Srinagar, August 10
Independence Day (August 15) would be observed as ‘black day’ in Kashmir and a general strike would be observed whereas there would be no strike on Pakistan’s Independence Day on August 14.

This happens in Kashmir, an ‘inseparable part’ of India, where Independence Day and Republic Day are observed as ‘black day’ for the past two decades but the same days of Pakistan, which occupied a large part of the Kashmir valley in 1947, are celebrated with happiness.

Since June 11 this year when the present unrest started in the Kashmir valley against the killing of three youths in an alleged fake encounter in Machil the ‘popularly elected’ state government seems to restricted only on papers whereas whatever programme is given by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat conference, is followed in the valley.

Every Friday in the Kashmir valley has become a Sunday in the past two months while Sundays have become working days.

Even the government seems to have given in to the writ of the separatists as all government offices, including schools, colleges, universities, banks remain closed on the day when the separatists call for a strike whereas on Sunday when the separatists give relaxation in the strike, schools, colleges, universities and even banks resume normal functioning.

“Where is the government? Curfew is imposed whenever the separatists give a strike call. It means that the government helps enforce the strike call whereas when the separatists give relaxation in the strike all offices open and the curfew is lifted,” said a senior state government official.

The irony of the fact is that when there is relaxation given by the separatists the people don’t wait for the official announcements about the lifting of the the curfew as they started moving out and most shops open much before any such announcements.

“It seems that I am not in India as everywhere there are banners and posters asking India to leave the valley. Even on roads there are ‘go India go’ graffiti” said a journalist who had arrived from New Delhi to report the present unrest.

The separatists have also asked the people to display banners and flags with ‘go India go’ and such flags are found displayed at many places.

“People here want peace and it is the high time that peace is restored in the valley otherwise the situation would continue to deteriorate, making the common people suffer” said Khurshid Ahmed of Lal Chowk.

Jammu, August 10
With a view to thwarting any terrorist attack during the Independence Day celebrations, the police and other security forces have beefed up security arrangements around the Parade Ground, the venue of the main function, and at other vital installations here.

The security forces have taken up positions at all strategic points, including the Central and state government buildings and defence installations.

The Army, the BSF and the CRPF personnel have also been deployed in strength and preventive detentions were being made to prevent any untoward incident.

The Parade Ground, near the police control room here, has been sealed and the police personnel are busy scanning every nook and corner of the ground with metal detectors.

With the fresh attempts of infiltration and huge recovery of arms and ammunition from Poonch, Rajouri and Kishtwar districts this month, the authorities are not taking any chance as such incidents would embarrass the state government.

Senior police officers are also reviewing security arrangements here as well as in other nine districts of the region for making the celebrations a grand success.

The authorities have already taken several steps for night dominance as night patrolling has been started and nakas have been laid at all major intersections. Vehicles entering from other states are specially being checked.

Extra security personnel have been deployed in the city and in the coming days, the movement of vehicles and pedestrian traffic would be restricted near the Parade Ground.

A senior police officer said: “They have not received any militant threat, but they do not want to take any risk. Security personnel have been deployed everywhere in the city as well as in the region”.

He added: “We are regularly holding meetings to review security arrangements. The final deployment of forces will be held a day or two before the I-Day”.

Srinagar, August 10
The upcoming winter season would be harsher for residents of the Ladakh region. Flashfloods triggered by a massive cloudburst has washed away their winter stock of food grains and other essential commodities meant for winter when heavy snowfall cuts off the region from the mainland.

Foreigners lend a helping hand in relief operations.

(L) Foreign tourists being airlifted from Zanskar valley. (R) A long queue of vehicles at a petrol pump. Tribune photos: Mukesh Aggarwal, Anand Sharma and Amin War

In Ladakh, almost every household has a store in the basement known as “zot” which is used to store essential items, which include “sattu” (roasted and minced rice), “pawa” (a special bread), flour, rice, mutton, dried vegetables and other eatables. But the flashfloods that has damaged almost every standing structure has also damaged “zots” in every household.

“People in Ladakh start stocking for six months of winter as soon as the roads open and by August almost half of the ‘zots’ are filled, but due to the flashfloods everything has been destroyed,” said Jigmat Lotus, a resident of Leh town.

Storing of essentials in “zot” is an annual practice for people of the region as they remain cut off from the rest of the country for six months.

“The practice of stockpiling has been affected due to the flashfloods,” said Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distributions Qamar Ali Akhoon.

The damage to two surface links with the Ladakh region i.e. Leh-Srinagar and Leh-Manali highway, both of which have been damaged due to the mudslide, has added to the worries of the people as no fresh stock could reach the area.

“Whatever was stored has been washed away. Now, we are praying for the opening of the highway so that we can stock sufficient amount of ration and other essential commodities well before the winters,” Lotus said.

Even as the Border Road Organisation (BRO) is busy restoring both damaged roads of Leh, continuous rainfall and the shortage of personnel (as a large number of BRO men have been deployed in relief work of the flood-affected area), the repair work of the highways is taking time.

Jammu, August 10
A ban on the SMS service has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for stationery and gift shops, which are doing brisk business these days. More and more people are now sending greetings to their near and dear ones through cards, especially in connection with the Independence Day, and Raksha Bandhan, which falls on August 24.

After the launch of mobile phone services in the state a few years ago, subscribers, mostly the youth and students, had forgotten exchanging pleasantries through greeting cards. But this summer, after the enforcement of a ban on the SMS service in the wake of law and order problem in Kashmir, shopkeepers here again started displaying varied types of greeting cards to help out enthusiastic customers who want to convey wishes to their near and dear ones through this means of communication.

Even though sending greetings through cards is comparatively expensive, in the absence of SMS facility, people are left with no choice but to exercise this very traditional method.

“I have already purchased Raksha Bandhan greeting cards and sent them through post to all my cousins who are working outside the state so that they receive them in time. Earlier, I was doing it by just sending an SMS and that too for a negligible charge,” says Rashmi, a collegiate.

Sanjay, who runs a gift shop near Women’s College here, admits that the sale of greeting cards has picked up due to a ban on the SMS service. “Earlier, there were a few takers for festival cards and the process of purchasing them had turned obsolete. But this year, a large number of girls are again thronging my shop to purchase greeting cards for their brothers,” he says.

Sonali, a student of class XII, says it was taxing to spend on greeting cards. “But people have no other option but to purchase greeting cards,” she says. However, her classmate, Shilpa is of the opinion that sending greetings through cards has its own charm and aesthetic taste.

Bunty Bamzai, who runs a gift shop at old Janipur, says he has also seen rise in the sale of stickers and sketch pens of varied colours. “People are even buying Independence Day cards and stickers depicting our national flag. Previously, this element was missing,” he adds.

An official of BSNL admits that SMS ban is affecting the overall business of the organisation. “However, the security of the nation should be of paramount importance for all of us,” he adds.

Srinagar, August 10
Turmoil in the Valley has little impact on Carvan-e-Aman bus service plying between the two parts of the divided Kashmir. The service was launched in 2005 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

During the ongoing unrest in the Valley that began on June 11, the bus service was stopped twice, but it was stopped not due to the turmoil but due to poor weather conditions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“Some of our guests who had arrived from PoK could not leave last week due to bad weather conditions there. So they left after few days,” said a resident of Sheeri, Baramulla.

In view of the prevailing curfew in the Valley yesterday, the bus left the Srinagar city at 5:30 am and all passengers were asked to board the bus early.

Meanwhile, the national highway in the Valley, which mostly remain deserted during the day due to the ongoing trouble, becomes alive during the night as most people prefer to travel during night hours to escape the wrath of stone-pelters and security forces.

“I was stranded in Bandipora for the past few days and whenever I tried to move in the morning, I had the fear that the stone-pelters might attack my car. So last night, I decided to move in the dark and reached Srinagar safely,” said Manzoor Ahmed, a resident of Srinagar.

Most of the passengers and private vehicles use the highway during the night when the stone-pelting mob and security forces are off the roads.

“You never know when they (stone-pelters) attack you. It’s safe to travel during the night,” said Tajumal Sheikh, a Tata Sumo driver.

Not only passenger vehicles but also vehicles carrying essential supplies to the Valley are plying during night hours.

“We leave Jammu late in the evening so that we can enter Kashmir late in the night,” said Baljeet Singh, a truck driver.

Jammu, August 10
After successfully growing saffron in the Panchari area, the authorities in Udhampur district have imported trout fishes from Kashmir to encourage farmers of the belt in fish farming. The effort of the diversification of agriculture strategy has opened up plentiful gains not only for the farming community of the state, but also for unemployed youths of the region.

Interestingly, the authorities have selected two places, Jakhed and Krichi areas of Dodu and Chenani, for fish farming which are economically and educationally backward. If the efforts of fish farming, especially of trout, will prove fruitful, it will change the socio-economic condition of those living in this backward belt.

“Climatic conditions of some parts of Udhampur district are similar to the Kashmir Valley, so we have been initiating few steps to take benefit of the climate in these areas,” said a senior officer of the Agriculture Department.

Gopal Sharma, assistant director, Fisheries, said: “Only coldest region is viable for farming of trout fish and some regions of Udhampur district have been identified for that. Private sector will also be encouraged in the farming of trout fish”.

Fish farming, especially of trout, with improvised technology application is proving to be a bullying economic indicator, besides supplementing protein in the diet of locals here. While Kashmir’s trout remains a preferred cuisine for those visiting the state, Udhampur’s trout is providing yet another alternative, if not an equally better one.

“As far as farming of trout is concerned, it is found in cold water which is there in nullahs and streams of the Kashmir region. But the recent scientific interventions in the field of fish farming have now revealed a wider scope for its rearing in Udhampur district,” Sharma said.

He said the areas identified for trout rearing retain water throughout the year and have almost the same water conditions that exist in the streams of the Kashmir region. This has resulted in their establishment as ideal locations for trout farming.

The Department of Fisheries has stocked rainbow trout seed of fingerlings size (average weight 10 gm) with 3,000 numbers in year 2005 in the streams of Jakhed, Therdu and Kirchi by the technical team headed by the assistant director, Fisheries, Udhampur. The streams were found suitable for the stocking of rainbow trout. Trout fish fingerlings were transported from Trout Project Kokernag (Kashmir). The species of fish will establish in the areas as a plenty of breeding grounds are available and in future it will boost tourism and also help in the economic development of the area. Presently, the average size of the fish ranges between 1.5 kg and 2.5 kg.

“Other streams and water bodies of the district are under survey for the stocking of trout fingerlings,” Sharma said and informed that in the first phase, the department has purchased 1 kanal and 18 marlas land and also submitted indent for additional land approximately 4 kanals for which funds of Rs 1.40 lakh were already allocated for the purpose.

Jammu, August 10
Houses in a locality in the Upper Barnai area, falling under municipal ward no. 65, have been without numbers for the past more than a decade. Besides, no mohalla name has been assigned to the locality. How difficult it is to live in a colony that has no name and house numbers can be explained best by its residents.

They allege that despite falling within the municipal limits, no numbering has been done for their houses and no identification has been given to the locality due to which they are facing difficulty in receiving mails, particularly time bound.

While talking to The Tribune, Akshay Bhat, a resident of the area, says, “Living without proper residential address seems as if we are living without a name. When our friends or relatives ask for our address we are compelled to give them certain identification marks in the vicinity of our colony to enable them to reach our place”.

Archana Bhat, another resident, says it is impossible for an outsider to trace a house in the area. “Many times our relatives and friends, who could not locate our house, have return after wandering for a long time in the area”.

Besides, the residents are also worried over late receipt of mails. “In the absence of proper residential address, we are facing a lot of hardships in receiving letters, invitation cards and couriers. A pond situated adjacent to our locality is one of the main landmarks of our area which we give to our relatives and friends to locate our house”, said SN Misri, another resident.

Expressing disappointment, he adds, “Neither we have house number nor we have any name for our mohalla”.

Meenakshi Bhat, another resident, says, “Several times, we have appealed to the departments concerned for the allotment of house numbers, but they paid no heed”.

She says, “Whenever we fill up any application form for the education or job purposes, we usually mention residential address of our relatives for ensuring safe and proper delivery of letters.

Kavita Bhan, also a resident, says, “We always remain worried of the proper delivery of interview call letters or other important mails in the absence of proper address. Many times, the postman does not deliver the letter when he fails to locate the house after wandering in the entire locality”.

It is learnt that the postman of the area usually delivers letters to some shopkeepers of the locality who in turn ensure their delivery to the concerned.

According to a source in the Postal Department, the postman who delivers mail in this area usually faces a lot of difficulty in locating the right address.

Babu Ram, joint commissioner of the Jammu Municipal Corporation, says the corporation would soon start allocating house numbers in a systematic way in all its wards.

“We will start the work of allocation of house numbers within three months,” says the joint commissioner.

Srinagar, August 10
Taj Mohi-ud-Din, Minister for PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control; Minister for Agriculture Ghulam Hassan Mir and Minister of State for Horticulture and Medical Education Javed Ahmad Dar visited Baramulla and Bandipora to take stock of the law and order situation in the two districts.

During their visit on Saturday, the ministers directed the officers concerned to ensure that people were rendered maximum relief. They directed them to ensure that the facilities of ration, electricity, water, health and irrigation are extended without fail.

Officers of the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) were directed to ensure that consumers are given 40 kg of rice and 10 kg of atta as already directed by the Chief Minister.

The Power Development Department in both districts was instructed to ensure uninterrupted supply of power during Sehri and Iftar during the coming month of Ramzan.

Taj directed the PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Departments to restore on a war footing the water supply lines and irrigation canals damaged during the recent floods in these areas. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department was also directed to arrange adequate sand bags for flood protection in view of the present climatic conditions.

The Departments of Revenue, Agriculture and Horticulture were directed to make assessment of losses to crops and submit a report to the government immediately.

The Ministers directed the Deputy Commissioners of the two districts to ensure availability of officers and staff at their headquarters or places of duty and initiate disciplinary action against the defaulters. If officers are unable to reach their place of duty they should stay connected with their subordinate staff over mobile phones.

The ministers appealed to the people to remain calm and help the government restore peace. They also appealed to the people to ensure the safety of public property and not let antisocial elements destroy it.

Srinagar, August 10
Maintaining that the government was committed to mitigating the hardships being faced by the people, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, said that concrete measures were being taken to address the problems.

Speaking at an interactive meeting of prominent citizens and senior officers of the divisional administration here, Sagar said the government had already ensured uninterrupted supply of various essential items and services for the masses so that they did not face any inconvenience on account of shortage of foodgrains. He said orders had already been issued to the authorities concerned to ensure the availability of essential items.

We appeal to the people that they should also come forward and help the government in restoring peace — Minister for Rural Development, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Sagar

He said the government was sensitive to the situation and working tirelessly for the restoration of normalcy in the valley. “We appeal to the people that they should also come forward and help the government in restoring peace”, he said. The minister directed the PDD authorities to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the coming holy month of Ramzan. He also asked the CA&PD authorities to supply foodgrains, besides other essential items in all areas of the Kashmir valley.

Appreciating the divisional administration for addressing the problems of the people in the prevailing situation, Sagar asked the administration to maintain a close rapport and coordination with the people so that an effective feedback was received from the people to help initiate timely measures for the redressal of their grievances.

The minister instructed the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to ensure that the medicine shops remained functional across the valley, especially around the hospitals. He further said there was adequate supply of drugs in the hospitals.

While responding to the demands of prominent citizens regarding the establishment of a control room for effective monitoring of various essential supplies, the minister directed the officers concerned to work for achieving the same.