnotism and meditation. It uses science as well as illusion. Sunaina Kaul (SK): Magicians don’t have superpowers, do they? SS: No, it is an art perfected with practice. It should be used for entertainment or at the most for good acts like helping someone psychologically. Those claiming to have superpowers are fake. No one should be swayed by their claims. When I bring out ash and almonds from nowhere in my hands, people clap at the trick. But if I do this wearing a sadhu costume, people will touch my feet and call me God. SK: Is it the spiritual power or a trick behind the act of disappearing a person or a thing? SS: Magic is a fine art. We use 75 per cent tricks and 25 per cent hypnotism in the performance of a trick. SK: Why women are lacking in this field? Is there a scope for a woman to become a magician? SS: We have few woman magicians in foreign countries. There is a lot of scope for them in this field, but the reason for their less presence is the formalities which a magician is bound to fulfill while performing their shows in different parts of the country. Secondly, it is a costly affair. Expenses are high and returns are low. The government should encourage women to opt for this art and should not levy entertainment tax. Entertainment should be made tax free. Dinesh Manhotra (DM): According to you, magic is an art. How old is this art and from where it originated? SS: Magic is a centuries old art. It basically originated from Bengal. The magic of Bengal, especially black magic, is famous all over the world. Ashutosh Sharma (AS): What about black magic, people claim they have supernatural black magic of Bengal? SS: There is nothing like black magic. I will term it rather magic practiced at night with evil intentions. The claims are fake. It has no effect on good and determined people. Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (RKK): Who is your favourite magician and idol? SS: I worked for five years with world famous magician BN Sarkar. He has always remained my idol. AS: Please tells us some interesting mass hypnotism tricks you employed? SS: As I said above, my parents were worried that no one would marry me. But eventually, when a girl agreed, I could not stop myself from playing a trick. At the marriage pandal, I made my wife to disappear. Everyone started searching for her whereas the bride was sitting just beside me. She giggled as pandit kept asking for the bride. Similarly, at a show in England, I arrived one hour late. The audience was furious. I asked them to check their watches and bingo, the watches said I was five minutes before schedule. Amidst the hysteric clapping and cheers, there were three-four doctors among the audience, who could not be hypnotised, but nobody listened to them that I was actually late. Kripa Shankar Tiwari (student): Magic originated in India, but it is dying now. SS: Yes, we need more support from the government and public. There are so many expenses involved in organising a magic show. The government can help by not charging entertainment tax. It should open academies to teach magic. People should also encourage if their children want to learn the art and adopt it as a profession. Schools should introduce magic as a subject. Though none of my ancestors was a magician, my son will carry it forward. He has already staged some shows. Karthik Hakim (student): How can this art help society? SS: To master the art takes years of practice and dedication. Once perfected, a magician can serve society in many ways. So far, out of 28,000 shows, I have done 22,000 for charity and donated Rs 1.60 crore. I have also opened a yoga centre in Ganganagar where I provide psychological counselling to the needy. KST: How do you manage to drive a motorbike blindfolded? SS: It is all perfection. I won’t tell the secret, but meditation helps a lot. Moreover, I do it to spread a message of following traffic rules. I stop at every red light and slow down at intersections to tell people that if I can follow rules blindfolded, they can do so with open eyes. RKK: It is quite difficult for magicians to attract crowd to their shows in the present age? SS: In an age of cable network and computers, it is certainly a tough task. Hence, with the changing times, we have also added a little glamour to our shows. The interest may be dwindling but nothing charms one more than a magician. KH: That is why you wear colorful clothes? SS: Yes, it adds to glamour along with girls. But a magician’s costume is traditional. In ancient times, magicians used to dress in colorful attire like a king and often got rich rewards. DM: Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot is also a magician. You too belong to Rajasthan. Are you planning to join politics? SS:
Although I have received invitation from almost all mainstream political parties, I have no intention to join one. There is a feeling among political groups that I can ensure their victory through magic. They think I can hypnotise voters. I want to make it clear that a magician is committed to his art and there is no question of misusing such tricks to hoodwink people. Archit Watts (AW): Can you share any unforgettable moment of your life? SS: Yes, I once went to perform in Gangtok and the shows were going overcrowded. It got so much success and forced the then Chief Minister and a number of cabinet ministers to see my three consecutive shows. It is the most memorable moment of my life and I can never forget that experience. However, a number of happy moments came into my life, still this is the best. AW: Did you ever encounter an unsupportive person from the audience? SS: In one show, a man who had come with his wife was irritating me. He was disturbing the audience also. I requested him to be quite but he did not listen. I changed him into a girl and only then he stopped. Later, I told him to relax as the magical trick remains for few minutes only. So, you guys also don’t ask me any disturbing question. (chuckles) AS: You do many dangerous tricks. Any incident of someone getting hurt? SS: Yes, I can recount one. We were performing in Bengal some years ago. A presentation was on wherein we had to cut a female performer into two pieces with an electric saw. Accidentally, the performer got injured and had to be rushed to a hospital. It was the mistake of one of the attendants. We ensured it never happened again. JJS: Every magician has a dream trick. What is yours? SS: Yes, I do have one. The entire world is mesmerised by the ancient Indian rope trick in which a magician makes the rope go hundreds feet above the ground without any support. The world believes it is a myth. The US government has even announced an award of $1 crore for anyone who can do it. I want to take the rope 600 ft in the sky to claim the reward. I have already succeeded in reaching at 450 ft and hope to finish it soon. It is my dream and I wish I do it as early as possible. |
|
Ruckus during question hour proving costly
Jammu, February 26 “After submitting our questions relating to various issues concerning our respective constituencies, we eagerly await reply from the government, but the chaos not only helps the government to escape some acerbic queries but also proving costly as it amounts to injustice to our people,” said Ashwani Sharma, Jammu State Morcha legislator from the Bishnah constituency. Though the opposition has a right to seek explanation on important issues from the government, but to create commotion for the sake of criticising the government and that too for settling political scores is uncalled for, said the JSM legislator. Harsh Dev Singh, Panthers Party legislator from Ramnagar and former education minister, has found faults with the government over the pandemonium in the past three days. In the question hour, problems and issues concerning people are raised by the elected representatives and hence, it was always indispensable for legislators and people of the state, he said, adding that it should be conducted smoothly. However, Harsh said the PDP had no option but to object because this government wasn’t conceding the demand of having a debate over the issue, he said, adding that after the question hour, the government had been directly moving on to the discussion on motion of thanks on Governor’s address. Harsh, a postgraduate in English language and a law graduate from the University of Jammu, expressed regrets over the degradation in politics. Ravinder Sharma, Congress spokesperson and sitting MLC, said every right thinking individual had condemned the incident (killing of an infant in stone pelting) and the government was equally concerned but the PDP should have allowed the House to function. “The House is in session and hence, the PDP instead of disrupting the proceedings and boycotting the House should participate in the proceedings and at the same time, seek a statement from the government over the entire incident,” said Sharma. The Congress MLC felt that there were other ways to highlight the issue effectively without disrupting the session. The question hour is of short duration where the government tries to respond to queries related to issues concerning people and therefore, in the larger interest of people, the PDP should allow its smooth conduct, he added. PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, however, accused the NC-led coalition regime of “choking” the voice of opposition. Issues that invite immediate attention of the government could be attended on a priority, but the government had adopted a shocking approach towards the entire issue, she said. She even accused the government of creating a “counter stone-pelting force”, a charge denied by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ali Mohammed Sagar before the media.
|
|
Colleges lack canteen facility
Jammu, February 26 Government Gandhi Memorial (GGM) Science College and SPMR Commerce College, the two oldest college of the city, have no canteen facility. After attending lectures, canteen is the only place, which is needed by the students in order to get themselves refreshed. According to some students of the colleges, years ago a scuffle between some students in the college had led to the closure of the canteen facility leaving the students to suffer during breaks. "The canteen is the lifeblood of students. It remains a focal place of the students for rest and refreshment. But when will the college administration come to know this and invite tenders for establishing a proper canteen facility in the college is a big question," maintained Pratap Singh Jamwal, IInd year student of GGM Science College. "Canteen is an important part in the life of students where they share information with each other along with a cup of tea or coffee. We have been denied this facility by the college administration," alleged Akash Sharma, Ist year student of SPRM Commerce College. Though there is a tea stall working in a small hut located in front of the Chemistry Department in GGM Science College, it operates services through a small window where students have to stand in long queue for a cup of tea. The entire time of the break passes in standing in queue for getting a cup of tea or a plate of samosa. Being a co-ed college, female students become more vulnerable to harassment by male students at the single-window service counter. "Having remained standing in a queue for a long time, patience usually gives way and when one reaches the counter and finds a female students approaching her hand towards the counter for getting a cup of tea in a parallel queue, sometimes leads to tense situation," said Monika Sharma, Ist year student. No proper seating arrangement adjoining this small canteen makes it difficult and leads to an uneasy situation for the students to have a cup of tea or coffee. In the absence of proper seating arrangement in the compound, students take shelter under trees which makes the whole break tiresome. Dr Sham Lal Gupta, principal, GGM Science College, said the college has a canteen which had been closed temporarily for carrying out some construction work. "There is no need for inviting tender as we already have a canteen inside the college campus which will reopen within a month," the principal said.
|
|
Jammu don invited to Mongolia varsity
Jammu, February 26 Recently, he had been invited to Hungary as special speaker in the third Indology Conference held at Budapest. The event was organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) - a wing of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. During his stay at Mongolia university from February 28 to June 28, Prof Mishra would teach Sanskrit, philosophy and Buddhist study to graduate and postgraduate students. “The cultural relation between India and Mongolia have been greatly strengthened due to the missionary zeal of Prof Mishra for teaching Indian culture in the varsity,” said a letter written by National University of Mongolia, School of Social Sciences to ICCR, New Delhi.
|
|
Study calls for end to violence
Srinagar, February 26 The study, conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), says the conflict during this period had claimed lives of 3,404 civilians, 7,504 militants, 2,451 security personnel and 674 others. “A large number of victims are Kashmiris, which burdens the lives of survivors. Notwithstanding several public relation exercises, there seems to be no genuine effort in place to stop further bloodshed and other forms of suffering,” says the 27-page report. It observes that insecurity at present, coupled with past anxieties, continues to darken the future of a majority of people here. “This insecurity and subsequent loss of lives merits immediate redress to arrive at a peaceful solution”. Based on media reports, it says 225 custodial killings have taken place while 360 persons have been subjected to enforced disappearances during this period. It states that 157 security personnel committed suicide during 2004 to 2009 while 55 personnel have been killed in fratricidal incidents. “The data suggests high level of stress among soldiers in current conditions. The magnitude of stress on the civilian population as a result of existing besieged and insecure conditions can only be guessed,” it observes. The report says according to available data from 2002 to 2009, the government ordered 140 probes on different human rights abuses, out of which only 16 inquiries have been concluded. “In just one case, an Armyman, accused of rape, has been punished for misbehaviour and sentenced one-year rigorous imprisonment”. The report observes that mysterious killings by unidentified gunmen have resulted in killings of 47 persons in 2008 and 26 in the following year. It states that conflict has resulted in the death of 258 children below 18 from January 2002 to December 2009. “Despite repeated pledges of zero tolerance to rights violations by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, 152 civilian killings have been reported in 2008 followed by 84 in the following year and 13 custodial killings during these two years,” finds the report. It adds that 1876 persons have been injured in the violence and as per hospital reports, 640 were operated upon and six were amputated. The report states that 11 political activists of the National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party and the Congress have been killed during 2007-09. The report recommends an immediate end to hostilities against people of Kashmir so as to create proper ambience for resolution. “Any process initiated by stakeholders for the final resolution of Jammu and Kashmir needs to acknowledge inalienable civil and political rights, including right to life of people.”
|
|
|
Srinagar Diary There was time when construction work was not undertaken during the winter due to bad weather conditions, heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperature. But, according to the common belief now, global warming has had its impact on weather in Kashmir. There is less snowfall and mostly dry weather prevails through the winter. Thus, weather does not come in the way of construction work, both in the private and government sectors. A number of government buildings and residential houses are under construction in Srinagar and elsewhere in the valley (See photo). Even as many areas in the upper reaches of Kashmir are currently covered under a thick layer of snow, hampering construction and repairs, there is no end to construction continuing in the plains. The low temperature hits only blacktopping of roads which requires an optimum temperature of not lower than 15°C, something which usually prevails between May and September in Kashmir. Removal of encroachments
It was only after a miscreant attacked police personnel with a sharp-edged weapon in the busy market of Batmaloo that the police realised the danger due to encroachments by roadside hawkers and Sumo operators in the area. The area was suffocating with congestion due to rampant encroachments, thus helping miscreants indulge in criminal activities. But the police realised it after one of its men was attacked recently. Things have now changed as the police swung into action after the attack and removed the encroachments from the area, besides disallowing Sumo drivers to stop their vehicles on the spot for long. It remains to be seen for how long the people enjoy free movement in the area. Regular water supply
demanded
Teergam and other villages in Sumbal, 30 km north of Srinagar, receive safe drinking water supply for two hours only. Water collected in a tank is supplied to the villages. But the people demand water supply in the morning and the evening. The villagers complain that in absence of electricity they face an acute water shortage. In the absence of any water body nearby, the situation becomes worse, especially during the summer. The villagers allege that unsafe drinking water at times leads to jaundice. People complain that their repeated requests to replace the damaged water pipes have fallen on deaf ears. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili, Tejinder Singh Sodhi and Afsana Rashid) |
|
||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Renowned magician Samrat Shankar belongs to a traditional business family of Aggarwals of Sri Karanpur in
Rajasthan. He exhorts all to use magic with good intentions. He wants the government to set up an institution for teaching magic, a pure Indian art form.
Jammu, February 26
There was time when construction work was not undertaken during the winter due to bad weather conditions, heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperature. But, according to the common belief now, global warming has had its impact on weather in Kashmir. There is less snowfall and mostly dry weather prevails through the winter. Thus, weather does not come in the way of construction work, both in the private and government sectors.
