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‘Disappointing’
MSP Unexpected
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Keeping
heritage alive
Producing
more with less water
Heart-breaking
shipbreak
The
people vs the president PAST
IMPERFECT, FUTURE TENSE
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Unexpected & unexplained
Members
of the jury in US trial courts are normally not barred from discussing their verdict with the media. But the jury at the Chicago court trying Pakistani-Canadian doctor Tahawwur Hussain Rana appears to have taken the unusual decision to remain anonymous and to remain silent on how it reached the verdict. This would add to India’s disappointment and uneasiness over the jury finding Rana not guilty of facilitating the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Though the US prosecutors deemed it fit to charge Rana on this count and produced evidence in support, the jury apparently found the evidence weak. But then Rana himself confessed that he was aware of David Coleman Headley’s links with Lashkar-e-Taiba and with Pakistan’s ISI and Army. What makes the verdict even more perverse is the finding of the same jury that Rana was guilty of extending material support to a terrorist organisation and of planning to launch a terror strike at a Danish newspaper which had offended Muslims by carrying cartoons on the Prophet. The verdict also defies reason because while Rana has been found guilty of plotting the attack in Denmark, which actually never took place, he has been let off the hook for the attack on Mumbai in which 164 people, including six US citizens, were killed. The prosecution had established that Rana helped Dawood change his name and secure an Indian visa. It has also been admitted that he allowed Dawood, alias Headley, to pose as a representative of his immigration firm while taking photographs of targets in Mumbai. Telephone calls and e-mails also conclusively proved that Rana was aware that his ‘friend’ was working for Lashkar-e-Taiba. Since Headley agreed to turn an approver provided he is spared the maximum penalty and is not extradited to India for trial, conviction of Rana for 26/11 would have strengthened the case against the masterminds of the Mumbai attack. The unexpected verdict may or may not be a ‘major setback’ in bringing the 26/11 culprits to book. But it does leave an uneasy trail of questions about how much India can afford to rely on the US in taking on the ISI.
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Keeping heritage alive
It
is indeed heartening that the 551-year-old Naggar Castle is being given due importance by it being recognised as a heritage building of national importance. The castle has a rich past, which deserves preservation. The 75-acre Palace Hotel, Chail, which is younger by three decades, too, has a rich past, although the main palace suffered extensive damage in a fire many years ago. Heritage buildings, especially in the hills, need special attention since they are vulnerable to fires. A number of important buildings in Himachal Pradesh have been gutted in the recent past. Neglect, largely because of apathy and lack of funds, has often contributed in the state losing out on its heritage. It is now widely recognised that the government alone is unable to maintain heritage buildings, even when they are converted into hotels. In order to attract elite tourists, the destinations, their maintenance and the service standards need to be impeccable. Public-private partnership models also need to be encouraged so that they become attractive tourist destinations. Of course, care must be taken in making the process of selection of the private partners transparent and fair, so as to prevent controversies of the kind that bedevil several such projects in the country. The recognition for these properties will also give a fillip to the region, and serve to the Kullu-Manali tourists and the Chail-Shimla circuits. However, the government needs to ensure that proper facilities are provided and information about these places, as well as other palaces of interest near them, is properly documented and widely circulated. Punjab and Haryana too need to take a cue from their neighbouring state to identify, recognise and develop heritage buildings into attractive tourist destinations so that not only are the buildings preserved but also the heritage that they represent is kept alive in the minds of the visitors. Preserving tangible heritage also helps to keep alive its intangible aspects which keep alive the ethos of the people.
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What you get free costs too much. — Jean Anouilh
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Producing more with less water It
is well known and fully recognised that due to the continuously deteriorating water balance in central Punjab, the underground water table is receding very fast. Inter alia, the major reason is that canal water is meeting hardly 25 per cent irrigation water requirements of the rice-wheat cropping pattern. Consequently, 80 per cent of the irrigation requirements are met by lifting underground water through tube-wells and pump-sets. This water withdrawal is much higher than the recharge that occurs through rains, floods, seepage etc. The major culprit is the rice crop because a much larger area is put under the crop than what can be sustained by available water resources without adversely affecting the water balance of the state. Whereas the capacity of the water resources to nurture the rice crop under the existing production technology of growing rice in ponded water is not more than 1.5 million hectares, the crop is planted in more than 2.5 million hectares in the state. This is an unsustainable proposition. The receding water table is a serious concern not only from the point of view of depletion of the most scarce production resource; it is also escalating the cost of lifting ground water. About two-third tube-wells in Punjab are already functioning on submersible pumps, which involve a huge installation and running cost. One remedial measure is to diversify the cropping pattern and replace at least one million hectares from under rice with other crops like fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, pulses and other high-value crops. But the problem is that no other crop as yet is as sure as the rice crop in respect of production and price certainty. Field and market risks on high-value crops discourage farmers from going in for these crops on a large scale. Further, one cannot imagine the crop replacement in one million hectares in immediate future. However, the problem is right there now, staring at the face of the state. It is therefore important that production technology in case of rice crop must improve so much that water use efficiency increases to the level that water balance in the state is restored. Lot many efforts are being made at the level of research in the country, including Punjab, such as the development of cultivars that require lesser water, short duration varieties that can be sown late, cultural practices and use of instruments like tensio-meters that help in optimising water application. Even foreign agencies and some companies are collaborating in this effort worldwide. The Water Center of Institute of Earth Sciences of Columbia University is collaborating with Punjab Agricultural University in this research. Agricultural technocrats are also endeavoring to adopt measures and practices that are aimed at saving irrigation water in rice cultivation without adversely affecting the yield. They experimented with direct seeding and also transplanting rice on bed and furrow system, then ridges and furrow system and also dry and direct seeding All these methods met with success of a sort, but some major problems like the growth of weeds in the crop and difficulties in the use of harvesting combines turned out to be the major road blocks. Fortunately, now the technology of direct seeding is proving quite a success, particularly when seeding can be done on flat fields and quite effective pre-emergence and post-emergence weedicides have become available. Not relying on hearsays and experience of others, I myself tried the direct seeding method in my own fields for the last two years. The method of direct seeding with ridges and furrows succeeded, yet partially, because of the weeds problem and difficulty in the use of a combine harvester. However, direct seeding in flat fields succeeded wonderfully. This technique saved at least 30 per cent water application and improved the yield by more than 10 per cent along with saving considerably on production costs and drudgery of work involved in raising nursery, puddling of fields and the back-breaking operation of transplanting. The technique involved (1) careful laser levelling of the fields, which in itself saves about 15 to 20 per cent water; (2) irrigation of the field and then preparing the field fine in proper moisture; (3) shallow drilling with the drill especially designed for the purpose, which is available with the Department of Agriculture for demonstration (The drill is manufactured on order at Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district); (4) applying pre-emergence weedicide immediately on moist soil; (5)leaving the field as such for three days and then applying water; (6) afterwards applying water after intervals of four to five days, (7) as the rains set in, water application can be reduced accordingly (On two occasions we did not apply any water for even 15 days); (8) applying post-emergence weedicide after three weeks; we applied nominee-gold, (8) the crop will need a bit liberal irrigation at the time of ear formation. We seeded the crop on the 10th of June. In my assessment seeding can be delayed even up to June 15 which will further save one or two irrigations and the period of growth gets nearer the onset of the monsoon. Since rice is a photo-sensitive and thermo-sensitive crop, late or early sown crops mature almost at the same time within a margin of one week to 10 days. In the adoption of this technique we faced no problem. Heavy dependence on casual labour was eliminated and the drudgery of work was alleviated almost completely. It is suggested that farmers may try this method on one acre this time to build confidence and make adjustments as per their experience for planting the crop with this method on larger scale next year. The university and researchers need to further experiment. The scope for improving water efficiency is there, yet it requires change in the mindset of researchers. An innovation-oriented approach is required both on the part of extension workers and farmers if worthwhile results are to be obtained and water saving technology and cultural practices are to be developed to save water and thereby save agriculture from the quagmire of stagnation. After all, savings on water, labour and financial costs as well as alleviating drudgery and improved yields are not a small
gain.
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Heart-breaking shipbreak When
I started residing in Chandigarh after a long spell at sea, I found myself in the neighbourhood of a businessman, Mr Ramnik Lal, from Bhavnagar (Gujarat). Experiences of a harbour life were a common topic whenever we met. Once he mentioned about his visits to the major shipbreaking activity being carried out in the subsidiary port of Alang close to Bhavnagar. I had been to Bhavnagar during my naval career but the latest regarding major shipbreaking work being undertaken along the Alang waterways made me curious. I had never seen massive old warships, passenger ships and cargo vessels being dismantled within days. Ramnik Lal noticing my curiosity invited me to join him during his next visit to Bhavnagar. We stayed at his place and proceeded to Alang waterway jetty early next morning. For me it was a revival of memories of long association with ships. Alongside the very long jetty I could see a passenger ferry, two empty cargo ships, one warship and two empty large oil tankers all lined up to be cut into pieces, loaded on trucks leaving for their inland destination and making room for more to arrive and take their turn. Normally all ships arriving at Alang dispose off their valuable portable items before arriving except those required for ship safety and firefighting. We came to know that one of the just docking Italian passenger ferry had the ship’s owner, Mr Joseph Sabatini, still on board to watch his beloved ship vanishing till end. He was not a professional sailor but was a good seaman having taken part in several regattas in the Adriatic Sea. His spacious owner’s cabin was immaculately adorned with a large painting of a three-masted scooner, a large ivory framed barometer, an artistically designed telescope and a rare quality carpet from Venice. He intended these items to be ferried back to his home in Italy. We stayed about five days at Bhavnagar and saw the ferry being dismantled cabin by cabin and bulkhead by bulkhead. Finally Mr Sabatini also left ship to watch his cabin items being packed ashore. He had a pot of pink rose flowers from his wife in his cabin to be placed on the last truck leaving the jetty. Now on the last day of the dismantling job at the jetty he was looking at the empty berth along with sweet memories with wet eyes knowing full well that his beloved ship now did not exist anymore. He looked back with vacant eyes just when he drove away from jetty. No doubt he loved his ship and he had found someone to share his feelings. After a month from his home near Venice he sent me a photograph taken during the launch of his passenger ferry years
ago!
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The people vs the president
Syria's
revolt against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad is turning into an armed insurrection, with previously peaceful demonstrators taking up arms to fight their own army and the "shabiha" - meaning "the ghosts" in English - of Alawi militiamen who have been killing and torturing those resisting the regime's rule. Even more serious for Assad's still-powerful supporters, there is growing evidence that individual Syrian soldiers are revolting against his forces. The whole edifice of Assad's Alawi dictatorship is now in the gravest of danger. In 1980, Assad's father,
Hafez, faced an armed uprising in the central city of Hama, which was put down by the Special Forces of Hafez's brother Rifaat - who is currently living, for the benefit of war crimes investigators, in central London - at a cost of up to 20,000 lives. But the armed revolt today is now spreading across all of Syria, a far-mightier crisis and one infinitely more difficult to suppress. No wonder Syrian state television has been showing the funerals of up to 120 members of the security services from just one location, the northern town of Jisr
al-Shughour. The beginning of the end March 16, 2011
Security forces break up a silent gathering in Marjeh square in Damascus of about 150 protesters who were holding pictures of imprisoned relatives and friends. The first evidence of civilians turning to weapons to defend their families came from Deraa, the city where the bloody story of the Syrian uprising first began after intelligence officers arrested and tortured to death a 13-year-old boy. Syrians arriving in Beirut told me the male citizens of Deraa had grown tired of following the example of peaceful Tunisian and Egyptian protesters - an understandable emotion since people in those countries suffered nothing like the brutal suppression meted out by Assad's soldiers and militiamen - and were now sometimes "shooting back" for the sake of "dignity" and to protect their wives and children. Bashar and his cynical brother Maher - the present-day equivalent of the outrageous Rifaat - may now be gambling on the old dictator's appeal that their regime must be defended against armed Islamists supported by al-Qa'ida, a lie which was perpetrated by Muammar Gaddafi and the now-exiled leaders Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen and Ben Ali of Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and the still-on-the-throne al-Khalifas of Bahrain. The few al-Qa'ida cells in the Arab world may wish this to be true, but the Arab revolt is about the one phenomenon in the Middle East uncontaminated by "Islamism". Only the Israelis and the Americans may be tempted to believe otherwise. Al Jazeera television aired extraordinary footage of a junior Syrian officer calling upon his comrades to refuse to continue massacring civilians in Syria. Identified as Lt Abdul-Razak Tlas, from the town of Rastan, he said he had joined the army "to fight the Israeli enemy", but found himself witnessing a massacre of his own people in the town of Sanamein. "After what we've seen from crimes in Deraa and all over Syria, I am unable to continue with the Syrian Arab army," he announced. "I urge the army, and I say: 'Is the army here to steal and to protect the Assad family?' I call upon all honourable officers to tell their soldiers about the real picture, use your conscience... if you are not honourable, stay with Assad." Differentiating rumour from fact in Syria is getting easier by the week. More Syrians are reaching the safety of Lebanon and Turkey to tell their individual stories of torture and cruelty in security police barracks and in plain-clothes police cells. Some are still using the telephone from Syria itself - to describe explosions in Jisr al-Shughour and of bodies being tossed into the river from which the town takes its name. For well over a month, I have been watching Syrian television's nightly news and at least half the broadcasts have included funerals of dead soldiers. Now Syria itself declares that 120 have been killed in one incident, an incredible loss for an army that was supposed to instill horror into the minds of the country's protesters. But then the supposedly invincible Syrian army often showed itself woefully unable to suppress Lebanese militias during the country's 1975-90 civil war. An entire battalion of Syrian Special Forces troops was driven out of east Beirut, for example, by a ragtag group of Christian militias who would have been crushed by any serious professional army. If you wish to destroy unarmed civilians, you shoot them down in the street and then shoot down the funeral mourners and then shoot down the mourners of the dead mourners - which is exactly what Assad's gunmen have been doing - but when the resistors shoot back, the Syrian army has shown a quite different response: torture for their prisoners and fear in the face of the enemy. But if the armed insurrection takes hold, then it is also the 11 per cent Alawi community - once the frontier force of the French mandate against the Sunnis and now the prop of Assad against the poorer Sunnis - which is at threat. So appalled is the Assad regime at its enemies that it has been encouraging Palestinians to try to cross the frontier wire on Israeli-occupied Golan. The Israelis say this is to divert world attention from the massacres in Syria - and they are absolutely right. The Damascus government's Tishrin newspaper has been suggesting that 600,000 Palestinians may soon try to "go home" to Palestine from which the Israelis drove them out in 1948, a nightmare the Israelis would prefer not to think about - but not as great a nightmare as that now facing the people and their oppressors in Syria itself. By arrangement with
The Independent
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PAST IMPERFECT, FUTURE TENSE In 1958 Syria united with Egypt to form the United Arab Republic. But this political marriage didn’t last long and they ended up splitting in 1961. In 1970, former Air Force Commander Hafez al-Assad (current President Bashar al-Assad’s father) seized power in a bloodless coup d’etat. Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria with the proverbial iron fist. His loyalists were promoted to high positions and anyone even remotely opposed to him, was removed from power and in many instances jailed. There were hopes for peace and democracy when President Bashar al-Assad came to power in 2000, following the death of his father Hafez al-Assad. President Bashar, more modern and western than his father was seen by many in the West as a successor who may reverse the course the history. He had made gestures towards the Lebanese, the Turks and the Israelis for peace. He had talked about modernising Syria. He had also talked about political reform. In the end he talked more and delivered less. President Bashar’s rise to power was somewhat accidental, as it was his older brother - Basil al-Assad - who was the likely heir and was being groomed to one day succeed their father. But in 1994, Basil was killed in a car accident and Bashar’s fortune changed forever. Bashar is an Ophthalmologist by training and was in London at the time of his brother’s death. Upon his brother’s death, he left London, returned home and joined the military to train for the family business - governing Syria. Interestingly, at the time of his father’s death Bashar was only 34-year-old, and as such ineligible to preside over the country since the minimum age for the President per constitution at that time was 40. But the Syrian constitution was promptly amended with a new minimum age of 34 for President, thus paving way for his nomination by the Ba’ath party. Unlike neighboring Jordan, Syria is not a constitutional monarchy, nor is any member (living or dead) of the al-Assad family officially a monarch. Constitutionally Syria is a republic - a single party secular state - or in other words an autocracy. Each term for Presidency is for seven years and there are no limits on the number of terms. President is appointed by what is called a popular referendum. Last time President Bashar al-Assad was appointed as the President (for his second seven-year term) in May 2007, he received a whopping 97.6% of votes.
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