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Cash-strapped govt in a fix
Exotic lilium blooms in Jammu
KK Sharma, director, floriculture, inspects lilium flowers at a nursery
in Jammu’s Gandhi Nagar. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma |
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All they have got is promises
Tea with The Tribune
Srinagar diary
Dilapidated school building poses threat
The building of Government Boys Middle School, Gagribal Zone, in Srinagar.
Photo: Amin War
Unemployment remains a major problem
Labourer’s daughter tops school exams
Seven ancient sites declared protected
Forest Dept earns crores from timber sale
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Non-payment of pay panel arrears Restive employees in no mood to relent Ravi Krishnan Khajuria Tribune News Service
Jammu, April 9 The NC patron’s electioneering statement to implement the pay panel’s recommendations in its first Cabinet meeting had rekindled hopes among the employees. Though the NC didn’t get a clear majority and it had to join hands with the Congress to form the coalition regime, the new government under Farooq’s son Omar did honour the commitment, but partially. The new government after an agreement with the employees’ organisations on February 19, 2009, implemented the recommendations from July 2009, paying the salaries as per the recommendations, but so far it has failed to disburse arrears amounting to Rs 4,200 crore due from January 1, 2006, triggering protests by the employees in all three regions at regular intervals. After pleas of various employees’ organisations, primarily the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) and the Employees’ Joint Action Committee (EJAC) fell on deaf ears of the cash-strapped government, the employees went on a warpath from May 19, 2009, observing a two-day strike. However, their Kashmiri counterparts had called off the strike following intervention of the government. On August 18, 2009, Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather appealed to the employees not to go on strike again, but the latter under the banner of the JCC went on another two-day strike from August 19. The employees have been repeatedly asking the government to give a deadline to disburse at least first installment of Rs 1,400 crore in the current year. Ever since taking a decision in the Cabinet meeting by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on February 19, 2009, the government has utterly failed to even announce a date, said EJAC leader Ram Kumar. While the government claimed it stood by its commitment, the employees’ patience ran out this year, first on February 12 when the EJAC again gave a call for a statewide strike on February 16 and 17 to press the coalition government to pay arrears. On February 17, the EJAC served an ultimatum to the government to fulfill its promise by March 8. Despite this, nothing happened and employees once again went on a three-day strike from March 9, paralysing the government functioning. Consequently, employees of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department, the Power Development Department (PDD), the Public Works Department (PWD), the Public Health Engineering (PHE), the Drainage, Roads and Buildings Department by and large stayed away from their work. Parleys between the government and representatives of the employees failed to break the ice. The JCC is sore over the fact that the government has failed to honour its own decision after an agreement between the JCC and a Cabinet subcommittee on February 18 and August 19 in 2009. While the EJAC spearheaded the latest round of agitation, the government on April 5 invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against the striking employees to make them work. However, the move didn’t augur well with the employees, who felt provoked and they continued with their strike. On April 6, the government arrested more than 25 protesting employees, including a few leaders, which worsened the situation forcing the EJAC to draw fresh battle lines. The EJAC readied its second-rung leadership to keep the agitation going.“The question of surrendering before repressive measures of the government doesn’t arise. Now, it’s a final battle and there is no looking back,” EJAC leader Mohammed Gafoor Dar said. It may be stated here that at least Rs 4,200 crore are required to pay as arrears to 4.50 lakh employees. Meanwhile, in its latest move, the EJAC has decided to gherao the Civil Secretariat here and take out a mass rally at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on April 12. The 4.50-lakh employees include those from PSUs, daily wagers and contractual workers. Besides, the release of arrears, the employees have been demanding 5 per cent HRA, regularisation of all temporary, ad hoc, consolidated, contractual employees and daily wage workers, removal of pay anomalies, enhancement of retirement age from 58 to 60 and conversion of cost of living allowance into dearness allowance of PSU employees.
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Exotic lilium blooms in Jammu
Jammu, April 9 “Now onwards, farmers can grow lilium in the temperate zone of Jammu as the experiment done by the department has remained successful,” said KK Sharma, director, floriculture. “Earlier, the flower was grown in the Kashmir valley only. But in the beginning of this year, for the sake of experimentation, we planted the flower in the Sanasar area by taking into consideration climatic conditions in which lilium flourishes. However, flowers are yet to bloom there,” he said and added, “Meanwhile, we cultivated 500 bulbs in Jammu and all of them have bloomed well in advance due to the early onset of summer here.” In Kashmir, usually lilium is grown in September and the flowers bloom during February. However in Jammu, the flowers were cultivated in January under protected conditions. Flowers in Sanasar, as such, are expected to bloom next month, but due to sudden increase in temperature in Jammu, the flowers have bloomed a month earlier. While the input cost involved in the cultivation of lilium is minimal, in the local market, a bulb of lilium costs anything from Rs 20 to Rs 80 subject to its availability. “It is the most costly flower in the local market. It has been introduced to diversify floriculture as farmers preferably cultivate marigold in the region,” Sharma said. “Farmers can plant as many as 7,000 saplings in one kanal. A single plant bears more than 15 bulbs so the cultivation of lilium is profitable,” he said. “The department has been implementing several centrally sponsored schemes to promote cash crops like flowers and medicinal plants. Farmers in the rain-fed areas, if switch over to the cultivation of these plants, can overcome the losses suffered due to crop failure in view of deficit rainfall in the past two years,” he said and added, “Even unemployed agricultural technocrats can get benefit by these schemes if they evince some interest”. “Under the Rashtriya Krishi Vigyan Yojana, Technology Mission and the National Mission on Medicinal Plants, the department has taken a number of initiatives,” he said and appealed that, “Farmer should step forward and avail the benefits of schemes and improve their living”. “We are expecting a good business of flowers from the next month with the begining of marriages,” he anticipated.
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All they have got is promises
Pattan, April 9 Based on 90 households (800 people), the village lacks dispensary. Even for a regular check up, they have to cover 3 km to Palhallan-Pattan. “We approached the concerned chief medical officer. He told us that if minister sanctions it, he would be more than happy to implement the orders,” stated the villagers. In emergency, a patient is carried on handcart or horsecart to the nearby health centre. Lack of transportation and bad roads add to the problem. The primary school here functions in two rooms. Teachers handle two classes at a time, while the remaining three classes are taught after the first two classes are over. The school had no water point in toilet till recently, but the efforts of the Village Welfare Committee (VWC) formed under the aegis of the Indo Global Social Service Society (IGSSS), and funded by the European Union and the WHH (Welthungerhilfe) made it possible. “We asked the officials concerned that if water points will not be made available in the school, we will lock the premises. Then water points were provided,” said Abdul Hamid Dar, president of the committee. The villagers continue with traditional latrine system. Dar, however, shares that a few years ago (in 2006) the village was provided with 15 individual household latrine units by a concerned agency, but the villagers wanted units for everyone. “So the idea was dropped,” he adds. The villagers demand the upgrading of school up to class VIII. Students according to the villagers, have to go to Palhallan after finishing their primary schooling. “This is one of the reasons that leads to dropouts, especially among girls. Heavy schoolbags coupled with absence of transport facilities make students disinterested in studies and they dropout and get engaged in labour work”. Most of the villagers are engaged with carpet weaving and farming. “Almost everyone here holds Above Poverty Line ration cards, but the matter of fact is that almost everyone here lives Below Poverty Line. The village deserves to be categorised as a backward area, but due to the fact that it falls within the vicinity of the Pattan town area, this status is not provided to us. We have been ignored by everyone,” says Fatima Begum, a local. The village sans a ration depot and they have to collect ration from Palhallan-Pattan. Tap water is available only during morning and evening hours. “No electric poles have been erected in the village and we have used local support material,” complain the villagers.
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Tea with The Tribune In a tete-a-tete with The Tribune team, Prof Desh Bandhu Gupta, chairman, J&K Board of School Education, talked about various issues concerning the state education system
Prof Desh Bandhu Gupta is the chairman of the J&K Board of School Education (JKBOSE). He also nurtures the hobby of penning down his feelings in prose and poetry or painting them on the canvas. Prof Gupta has brought some fundamental changes in the board’s functioning, which he discussed with The Tribune team during an interaction. A student, Jasleen Kaur from the Shiksha Niketan Higher Secondary School, too, joined the interaction. Following are the excerpts: Jupinderjit Singh (JJS): Tell us something about your social and academic background? Desh Bandhu Gupta (DBG): I belong to a remote part of Bhaderwah town. We were six brothers and four sisters and my father’s income was just Rs 20 per month, still we managed to study. I came to Jammu in my younger days. I was fond of reading and a librarian helped me by providing me books. I did graduation in science, but as I was reading all books I could lay my hands on, the university allowed me to do parallel graduation in arts and commerce as well. Later, I did a course in Sanskrit also. Thereupon, I secured a degree in law and completed PhD. I started my career as research associate with the Department of Economics, University of Jammu, and served at various key positions in the same institute before taking charge as chairman of the board. JJS: How do you use this diverse knowledge in your work? DBG: I keep the student sitting in the farthest corner of the state in my mind while taking decisions and anticipate how it will affect him. For the past three years, examination fees have not been hiked. However, we may have to enhance it in near future, but it would be not more than 10 per cent. I remember I had seen a notebook in class V and I know the value of money. Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (RKK): The board has been in news for all the wrong reasons. There are instances of mass copying and paper leaking. What measures have you taken to avoid this in future? DBG: Unless I get enough evidence of paper leakage, I would not initiate any action. In fact, no one has so far given me a formal complaint of paper leak or mass copying this year as well as in the past. In fact, I lodged a complaint with the police to investigate the paper leak scam of previous academic session. Besides, I always constitute internal committees to look into such cases. I immediately sent newspaper cuttings along with a note to the BOSE secretary to initiate a probe. To ensure a foolproof mechanism, I initiated measures like abolishing objective type questions. We have also devised a new model of examination system wherein question papers in four different series would be provided to students in every examination centre. Cell phones have been banned and if a student is found using it he invites disqualification for a period of five years. Likewise, teachers at the centres found flouting the rule invite disqualification for a period of two years. I regretfully say that a number of teachers are involved in this unethical practice. To overcome mass copying, the BOSE would prefer schools having CCTV cameras. Ashutosh Sharma (AS): Students have been blaming board for the paper leak and other unfair means of examination. Your comments. DBG: So far, all accused arrested in the case are not related to the board. They are employees of the Education Department. Jasleen Kaur (JK): Hardworking students have suffered a lot because of paper leak cases? Is there any option that the students may not have to take their examination again? DBG: Those students who do not want to take their examination again can go for evaluation of their paper and those who opt for re-examination can submit their application forms till April 10. I feel such incidents do not affect the hardworking and intelligent students in any way. Dinesh Manhotra (DM): There are reports that some examination centres in the remote areas of Doda and Kishtwar districts were openly involved in massing copying. What actions the BOSE authorities have taken to check such the menace? DBG: After getting reports of mass copying in inaccessible areas like Decchan, Marwah, Wardwan etc, I have gone through the results pertaining to these centres and found some foul play. Students of some schools that even lack teaching staff registered more than 80 per cent results. It was a clear indication of mass copying. The examinations in four such centres have already been declared invalid and action has been initiated against those were involved in conducting the examinations. The supervising staff of these centres have been debarred from conducting examinations in future. AS: Students widely complain that even after their marks get increased during re-evaluation, the board does not refund the fee like Jammu University does. Why is it so? DBG: The evaluation and reevaluation process is transparent. We even handout Xerox copy of the answer sheets to the students for their satisfaction. AS: Can you tell the exact number of cases in which action was taken against the evaluators for grave discrepancies in paper checking? DBG: From this year, we have decided to take stern action against such evaluators. The board will also get the list of such erring evaluators published in newspapers. Archit Watts (AW): What action has been taken by the board in mass copying incident in which 21 students were caught using cell phones during their examination at Miran Sahib? DBG: UMC cases have been made against all students involved in unfair means and a committee has been formed to investigate the matter thoroughly. AW: Do you get full support from the police while conducting raids at examination centres? DBG: Yes, the state police is giving us maximum support. The credit of tracing students involved in using unfair means is all due to the police. AW: Do you know the police officer, who had helped the board to unearth the mass copying incident, has been transferred to the police lines? Is there any nexus between such mafia, board, and the police? DBG: I can’t say anything about the nexus. And if the police officer has been transferred to the police lines, then it is to be looked by the police department. I can only request to the media to give maximum support to the board officials in exposing such cases. AS: The website of JKBOSE is not updated from time to time. Why so much slackness? DBG: It was my initiative to put all information of board on the Internet. The board remains short of funds and manpower, but these issues are likely to be sorted out soon. We have decided to upload reevaluation forms on our website so that students do not have to come to the board office for collecting the form. Sunaina Kaul (SK): How can BOSE help students in minimising the stress for getting higher percentage in their examinations? DBC: As per a Central government notification, grading system would be followed for evaluation, which might help reduce the stress on students. We would be giving grades to class X students whose examinations are presently underway in the Jammu zone. Similar would be the case with the students from Kashmir zone.
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Clock tower’s new look under watch
The city centre is known for the clock tower at the heart of it. As part of a beautification project currently in progress, the white coloured clock tower is being given a red look with the laying of traditional slim Maharaji bricks (See picture). Old-timers recall how the erstwhile Amirakadal was renamed as Lal Chowk during the Partition. Various efforts have been made to decongest this nerve centre by shifting various business centres and offices away from the area. The citizens keep a watch over the new look. Wrong parking
As the number of private vehicles has increased manifold in the recent past, it has become hard for people to find a suitable parking space due to which vehicles are haphazardly parked on the roadsides. This practice leads to frequent traffic jams and makes things difficult for pedestrians. Besides the city, the situation is similar in most other parts of the Kashmir valley where in the absence of proper parking slots, people have no other choice but to park their vehicles on the roadsides which results into frequent road mishaps and traffic jams. Official figures reveal that thousands of new vehicles are added to the already congested roads of Srinagar city every month, but the road infrastructure across the city remains a problem. Overloading in
passenger vehicles
Overloading in local buses has always been a cause of concern. Very often drivers and conductors are blamed for the mess. Passengers, irrespective of age and gender are stuffed inside the buses in an awkward manner. Most passengers have to keep standing and watch helplessly as the conductor goes on packing more passengers. Commuters too are responsible to some extent. Despite finding the
vehicle packed to capacity, they board the bus. Besides, anti-social activities like pick-pocketing and eve-teasing thrive in such situations. Meanwhile, the regulatory body seems to have turned a blind eye to the menace. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili, Tejinder Singh Sodhi and
Afsana Rashid) |
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Dilapidated school building poses threat
Srinagar, April 9 For many decades the school is housed in a horse-shoe shaped building of the Custodian Department with a sufficient space for morning prayers and playing games for students. Though sports activities in the absence of any proper facilities are also lacking. The building over the years sans repairs, thanks to the requisite formalities for the school due to its location within 200 meters from the periphery of the Dal Lake. Even as there is no blanket ban on the repair works in the green belt area, the delay in requisite formalities from the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) concerned has been hampering the repairs. Over 70 students, boys and girls, are studying in the school, all of them belonging to the poor class, and are not able to afford education in a private school. Unlike many other schools, mainly the private institutions, the condition of the school building is pathetic which has been adversely affecting the education of students. “For such reasons, even people from poor class hesitate to get their wards admitted to government schools”, said a teacher. There is no problem with the system and the teachers are duly qualified and better than the teaching staff in private institutions, he added. “The performance of students from private institutions in various examinations has always been excellent. But, the results of government schools are mostly poor”, said an expert on education. Various reasons, including accountability, lack of proper facilities and infrastructure have been the main causes of this wide gap in the performance of students from government and private institutions. What meets the eye at the entrance to Government Middle School, Gagribal (English Medium), falling in the Nishat Zone is an uneven lawn with a heap of broken furniture and other worn-out items dumped by the side wall. Over 70 students from UKG up to class VIII, have one or two rows of mattress on which they are made to sit in classrooms. “It is very cold in the winter, when the students mostly stay away from their classes due to intense cold,” said one of the teachers. During winters only the polythene sheets are wrapped over the window frames, which prevent the cold winds. The winter vacations from mid-December to early March give some respite to this poor lot. “These students do not have an educational atmosphere in their homes”, said the teacher and pointed out that it was adding to the teachers’ work in the school. For example, the teacher goes to the extent of solving all questions in a mathematical exercise in classrooms. |
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Unemployment remains a major problem
Jammu, April 9 If go by the records procured from the Labour and Employment Department, 19,627 postgraduates in the state have applied for jobs, but they have not got any response yet. Though the government has announced to provide jobs to qualified persons in departments concerned a number of times, it has failed to fulfil its commitment towards them. Not only postgraduates but also other categories of unemployed persons, including doctors, almost 1,342 persons having degrees, are also unemployed. In another category, engineers are also in the list of unemployed as 3,903 engineers are also waiting for government jobs. Apart from it, 233 architects are also waiting for their turn. Agricultural graduates, who have protested for a long time against the government demanding jobs, are also having no other option, besides wait. As a total of 569 agricultural graduates are also left in the lurch. Besides these, 13,275 ITI electricians, 557 social forestry graduates, 82,108 graduates, 1,49,485 matriculates and 75,525 middle pass have also registered their names with the employment exchanges to get jobs. Though the government had devised strategies to adjust unemployed persons in some government departments by appointing them on ad hoc basis, it also failed to bring any smile on these “ill-fated” persons. This matter has also been raised a number of times during the Budget session in the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly. A number of members demanded government’s reply over the issue. However, Minister for Labour and Employment Abdul Gani Malik said: “The government has already introduced an employment scheme, which will create job avenues for the unemployed youth and it is taking the issue very seriously”. |
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Labourer’s daughter tops school exams
Jammu, April 9 Mansi was enrolled under the Project PAHL, an initiative of the Damodhar Satri
Udyog Sanstha. “After attending school classes I also attend special classes under the project,” said Mansi. After finishing her household work, she completes her homework sitting in candlelight in her temporary home in the slum area in Mohinder Nagar. “I love sketching and painting and teachers at the PAHL encourage me to fill colours on the canvas,” Mansi said. “I cook food with the help of my father,” she said. Mansi also used to look after her younger siblings in the absence of her mother. She said, “I want them to study as well and also enrolled them under the project”. More than 110 students, coming from different sections of the society are getting education under the project. Under one roof, the PAHL imparts elementary education to these students, besides teaching them social ethics. Sunita Chandra, secretary, Damodhar Satri Udyog Sanstha, said: “Mansi is a bright child and is very hard working. Despite facing several hardships at her early age, she has matured a lot. She is a responsible student and volunteers her services during routine events organised by the PAHL”. |
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Seven ancient sites declared protected
Jammu, April 9 Khursheed Ahmad Qadri, state consultant, tourism and culture, said a decision to this effect was taken recently. The declaration of any protected monument was the first step towards its preservation, Qadri said. The sites are Jaganu Fort in Udhampur, Chenani Fort, Mansar Haveli, Nandani Bowli, 5 km boundary wall around Hari Parbat shrine in old Srinagar, and a 15th century unique tomb of 90 ft in the Soura locality on the outskirts of Srinagar. He said efforts would be made to demarcate and free these sites from encroachments. The recent passage of the Heritage Conservation Bill by the state legislature will help the government in protecting the rich and glorious past of the state, he said. Qadri, who has also served as director, Archaeology, said the department was further conducting a survey to declare more monuments as protected sites. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was also taking care of 69 other such monuments in the state since 1956, he said. Meanwhile, work is in full pace on the restoration work of Chingus Fort, Reasi’s Bhimgarh Fort and Lakhanpur Fort.
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Forest Dept earns crores from timber sale
Jammu, April 9 He further said the forests were not connected with interior roads and the timber extracted was dragged to the loading point. He said at times the process gets delayed because of bad weather, despite best efforts of the corporation. The minister said the department endeavours to transport extracted timber from the forests to “Kachha and Pacca” loading points at the earliest possible, so that there was no deterioration in the quality of extracted timber. |
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Exotic flower lilium, which grows in winter conditions and that too in higher regions, has successfully blossomed in green belt park of the city.
Not far away from the city centre and seat of the government in the summer capital, Government Middle School, Gagribal (Nehru Park), overlooking the world famous Dal Lake, presents a dismal picture.
For the past one month, Lal Chowk or Red Square has been at the centre of hectic activity, not for any political reasons but for developmental purposes. While the authorities are trying to decongest the historic Lal Chowk, every fresh move in this direction invites resentment from varied sections of society.
