Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages holds a symposium
Kashmiri Writers Conference adopts five point resolutions
Rajouri: A five point resolution was passed during concluding day proceedings of two day State Level Kashmiri Writers Conference organized by Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages held here at Dak Banglow Rajouri.
The Kashmiri writers fraternity unanimously adopted the resolutions which includes , Opening of Kashmiri Department with a Chair in the memory of Eminent Poet Rasa Javeedani at University of Jammu, Creation of posts of Lecturers for Kashmiri language in Higher Secondary schools and Degree Colleges of Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Kishtwar and other Kashmiri speaking districts of Jammu region, Introduction of Kashmiri Language in Kashmiri speaking areas of Jammu region at School level and providing due share of "time slot" to Kashmiri language on electronic media including Radio Kashmir Jammu, AIR Poonch and Badherwah, DDK Jammu as per the population ratio.
More than 200 Kashmiri Writers , Scholars, Poets and Intellectual who participated in the event passed these resolutions with one voice. The resolutions were mooted by eminent Kashmiri Writer Prof. Marghoob Banhali, former Head of Kashmiri department, Kashmir University.
Zaffar Iqbal Khan in his address said that Academy is going to hold a two day Dogri Conference in the coming month at Jammu and Pahari and Gojri State level Conference will be held in February month of next year. He urged the writer community of the state to come forward and help the Academy in its endvour.
The second day proceedings of the conference were started with paper reading session. Prominent Writer and former head of Urdu department of Kashmir University Prof. Zaman Azourda presided over the session while Bashir Badherwahi and Manshoor Banhali readout their papers on various aspects of Kashmiri Literature.Those who participated in the discussiuon includes, Farooq Nazki, Aziz Hajni, G RHasrat Gadda,Shahnaz Rashid, Brij Halli, Payaree Hatash and others
Earlier on Saturday, 2-day Kashmiri writers conference began here today. Gyan-Peeth awardee and noted scholar of Kashmiri, Prof. Rehman Rahi presided over the inaugural session.
Addressing on the occasion, Prof. Rahi expressed optimism about the future of Kashmiri language, saying the new generation is increasingly feeling the importance and role of the language in the preservation of culture and identity of Kashmiri people. This feeling, he said has helped to produce committed young poets, literatures and artists who promise bright future in the times to come.
Prof. Rahi said that the language pioneered by great saints like Lal Ded and Sheikh-ul-Allam by their original thought and wisdom is bound to flourish in all ages and times. He said the contemporary writers are also contributing in promotion and evolution of the language. He said no language could be effective alternative in communicating feelings or propagating ideals and values to Kashmiri people other than their mother tongue.
He praised the Academy for promoting Kashmir language by organizing periodic literary programmes across the state.
In his welcome Address, Secretary Academy of Art, Culture and languages, Mr. Zafar Iqbal Manhas dwelt on the importance of organizing Kashmiri conference in Rajouri district. He said the language is highly rich in humanistic philosophy and values that need to be promoted in the interest of states composite culture, social and literary development.
Zafer called for launching a literary movement to convenience the young to be well versed in their mother tongue, which he listed as a big challenge. He said a proper system needs to be put in place for the purpose. He said creative contemporary writers in the language like Prof. Rahi would surely guide in language promotion measures.
Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Mumbai Tragedy
Shuhab sees ripple effects of the Mumbai tragedy affecting Kashmir and beyond
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Mumbai: Tremors may travel far and wide
India is facing a high scale threat to its security as is evident from the ongoing terror attack in Mumbai. This is for the second time that such a horrific situation is developing in India with this apparently well planned and meticulous operation which was targeted not only at the elite class in the financial nerve centre of the country but also the foreigners especially those from US, UK and Israel. It is a different and unique strike in many ways from the previous ones, either short-lived fidayeen (suicide squad) attacks or planting the high caliber explosives at train stations or crowded places. In this particular attack nearly 150 people including many foreigners have been killed and thwe number is likely to go further up.
How the developments will unfold in the coming days is not clearly known though the Government of India may be forced to think of a new anti terror mechanism, more stringent and harsh. The legal framework to counter terrorism may be scanned once more to make some fresh inclusions akin to things like POTA which was withdrawn by the present government after coming to power and the security set up may also witness some radical changes. Upgradation of security mechanism to prevent such high volt attacks is also likely. But the most significant fallout of this strike may be the relations between India and Pakistan. These relations, though always on a cliff, had witnessed some kind of positive change in the past few months, especially after the democratically elected government returned to power in Pakistan. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s renewed peace overtures in the recent weeks had also added to the optimism, though caution would accompany it on both sides of the divide.
However, as the coincidence would be Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was on a visit to Delhi to boost these ties when the terror struck Mumbai. He must have been caught on a wrong foot after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his address to nation made a pointed reference towards external hand in these attacks; and the kind of context that had developed over many years behind this ‘external’ hand is all too obvious. It was further complicated when Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee directly asked Pakistan to control the instruments of terrorism as assured by it in the past. Mukherjee went on to say that prima facie it was found that some elements in Pakistan were responsible for these strikes. Indian authorities also pointed out that two merchant ships were used for carrying out the attack.
Islamabad has no doubt denied any involvement in the attack but security experts in India insist that it was not necessary that establishment would be directly involved, but involvement of some sections in its intelligence agencies cannot be ruled out. New Delhi is repeatedly pointing towards Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group operating in Kashmir, and maintaining that it was actively supported by Pakistan. This is the only link New Delhi is pointing towards to “prove Pakistan connection”, in this entire scheme of terror. But Lashkar too has, in unambiguous terms, denied its involvement in the terror attack. Interestingly this time the responsibility has been owned by Deccan Mujahideen, a hitherto unknown militant outfit. Earlier inclusion into the plethora of terror organizations, Indian Mujahideen, that surfaced in the wake of blasts, which hit some of the Indian cities, still remains unknown. Now we have Deccan Mujahideen; and the matter becoming more and more complicated. Now whichever way the investigations might go, things have received a jolt with the killing of Anti Terrorist Squad chief and two others who would have been beneficial in tracking the new links and connecting them with the previous ones.
Mehmood Qureshi’s offer to co-operate in the joint investigations is a welcome sign but is India really willing to do that at a time when it is in real shock, and thinking on taking some radical initiative to counter the terror, remains to be seen. Investigations apart, if the reports about involvement of Al Qaeda are found true then it certainly shows that this international terror network is nudging its way onto the Indian soil. And this will have far reaching and dangerous consequences for the region. The way those involved in this terror attack were looking for the US, UK and Israeli citizens and the Jewish Centre being on its map of activity, lends credence to the apprehensions of their linkage with the International network. Here it may be pertinent to mention that Pakistan too is facing the worst kind of terror, and two months back The Marriot in Islamabad, its centre point for tourism, was turned into the target of action by terrorists and scores were killed. Internal extremism allied with Taliban on Pakistan borders is eating into the very vitals of Pakistan and the country is not in a position to control them. Its assurances to India on not allowing its territory for use against India does not hold much water in view of the changing dynamics of terror politics in the region.
To what extent these guesses could turn out to be real is a separate subject, but both India and Pakistan seem to have covered a fair distance on their path to remove mistrust and suspicion. From Kashmir to other vital issues, both the governments were making a good progress. But analysts who have been discussing the aftermath of Mumbai terror are of the opinion that situation may lead to one that existed after December 13 attack on Indian parliament. Both countries were at the brink of war and only after United States’ intervention it was averted. But given the political pressure Manmohan Singh is under, within the country, to counter the terror may force India to think on the lines on which the then A B Vajpayee government did following the parliament attack. In this situation if both countries go back to the era of complete mistrust it will worsen the situation in the region. The peace process, though not moving ahead with the same pace as it was a year back, will derail with all its benefits down the drain. And apart from all other issues Kashmir will again become the victim of this decades old mistrust.
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Mumbai: Tremors may travel far and wide
India is facing a high scale threat to its security as is evident from the ongoing terror attack in Mumbai. This is for the second time that such a horrific situation is developing in India with this apparently well planned and meticulous operation which was targeted not only at the elite class in the financial nerve centre of the country but also the foreigners especially those from US, UK and Israel. It is a different and unique strike in many ways from the previous ones, either short-lived fidayeen (suicide squad) attacks or planting the high caliber explosives at train stations or crowded places. In this particular attack nearly 150 people including many foreigners have been killed and thwe number is likely to go further up.
How the developments will unfold in the coming days is not clearly known though the Government of India may be forced to think of a new anti terror mechanism, more stringent and harsh. The legal framework to counter terrorism may be scanned once more to make some fresh inclusions akin to things like POTA which was withdrawn by the present government after coming to power and the security set up may also witness some radical changes. Upgradation of security mechanism to prevent such high volt attacks is also likely. But the most significant fallout of this strike may be the relations between India and Pakistan. These relations, though always on a cliff, had witnessed some kind of positive change in the past few months, especially after the democratically elected government returned to power in Pakistan. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s renewed peace overtures in the recent weeks had also added to the optimism, though caution would accompany it on both sides of the divide.
However, as the coincidence would be Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was on a visit to Delhi to boost these ties when the terror struck Mumbai. He must have been caught on a wrong foot after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his address to nation made a pointed reference towards external hand in these attacks; and the kind of context that had developed over many years behind this ‘external’ hand is all too obvious. It was further complicated when Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee directly asked Pakistan to control the instruments of terrorism as assured by it in the past. Mukherjee went on to say that prima facie it was found that some elements in Pakistan were responsible for these strikes. Indian authorities also pointed out that two merchant ships were used for carrying out the attack.
Islamabad has no doubt denied any involvement in the attack but security experts in India insist that it was not necessary that establishment would be directly involved, but involvement of some sections in its intelligence agencies cannot be ruled out. New Delhi is repeatedly pointing towards Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant group operating in Kashmir, and maintaining that it was actively supported by Pakistan. This is the only link New Delhi is pointing towards to “prove Pakistan connection”, in this entire scheme of terror. But Lashkar too has, in unambiguous terms, denied its involvement in the terror attack. Interestingly this time the responsibility has been owned by Deccan Mujahideen, a hitherto unknown militant outfit. Earlier inclusion into the plethora of terror organizations, Indian Mujahideen, that surfaced in the wake of blasts, which hit some of the Indian cities, still remains unknown. Now we have Deccan Mujahideen; and the matter becoming more and more complicated. Now whichever way the investigations might go, things have received a jolt with the killing of Anti Terrorist Squad chief and two others who would have been beneficial in tracking the new links and connecting them with the previous ones.
Mehmood Qureshi’s offer to co-operate in the joint investigations is a welcome sign but is India really willing to do that at a time when it is in real shock, and thinking on taking some radical initiative to counter the terror, remains to be seen. Investigations apart, if the reports about involvement of Al Qaeda are found true then it certainly shows that this international terror network is nudging its way onto the Indian soil. And this will have far reaching and dangerous consequences for the region. The way those involved in this terror attack were looking for the US, UK and Israeli citizens and the Jewish Centre being on its map of activity, lends credence to the apprehensions of their linkage with the International network. Here it may be pertinent to mention that Pakistan too is facing the worst kind of terror, and two months back The Marriot in Islamabad, its centre point for tourism, was turned into the target of action by terrorists and scores were killed. Internal extremism allied with Taliban on Pakistan borders is eating into the very vitals of Pakistan and the country is not in a position to control them. Its assurances to India on not allowing its territory for use against India does not hold much water in view of the changing dynamics of terror politics in the region.
To what extent these guesses could turn out to be real is a separate subject, but both India and Pakistan seem to have covered a fair distance on their path to remove mistrust and suspicion. From Kashmir to other vital issues, both the governments were making a good progress. But analysts who have been discussing the aftermath of Mumbai terror are of the opinion that situation may lead to one that existed after December 13 attack on Indian parliament. Both countries were at the brink of war and only after United States’ intervention it was averted. But given the political pressure Manmohan Singh is under, within the country, to counter the terror may force India to think on the lines on which the then A B Vajpayee government did following the parliament attack. In this situation if both countries go back to the era of complete mistrust it will worsen the situation in the region. The peace process, though not moving ahead with the same pace as it was a year back, will derail with all its benefits down the drain. And apart from all other issues Kashmir will again become the victim of this decades old mistrust.
Politics by Deceit
Arjimand highlights how Naukri Politics fails to deliver everytime
(Mr. Arjimand Hussain Talib, 33, is from Srinagar and matriculated from Tyndale Biscoe Memorial School in 1991. He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Bangalore University. He is also an alumni of the International Academy for Leadership, Gummerbach, Germany. Arjimand writes regular weekly columns for the Greater Kashmir and The Kashmir Times since 2000 on diverse issues of political economy, development, environment and social change and has over 450 published articles to his credit. His forthcoming book: "Confronting the Myths: A Critical Analysis of the Political Economy of Jammu & Kashmir" will be published soon.)
Election manifestos promise jobs. There're reasons why they can't
There is a common streak, something of hogwash, to all the election manifestoes released by various political parties in J&K - all of them sell the dreams of jobs. What is striking is that none of the manifestoes speak of employment generation with a realistic vision. Sadly, all are drafted to mislead.
National Conference has taken the same old beaten track – government jobs, mainly in police. Its leader, Omar Abdullah, has 'promised' to lower the educational eligibility in police recruitments. He also 'promised' his party would fill all vacant positions in government and create many new jobs. On the other hand, though muted, one the main electoral USPs of PDP is government employment. The ideas this party had circulated in its Youth Policy seem little lost.
Congress is talking bigger. Its local chief, Saif-ud-din Soz, while talking to media persons at Lolab on Saturday, said, if voted to power his party would usher in 'unprecedented development' and create massive jobs in the State. He further said that 'it was only the Congress Party that had the potential to make it big for the people in the State.'
Then there are smaller parties - which are basically village-based in origin – that are talking moon on jobs. One such party, Democratic Party (Nationalist) of Tangmarg, has made a meteoric promise: the party would work out a Rs 20,000 crore plan to create jobs in the State, if voted to power.
Politicians selling dreams in the run up to elections is nothing new or novel. Promises of jobs are also normal. Ironically, in J&K's context, these promises signify a deep rooted malaise – a legacy of political thinking which is narrow and lack economic logic. And this thinking is what is basically at the heart of the political troubles which this state is faced with. This malaise signifies the inability of these political parties to create a political system which could help create a direct linkage between job creation and economic well being based on self reliance rather than chronic dependency.
I casually talked to hundreds of educated youth in rural Kashmir during the last one month and asked about their vision of jobs and the reason they were voting. The answers were by and large similar: an elected political system could give them employment in government since they have no alternatives. Most of the youth today, mainly in rural Kashmir, have only one hope with the current elections: it may get them government jobs.
So where would all the new jobs come from?
The coming days will leave the new government with no option but to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. That would mean an additional financial burden of at least Rs 1000 crore annually. In other words, our annual salary bill will be around Rs 5389 crore. Those who know the state of J&K's public finances know it well that this additional burden will leave the State government with little or no elbow room to create further jobs in the government or fill up the vacant posts. Let us don't forget J&K government has made a commitment to the government of India to keep its salary bill at a certain level, which it cannot afford to raise.
When we look at the State's tax revenues, it is obvious that the targets for this year won't be achieved due to the overall economic slowdown. And let us make no mistakes about government of India's willingness to fund this additional burden of this State. India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, both, while downplaying the fears of a major slowdown in the country's economic growth, have said that the overall growth during this year is likely to be around 6-8 per cent. Looking at the current global situation this growth rate is not bad. What is certain, however, is that India's overall tax revenues would be far less than projected earlier. And this revenue deficit is very likely to happen both at the State and the Central levels. In other words, already hard pressed for the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the central government will have nothing to spare this year.
Jobs are surely handy in police and other security systems because of our booming conflict economy. That we are already an overly police state is no secret. Political parties have always used the tactic of recruiting police personnel amongst certain political pockets and minority ethnic denominations in J&K to get votes. This approach creates social tensions and breeds inter-ethnic and inter-communal divisions. Though politically correct in a narrow sense, this approach is a zero sum game.
Politicians in J&K have always relied on public expenditure to create both short and long term non productive jobs. And that is where the trap lies. Public expenditure, in turn, has been overly import-oriented, creating little jobs and tax revenues.
In situations where sub-national entities like ours have certain degree of political autonomy to influence macroeconomic policies, obviously, raising salaries has its own merits. Bigger salaries mean greater consumption, production, jobs and of course greater savings. And greater savings naturally mean lower interest rates and greater investment. This is a kind of cycle which works naturally in sovereign political entities which have considerable local demand and production. In J&K's case demand is surely there but internal production is quite low. So greater demand does not naturally translate into greater jobs.
There are no reliable figures to tell us how many unemployed and under employed people we have. But one thing is certain: rural agrarian economy is not able to provide sustained livelihoods. Rural unemployment is aggravating urban unemployment. Our education system does not help in producing marketable human resources. The prevailing political system does not have the power to influence the macroeconomics to create real, productive jobs.
This irony is exasperated by the fact that the recently created rural colleges are creating undue and wrong hopes. These colleges are dogged by a highly mediocre teaching system. They lack infrastructure and quality teaching staff. So the products of these colleges would end up taking jobs in police or other non productive government jobs, mainly for teaching.
We have now become a cynical economic system which produces teachers to produce the next generation of teachers. Economic value addition and revenue generation are both very limited. An economic system which is highly consumptive but overly import-based will always lack the capacity to create jobs and generate revenue.
T
he biggest irony in J&K is that the political parties here which claim to work for the wellbeing of the people that they lack a vision in creating such political conditions which could create an economic model creating productive jobs and revenue for the state. So the promises of employment in election manifestoes can't be anything but lies.
(Mr. Arjimand Hussain Talib, 33, is from Srinagar and matriculated from Tyndale Biscoe Memorial School in 1991. He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Bangalore University. He is also an alumni of the International Academy for Leadership, Gummerbach, Germany. Arjimand writes regular weekly columns for the Greater Kashmir and The Kashmir Times since 2000 on diverse issues of political economy, development, environment and social change and has over 450 published articles to his credit. His forthcoming book: "Confronting the Myths: A Critical Analysis of the Political Economy of Jammu & Kashmir" will be published soon.)
Election manifestos promise jobs. There're reasons why they can't
There is a common streak, something of hogwash, to all the election manifestoes released by various political parties in J&K - all of them sell the dreams of jobs. What is striking is that none of the manifestoes speak of employment generation with a realistic vision. Sadly, all are drafted to mislead.
National Conference has taken the same old beaten track – government jobs, mainly in police. Its leader, Omar Abdullah, has 'promised' to lower the educational eligibility in police recruitments. He also 'promised' his party would fill all vacant positions in government and create many new jobs. On the other hand, though muted, one the main electoral USPs of PDP is government employment. The ideas this party had circulated in its Youth Policy seem little lost.
Congress is talking bigger. Its local chief, Saif-ud-din Soz, while talking to media persons at Lolab on Saturday, said, if voted to power his party would usher in 'unprecedented development' and create massive jobs in the State. He further said that 'it was only the Congress Party that had the potential to make it big for the people in the State.'
Then there are smaller parties - which are basically village-based in origin – that are talking moon on jobs. One such party, Democratic Party (Nationalist) of Tangmarg, has made a meteoric promise: the party would work out a Rs 20,000 crore plan to create jobs in the State, if voted to power.
Politicians selling dreams in the run up to elections is nothing new or novel. Promises of jobs are also normal. Ironically, in J&K's context, these promises signify a deep rooted malaise – a legacy of political thinking which is narrow and lack economic logic. And this thinking is what is basically at the heart of the political troubles which this state is faced with. This malaise signifies the inability of these political parties to create a political system which could help create a direct linkage between job creation and economic well being based on self reliance rather than chronic dependency.
I casually talked to hundreds of educated youth in rural Kashmir during the last one month and asked about their vision of jobs and the reason they were voting. The answers were by and large similar: an elected political system could give them employment in government since they have no alternatives. Most of the youth today, mainly in rural Kashmir, have only one hope with the current elections: it may get them government jobs.
So where would all the new jobs come from?
The coming days will leave the new government with no option but to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. That would mean an additional financial burden of at least Rs 1000 crore annually. In other words, our annual salary bill will be around Rs 5389 crore. Those who know the state of J&K's public finances know it well that this additional burden will leave the State government with little or no elbow room to create further jobs in the government or fill up the vacant posts. Let us don't forget J&K government has made a commitment to the government of India to keep its salary bill at a certain level, which it cannot afford to raise.
When we look at the State's tax revenues, it is obvious that the targets for this year won't be achieved due to the overall economic slowdown. And let us make no mistakes about government of India's willingness to fund this additional burden of this State. India's Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister, P Chidambaram, both, while downplaying the fears of a major slowdown in the country's economic growth, have said that the overall growth during this year is likely to be around 6-8 per cent. Looking at the current global situation this growth rate is not bad. What is certain, however, is that India's overall tax revenues would be far less than projected earlier. And this revenue deficit is very likely to happen both at the State and the Central levels. In other words, already hard pressed for the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, the central government will have nothing to spare this year.
Jobs are surely handy in police and other security systems because of our booming conflict economy. That we are already an overly police state is no secret. Political parties have always used the tactic of recruiting police personnel amongst certain political pockets and minority ethnic denominations in J&K to get votes. This approach creates social tensions and breeds inter-ethnic and inter-communal divisions. Though politically correct in a narrow sense, this approach is a zero sum game.
Politicians in J&K have always relied on public expenditure to create both short and long term non productive jobs. And that is where the trap lies. Public expenditure, in turn, has been overly import-oriented, creating little jobs and tax revenues.
In situations where sub-national entities like ours have certain degree of political autonomy to influence macroeconomic policies, obviously, raising salaries has its own merits. Bigger salaries mean greater consumption, production, jobs and of course greater savings. And greater savings naturally mean lower interest rates and greater investment. This is a kind of cycle which works naturally in sovereign political entities which have considerable local demand and production. In J&K's case demand is surely there but internal production is quite low. So greater demand does not naturally translate into greater jobs.
There are no reliable figures to tell us how many unemployed and under employed people we have. But one thing is certain: rural agrarian economy is not able to provide sustained livelihoods. Rural unemployment is aggravating urban unemployment. Our education system does not help in producing marketable human resources. The prevailing political system does not have the power to influence the macroeconomics to create real, productive jobs.
This irony is exasperated by the fact that the recently created rural colleges are creating undue and wrong hopes. These colleges are dogged by a highly mediocre teaching system. They lack infrastructure and quality teaching staff. So the products of these colleges would end up taking jobs in police or other non productive government jobs, mainly for teaching.
We have now become a cynical economic system which produces teachers to produce the next generation of teachers. Economic value addition and revenue generation are both very limited. An economic system which is highly consumptive but overly import-based will always lack the capacity to create jobs and generate revenue.
T
he biggest irony in J&K is that the political parties here which claim to work for the wellbeing of the people that they lack a vision in creating such political conditions which could create an economic model creating productive jobs and revenue for the state. So the promises of employment in election manifestoes can't be anything but lies.
Can a Nation be Built by Citizens Lacking Character and Credibility?
Sajjad bares open the cupboard hiding Kashmiri traits
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
Gossip mongering, exaggeration and sycophancy
Healthy voting percentage in two phases of assembly elections, so far, is nothing but an exhibition of typical Kashmiri trait. The separatist groups deserve to be in a state of shock. Their election-boycott call seems to have been receiving a tough resistance and almost overpowered by 'boycott the election-boycott' call. Interestingly, the shut down calls on election day are being more strictly ensured from the government side and very less from the separatist cadres.
Before venturing into the typical Kashmiri traits, we have some interesting figures regarding of shutdowns where Kashmir has created its own history in this aspect too. After the eruption of armed resistance movement in 1989, shutdown calls have been so frequent that the valley witnessed loss of over 1500 working days in almost two decades of turmoil. Official figures suggest that in 1991, Kashmir witnessed. However, the number of strike calls came down and was recorded as low as 18 in 2005. But the year 2008 is going to beat the previous record, as shutdowns have been very frequent at the fag end of the year.
Even the neutral observers world over have lost their art of analysis in discussing Kashmir imbroglio, when they saw the footage of Kashmiris this time thronging the polling booths in large numbers. Basically, tremendous fall out of events since the fall of Congress-PDP coalition government over Amarnath land row have left people in dilemma. It was public consciousness in India, which received a rude shock when mass demonstrations erupted first in the entire state. For a public fed with accounts of a peace process, talks with separatists and a declining trend in militancy related incidents, this return to a 1989-like situation was unexpected enough to be incomprehensible. Some political commentators pessimistically at that time had suggested India 'to let Kashmir go'.
Our state is full of special breed of people who resort to a discourse on religious and political happenings just trying to keep themselves in limelight. They breathe fire in their discourses but have different tones at different places. They speak anti-establishment and anti-India locally, but leave no stone unturned to project themselves as Indian patriots when they move out of their home territory.
In other words, Kashmiri leaders speak the same thing in three different manners. One is for the local audience where they whip Government of India for each and every ill making life of the state subjects miserable. As soon as leaders cross the Banihal Pass to enter the Jammu region, their center-bashing mood faints while in Delhi Darbar and even do not lag behind each other in praising the Government of India leaders' stand Kashmir. Precisely, whether it is the issue of freedom, secularism, autonomy or democracy, Kashmiri leaders have mastered the art of adopting different postures at different times or at different places.
True, we cannot generalize a particular community or class of people as far as the traits in their character are concerned, but Kashmiris by and large, are fond of mongering gossip, exaggeration and sycophancy. An overview of history reveals that Kashmiris have left no stone unturned to give a grand reception to Jawaharlal Nehru (architect of 'Kashmir's accession' to India), Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and the like. Memorable welcome given to Bulganin and Khrushchev - Soviet leaders - during their visit to Srinagar in 1955 is till fresh in the minds of the people.
Most of them continue to be skillful in speaking with two voices. They know when to act as secular and communal, democratic and dictatorial, and pro-India as well as pro-Pakistan. The underlying motivation is lust for power. They swear by the principles of Indian democracy, style of socialism and secularism when allowed by the Government of India to rule the state in their own style. But take U-turn whenever the Central government questions their authority. Then they lose no time to call the Kashmir's accession to the union of India as temporary.
It is also a hard fact that Kashmiris have reacted differently at different times and that too en-masse. Their total alienation from one leader or the other has always been periodic. There is a famous saying of Ghulam Mohammad Bakshi, which describes a common Kashmir trait. Once at a press conference in 1958, addressed by Bakshi, a foreign newsman shot a straight question, "Mr. Bakshi, how many people are with you?" Without batting an eyelid, Bakshi replied, "Forty lakhs." The newsman retorted, "But that is the total population of the State." "Yes, I know," said Bakshi. "Do you mean that the Sheikh does not have any following at all in the State?" asked the newsman. "No, I did not say so," was the cool reply from Bakshi who added, "Sheikh sahib commands a following of forty lakhs." "But how?" the newsman threw up his arms. Eruditely, Bakshi calmed the newsman down and said, "Even Sadiq sahib has a following of forty lakhs."
The newsman was at a loss to understand this jugglery of figures and his confusion was worse confounded. He was not aware of the trait in the character of the Kashmiri who does not believe in annoying anyone, particularly those who are in power or are in waiting. The same population turned against Bakshi during the Moe-i-Muqaddas crisis, which surfaced in Srinagar on December 27, 1963.
Now, the point is that Kashmiris have so grown in this state of uncertainty, that they have started to accept it as part of their lives. Today, death of a near one doesn't come as a shocking surprise to him. I remember, when it all started back in 90s', a death of a youth was mourned by all. The grief was so deep, that it could loom on for weeks together. But nothing of such sort happens now, because Kashmiris have accepted it as part of their life.
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
Gossip mongering, exaggeration and sycophancy
Healthy voting percentage in two phases of assembly elections, so far, is nothing but an exhibition of typical Kashmiri trait. The separatist groups deserve to be in a state of shock. Their election-boycott call seems to have been receiving a tough resistance and almost overpowered by 'boycott the election-boycott' call. Interestingly, the shut down calls on election day are being more strictly ensured from the government side and very less from the separatist cadres.
Before venturing into the typical Kashmiri traits, we have some interesting figures regarding of shutdowns where Kashmir has created its own history in this aspect too. After the eruption of armed resistance movement in 1989, shutdown calls have been so frequent that the valley witnessed loss of over 1500 working days in almost two decades of turmoil. Official figures suggest that in 1991, Kashmir witnessed. However, the number of strike calls came down and was recorded as low as 18 in 2005. But the year 2008 is going to beat the previous record, as shutdowns have been very frequent at the fag end of the year.
Even the neutral observers world over have lost their art of analysis in discussing Kashmir imbroglio, when they saw the footage of Kashmiris this time thronging the polling booths in large numbers. Basically, tremendous fall out of events since the fall of Congress-PDP coalition government over Amarnath land row have left people in dilemma. It was public consciousness in India, which received a rude shock when mass demonstrations erupted first in the entire state. For a public fed with accounts of a peace process, talks with separatists and a declining trend in militancy related incidents, this return to a 1989-like situation was unexpected enough to be incomprehensible. Some political commentators pessimistically at that time had suggested India 'to let Kashmir go'.
Our state is full of special breed of people who resort to a discourse on religious and political happenings just trying to keep themselves in limelight. They breathe fire in their discourses but have different tones at different places. They speak anti-establishment and anti-India locally, but leave no stone unturned to project themselves as Indian patriots when they move out of their home territory.
In other words, Kashmiri leaders speak the same thing in three different manners. One is for the local audience where they whip Government of India for each and every ill making life of the state subjects miserable. As soon as leaders cross the Banihal Pass to enter the Jammu region, their center-bashing mood faints while in Delhi Darbar and even do not lag behind each other in praising the Government of India leaders' stand Kashmir. Precisely, whether it is the issue of freedom, secularism, autonomy or democracy, Kashmiri leaders have mastered the art of adopting different postures at different times or at different places.
True, we cannot generalize a particular community or class of people as far as the traits in their character are concerned, but Kashmiris by and large, are fond of mongering gossip, exaggeration and sycophancy. An overview of history reveals that Kashmiris have left no stone unturned to give a grand reception to Jawaharlal Nehru (architect of 'Kashmir's accession' to India), Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and the like. Memorable welcome given to Bulganin and Khrushchev - Soviet leaders - during their visit to Srinagar in 1955 is till fresh in the minds of the people.
Most of them continue to be skillful in speaking with two voices. They know when to act as secular and communal, democratic and dictatorial, and pro-India as well as pro-Pakistan. The underlying motivation is lust for power. They swear by the principles of Indian democracy, style of socialism and secularism when allowed by the Government of India to rule the state in their own style. But take U-turn whenever the Central government questions their authority. Then they lose no time to call the Kashmir's accession to the union of India as temporary.
It is also a hard fact that Kashmiris have reacted differently at different times and that too en-masse. Their total alienation from one leader or the other has always been periodic. There is a famous saying of Ghulam Mohammad Bakshi, which describes a common Kashmir trait. Once at a press conference in 1958, addressed by Bakshi, a foreign newsman shot a straight question, "Mr. Bakshi, how many people are with you?" Without batting an eyelid, Bakshi replied, "Forty lakhs." The newsman retorted, "But that is the total population of the State." "Yes, I know," said Bakshi. "Do you mean that the Sheikh does not have any following at all in the State?" asked the newsman. "No, I did not say so," was the cool reply from Bakshi who added, "Sheikh sahib commands a following of forty lakhs." "But how?" the newsman threw up his arms. Eruditely, Bakshi calmed the newsman down and said, "Even Sadiq sahib has a following of forty lakhs."
The newsman was at a loss to understand this jugglery of figures and his confusion was worse confounded. He was not aware of the trait in the character of the Kashmiri who does not believe in annoying anyone, particularly those who are in power or are in waiting. The same population turned against Bakshi during the Moe-i-Muqaddas crisis, which surfaced in Srinagar on December 27, 1963.
Now, the point is that Kashmiris have so grown in this state of uncertainty, that they have started to accept it as part of their lives. Today, death of a near one doesn't come as a shocking surprise to him. I remember, when it all started back in 90s', a death of a youth was mourned by all. The grief was so deep, that it could loom on for weeks together. But nothing of such sort happens now, because Kashmiris have accepted it as part of their life.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Can Endless "Chalo" Calls Constitute a Vision for the Future?
Rekha assesses reasons behind the surprising high participation in recent polling
(Prof. Rekha Chowdhary, 55, was born in Jammu and has been a university teacher for the past 30 years. She is currently the Professor of Political Science, University of Jammu. During her distinguished teaching career, she was the visiting Fellow under a Ford Foundation grant at the Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford, in 1992-1993; winner of the Commonwealth Award availed at the University of Oxford, 1997-1998; and the Fulbright Fellow availed at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, in 2005.)
The riddle of the Valley
The electoral response in the Kashmir valley during the first two phases of assembly elections has surprised many. The political environment that prevailed here during the last few months did not have much space for electoral mobilisation. The ascendancy of separatist politics during the Amarnath land agitation had given the impression that the electoral space had shrunk again to the level of early period of militancy when electoral politics was totally rejected. The reference point was the 1989 parliamentary elections, when the voter turnout of around five per cent had rendered the whole exercise farcical, or the 1996 assembly elections which due to lack of legitimate political space, had to be conducted under the shadow of the gun (not only of the security forces but also of the surrendered militants). The boycott call by the separatists this time, therefore, seemed to carry a lot of weight. Given the massive protests and the mood of people as it was reflected on the streets of the Valley during the last few months, it appeared as if not much effort was required to convince voters to boycott elections, it would be voluntary!
What is significant about the electoral response so far is not that people came out in large numbers to vote (not only in peripheral areas like Gurez where separatist politics did not have much appeal but also in areas like Bandipora, which saw massive protests during the land agitation) but the enthusiasm which they showed in their act of voting. Everywhere, it was the same sight — large queues of people braving the winter chill. There were no allegations of coercion or security presence. One could clearly see that the boycott call by the separatists had failed.
How does one explain this shifting response? The same people who endorsed the expanding space for electoral politics by attending massive rallies organised by the political parties before June this year, had gone into a different mode of azadi politics during the last four months or so; now, once again, they legitimised the electoral space through their voluntary participation.
Certainly there is a sense of discretion and prudence that is reflected in the popular response. One can read a lot in the way the common Kashmiris are responding — there is a continued sense of alienation and anger against the Indian state, and yet there is an urge to move forward. While the first response perpetuates the separatism, the latter urge leads them to clutch at any opportunity that will take them out of their stalemate. They have come a long way away from the early militancy period when they believed that azadi was around the corner. Disillusioned by armed militancy and violence, they have responded positively not only to the peace process but also to the politics of ‘governance’ — a label assigned to mainstream politics to emphasise its difference from the separatist politics aimed at “the ultimate resolution of Kashmir problem”. The parallel existence of the two kinds of politics is so commonly understood and accepted in Kashmir that one can see its reflection in the political discourse of both mainstream and separatist leaders on the one hand, and the political phraseology used by the masses on the other.
The separatists’ boycott is thus out of sync, and does not reflect the popular urge for forward movement. It was the same urge to move on that helped separatists mobilise people during the land agitation. It is a common understanding that, more than the land, it was the accumulated feeling that the fundamental issues were not being addressed and the Kashmiris were not being engaged that brought people to the streets. It is the same feeling that is making people reject the boycott. With endless ‘chalo’ calls (Muzzafarabad chalo, Lal Chowk chalo etc.), no vision for the future, and most importantly, with nothing to offer to take people out of the impasse, the separatist leadership is as much in question as the government of India is.
For the Delhi government, it is important to put the electoral response in a proper perspective and to learn from the developments that have taken place in Kashmir since June this year. The rejection of the boycott call is not a rejection of separatist sentiment, nor it is, in the least, an endorsement of the Centre’s approach vis-à-vis Kashmir. Separatism will remain intact, good electoral response notwithstanding. It is important to address basic grievances, and the bare minimum required is greater momentum in the peace process and minimum tolerance for human rights violations.
(Prof. Rekha Chowdhary, 55, was born in Jammu and has been a university teacher for the past 30 years. She is currently the Professor of Political Science, University of Jammu. During her distinguished teaching career, she was the visiting Fellow under a Ford Foundation grant at the Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford, in 1992-1993; winner of the Commonwealth Award availed at the University of Oxford, 1997-1998; and the Fulbright Fellow availed at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at the Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, in 2005.)
The riddle of the Valley
The electoral response in the Kashmir valley during the first two phases of assembly elections has surprised many. The political environment that prevailed here during the last few months did not have much space for electoral mobilisation. The ascendancy of separatist politics during the Amarnath land agitation had given the impression that the electoral space had shrunk again to the level of early period of militancy when electoral politics was totally rejected. The reference point was the 1989 parliamentary elections, when the voter turnout of around five per cent had rendered the whole exercise farcical, or the 1996 assembly elections which due to lack of legitimate political space, had to be conducted under the shadow of the gun (not only of the security forces but also of the surrendered militants). The boycott call by the separatists this time, therefore, seemed to carry a lot of weight. Given the massive protests and the mood of people as it was reflected on the streets of the Valley during the last few months, it appeared as if not much effort was required to convince voters to boycott elections, it would be voluntary!
What is significant about the electoral response so far is not that people came out in large numbers to vote (not only in peripheral areas like Gurez where separatist politics did not have much appeal but also in areas like Bandipora, which saw massive protests during the land agitation) but the enthusiasm which they showed in their act of voting. Everywhere, it was the same sight — large queues of people braving the winter chill. There were no allegations of coercion or security presence. One could clearly see that the boycott call by the separatists had failed.
How does one explain this shifting response? The same people who endorsed the expanding space for electoral politics by attending massive rallies organised by the political parties before June this year, had gone into a different mode of azadi politics during the last four months or so; now, once again, they legitimised the electoral space through their voluntary participation.
Certainly there is a sense of discretion and prudence that is reflected in the popular response. One can read a lot in the way the common Kashmiris are responding — there is a continued sense of alienation and anger against the Indian state, and yet there is an urge to move forward. While the first response perpetuates the separatism, the latter urge leads them to clutch at any opportunity that will take them out of their stalemate. They have come a long way away from the early militancy period when they believed that azadi was around the corner. Disillusioned by armed militancy and violence, they have responded positively not only to the peace process but also to the politics of ‘governance’ — a label assigned to mainstream politics to emphasise its difference from the separatist politics aimed at “the ultimate resolution of Kashmir problem”. The parallel existence of the two kinds of politics is so commonly understood and accepted in Kashmir that one can see its reflection in the political discourse of both mainstream and separatist leaders on the one hand, and the political phraseology used by the masses on the other.
The separatists’ boycott is thus out of sync, and does not reflect the popular urge for forward movement. It was the same urge to move on that helped separatists mobilise people during the land agitation. It is a common understanding that, more than the land, it was the accumulated feeling that the fundamental issues were not being addressed and the Kashmiris were not being engaged that brought people to the streets. It is the same feeling that is making people reject the boycott. With endless ‘chalo’ calls (Muzzafarabad chalo, Lal Chowk chalo etc.), no vision for the future, and most importantly, with nothing to offer to take people out of the impasse, the separatist leadership is as much in question as the government of India is.
For the Delhi government, it is important to put the electoral response in a proper perspective and to learn from the developments that have taken place in Kashmir since June this year. The rejection of the boycott call is not a rejection of separatist sentiment, nor it is, in the least, an endorsement of the Centre’s approach vis-à-vis Kashmir. Separatism will remain intact, good electoral response notwithstanding. It is important to address basic grievances, and the bare minimum required is greater momentum in the peace process and minimum tolerance for human rights violations.
When C (for Corrupt) Governance Dominates Over E (for Electronic) Governance
Want to know why state’s departments are not on Information superhighway yet? Read this, here is the reason!
Srinagar: While the world is steadily leaping towards having a global E-parliament to harness Information Technology for progress and welfare of global public, here in this God-forsaken land, computers and related sciences and accessories simply mean a goldmine for those vested with the role of computerizing the governance.
Certainly the government’s Information Technology Unit (ITU) created in the year 1998for the purpose of computerizing the system of governance so as to lessen the bureaucratic hassles for the betterment of people in the state has got a dubious distinction of not only misusing but even surrendering unused whooping Rs 2239.16 lakhs to the Centre.
And ironically, the person responsible for this mismanagement of financial resources meant for introduction of E-governance in the state continues to enjoy field-day as the sun of unaccountability shines on the state’s power horizon.
The tragic story of state’s disastrous tryst with the E-governance begins in the year 1998 when government created ITU, which was subsequently transformed into a full-fledged government department in 2002.
With the aim of lessening the characteristic hassles of manual data processing through paper- and file-work, the government set the ball rolling by mooting the proposal of Secretariat Knowledge Information Management System (SKIMS). Several departments including the Employment Exchange, Transport, SMHS Hospital, Treasury offices, State Motor Garages, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, and Forest Protection Force were shortlisted for computerization in the first leg.
The government also managed to put forth this proposal under the National E-governance Action Plan (NeGAP) so as to mobilize cent percent funding from the Centre.
However, the department as well as its plans got the biggest jolt when an Assistant Executive Engineer, Dara Singh, of Power Development Department (PDD) was handpicked by the then ruling dispensation in January 2003 to head the ITU as Systems Executive.
Interestingly, the said officer had neither any educational nor any technical qualifications about computers or E-governance; nor had he any foresight about what he was supposed to do, sources in the department said.
The result has been that the dream of E-governance remains a pipedream even today. And worst still is that crores of rupees have been wasted on purchasing software and hardware that is either not suitable for use here or has not been used at all.
Narrating the faulty track-record of the System Executive, sources revealed that unmindful of the peculiar needs of the state’s departments, in April 2007 the IT Department entered into a deal with ‘Tata Consultancy Services Limited’ to procure “SKIMS TriplePlus” named software which had originally been created for Andra Pradesh government and was being used there.
Despite having shelled out Rs 13.15 crores for “SKIMS TriplePlus”, this software proved of no use for the state’s departments, sources revealed, adding that of the 430 programs of this software only 274 were found suitable to state’s needs. Of these too, only 18 programs were actually identified as being of some utility.
“Since the software was created for the unique needs of Andra Pradesh departments, its utility for Jammu and Kashmir was always suspect, but given that person heading the department had no knowledge of IT, the cost paid for this software simply went down the drain as hard- and software worth crores could not by utilized,” sources alleged.
They informed that the department also spent Rs 42.25 lakhs and Rs 42.38 lakhs respectively on the computerization of Regional Transport Offices and Employment Exchanges and “this money too was wasted as you can yourself see if at all any of these departments are computerized…”
They said even the Accountant General in its audit report pointed out the failures of the department in implementing the E-governance plan of the government, and questioned why ‘Tata Consultancy Services Limited’ was paid for a software that was of no use for the state.
As if this was not enough, the department embarked on another project – State-wide Area Network (SWAN) - and actually paid another Rs 21.26 lakhs to a consultancy firm from New Delhi. However, till date, nothing has been done on ground vis-à-vis implementation of SWAN, sources revealed.
Between the years 2005-2007 only, the department got a funding of Rs 13.84 crores from the Centre of which only Rs 1.53 crores were utilized while Rs 12.17 crores had to be returned to the Centre as the department failed to utilize this money. So far since 2003 to 2008, a whooping amount of Rs 2239.16 lakhs has been returned to the Centre for this money could not be utilized for the purpose it was meant for.
“Even though huge funds have been wasted so far in the state in the name of implementing E-governance and those at the helm of state’s affair are aware of it, the government has adopted a meaningful silence over this brazen misuse,” sources in the secretariat alleged.
They revealed that all these financial irregularities in the department were brought forth in March 2008 when the then Commissioner Secretary Information Technology, Ashok Kumar Parmar, conducted a detailed inquiry to unravel the mysterious and scandalous deals.
In July 2008, Commissioner Secretary, Ashok Kumar Parmar also issued a notice to the Systems Executive Dara Singh seeking explanation of the financial irregularities and mismanagement he had discovered. However, not getting any reply from Singh, Parmar issued an order 21-IT of 2008, dated July 29, 2008 with recommendations for action against the erring official to General Administration Department (GAD). Attached with the order was the detailed inquiry report that Commissioner Secretary had conducted in the department.
“Even though the report was sufficient to nail the Systems Executive and Commissioner Secretary had even written to the state Chief Secretary and Commissioner Secretary GAD and furnished them the copy of inquiry report, no action was taken against Dara Singh,” sources informed.
Instead, Parmar only was removed as the Commissioner Secretary and Dara Singh again vested the responsibility of Systems Executive in the IT Department.
Corruption and nepotism being major contributing factors to the perennial backwardness of the state is a known fact but what is the worst of all ills plaguing the overall governance here is lack of accountability that rules the roost.
And irony is that even when the proverbial black sheep and their dubious roles are exposed, there is not only marked lack of political and administrative will to nail them, but instead those at the helm don’t mind bending and breaking rules to shield the culprits.
God, save this forsaken land!
(Kashmir Images)
Srinagar: While the world is steadily leaping towards having a global E-parliament to harness Information Technology for progress and welfare of global public, here in this God-forsaken land, computers and related sciences and accessories simply mean a goldmine for those vested with the role of computerizing the governance.
Certainly the government’s Information Technology Unit (ITU) created in the year 1998for the purpose of computerizing the system of governance so as to lessen the bureaucratic hassles for the betterment of people in the state has got a dubious distinction of not only misusing but even surrendering unused whooping Rs 2239.16 lakhs to the Centre.
And ironically, the person responsible for this mismanagement of financial resources meant for introduction of E-governance in the state continues to enjoy field-day as the sun of unaccountability shines on the state’s power horizon.
The tragic story of state’s disastrous tryst with the E-governance begins in the year 1998 when government created ITU, which was subsequently transformed into a full-fledged government department in 2002.
With the aim of lessening the characteristic hassles of manual data processing through paper- and file-work, the government set the ball rolling by mooting the proposal of Secretariat Knowledge Information Management System (SKIMS). Several departments including the Employment Exchange, Transport, SMHS Hospital, Treasury offices, State Motor Garages, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, and Forest Protection Force were shortlisted for computerization in the first leg.
The government also managed to put forth this proposal under the National E-governance Action Plan (NeGAP) so as to mobilize cent percent funding from the Centre.
However, the department as well as its plans got the biggest jolt when an Assistant Executive Engineer, Dara Singh, of Power Development Department (PDD) was handpicked by the then ruling dispensation in January 2003 to head the ITU as Systems Executive.
Interestingly, the said officer had neither any educational nor any technical qualifications about computers or E-governance; nor had he any foresight about what he was supposed to do, sources in the department said.
The result has been that the dream of E-governance remains a pipedream even today. And worst still is that crores of rupees have been wasted on purchasing software and hardware that is either not suitable for use here or has not been used at all.
Narrating the faulty track-record of the System Executive, sources revealed that unmindful of the peculiar needs of the state’s departments, in April 2007 the IT Department entered into a deal with ‘Tata Consultancy Services Limited’ to procure “SKIMS TriplePlus” named software which had originally been created for Andra Pradesh government and was being used there.
Despite having shelled out Rs 13.15 crores for “SKIMS TriplePlus”, this software proved of no use for the state’s departments, sources revealed, adding that of the 430 programs of this software only 274 were found suitable to state’s needs. Of these too, only 18 programs were actually identified as being of some utility.
“Since the software was created for the unique needs of Andra Pradesh departments, its utility for Jammu and Kashmir was always suspect, but given that person heading the department had no knowledge of IT, the cost paid for this software simply went down the drain as hard- and software worth crores could not by utilized,” sources alleged.
They informed that the department also spent Rs 42.25 lakhs and Rs 42.38 lakhs respectively on the computerization of Regional Transport Offices and Employment Exchanges and “this money too was wasted as you can yourself see if at all any of these departments are computerized…”
They said even the Accountant General in its audit report pointed out the failures of the department in implementing the E-governance plan of the government, and questioned why ‘Tata Consultancy Services Limited’ was paid for a software that was of no use for the state.
As if this was not enough, the department embarked on another project – State-wide Area Network (SWAN) - and actually paid another Rs 21.26 lakhs to a consultancy firm from New Delhi. However, till date, nothing has been done on ground vis-à-vis implementation of SWAN, sources revealed.
Between the years 2005-2007 only, the department got a funding of Rs 13.84 crores from the Centre of which only Rs 1.53 crores were utilized while Rs 12.17 crores had to be returned to the Centre as the department failed to utilize this money. So far since 2003 to 2008, a whooping amount of Rs 2239.16 lakhs has been returned to the Centre for this money could not be utilized for the purpose it was meant for.
“Even though huge funds have been wasted so far in the state in the name of implementing E-governance and those at the helm of state’s affair are aware of it, the government has adopted a meaningful silence over this brazen misuse,” sources in the secretariat alleged.
They revealed that all these financial irregularities in the department were brought forth in March 2008 when the then Commissioner Secretary Information Technology, Ashok Kumar Parmar, conducted a detailed inquiry to unravel the mysterious and scandalous deals.
In July 2008, Commissioner Secretary, Ashok Kumar Parmar also issued a notice to the Systems Executive Dara Singh seeking explanation of the financial irregularities and mismanagement he had discovered. However, not getting any reply from Singh, Parmar issued an order 21-IT of 2008, dated July 29, 2008 with recommendations for action against the erring official to General Administration Department (GAD). Attached with the order was the detailed inquiry report that Commissioner Secretary had conducted in the department.
“Even though the report was sufficient to nail the Systems Executive and Commissioner Secretary had even written to the state Chief Secretary and Commissioner Secretary GAD and furnished them the copy of inquiry report, no action was taken against Dara Singh,” sources informed.
Instead, Parmar only was removed as the Commissioner Secretary and Dara Singh again vested the responsibility of Systems Executive in the IT Department.
Corruption and nepotism being major contributing factors to the perennial backwardness of the state is a known fact but what is the worst of all ills plaguing the overall governance here is lack of accountability that rules the roost.
And irony is that even when the proverbial black sheep and their dubious roles are exposed, there is not only marked lack of political and administrative will to nail them, but instead those at the helm don’t mind bending and breaking rules to shield the culprits.
God, save this forsaken land!
(Kashmir Images)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Urban-Rural Divide
Ashraf wonders if he should call Kashmiris unpredictable, when it is clear that rural folks are finally challenging the "whine and dine" system perfected by urbanites
(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 65, was born and raised in Srinagar. He attended the S.P. High School and the S.P College before joining the Regional Engineering College at Naseem Bagh in Civil Engineering. However, he changed his career to adventure sports like mountaineering and skiing, completing his training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and Gulmarg. He also completed a diploma in French language from the Alliance Française in New Delhi. He joined the J&K Tourism Department in 1973, rose to become its Director-General in 1996, and retired in 2003 after 30 years of service. He has been associated with the Adventure Sports at the national level and was recently re-elected as the Vice-President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the apex body of adventure sports in India, for two years. To commend his efforts in introducing rescue measures in Kashmir Mountains, he was awarded “Merite-Alpin” by Swiss in a special function in Les Diablerets in 1993. He continues to be a member of the Governing Council of IMF and is also the President of Jammu & Kashmir Mountaineering & Hiking Club.)
One wonders what really lies in the heart of a Kashmiri
Millions of people chanting slogans for “Azadi” marching towards Eidgah, and UN Military Observer Group Headquarter on one hand and on the other thousands lining up before polling booths to cast their votes in an election held under Indian auspices. Two irreconcilable extremes. How does one explain this dichotomy? Simply as a common Kashmiri’s strategy for survival! Having been let down by their leadership and facing powers beyond their capacity to take head on, they have worked out a methodology whereby they can switch between “Azadi” and the day to day living. They have not abandoned their ultimate and cherished goal of achieving total and complete emancipation but in the meantime the life has to continue and they have to survive. There are two distinct aspects which a common man has to consider.
The day to day governance and the ultimate “Azadi”. On the governance side which is being propagated by the so called “mainstream” leaders, the people are facing miserable conditions. These mainstream leaders have made hay while the sun was shining and have filled their own coffers. Peoples’ welfare has been their least priority. Power famine in the difficult and severe winter conditions. Missing drainage. Pot-holed roads. Collapsing bridges. Undependable and rudimentary health care. Total collapse of the basic infrastructure in spite of its half century long development funded by the Central Government by pumping in hundreds of thousands of crores.
People would not have reconciled to this loot of resources committed by so called mainstream leaders but they have no choice. Kashmiris temporarily reconcile to the circumstances when they feel their very survival is being threatened but whenever they get an opportunity to show their true urges, they burst out like a flood thereby confusing all the Kashmir watchers! The first let down has been by their so called “popular” leadership that has failed to substantiate the meaning of “Azadi”. What does “Azadi” mean to a common Kashmiri? How does he achieve it? The leaders themselves are not sure about it. How will they explain the same to the people? “Azadi” may be a beautiful dream. An abstract fascinating and mystifying idea which all of us dream about. But what does it mean in real and practical terms and how does one achieve it? Most of the leaders have failed to give the idea of “Azadi”a concrete shape. None has been able to give a blueprint and the road map to achieve it.
The only talk one hears is the “leaders” issuing sermons to the common people from posh residences for giving sacrifices. Whenever the people have felt that an opportunity exists to show to the world their true urges, they have forced the leaders to lead them! And when the leaders fail to make use of such opportunities, the people once again switch to the normal mode of living which gives an erroneous impression that they have given up!
The second let down has been by Pakistanis. Kashmiris had taken them to be their saviours and mentors but they have belied this position. They have only used Kashmiris as canon fodder to settle their scores with India. Pakistanis have used Kashmiris as guinea pigs to test their two nation theory. At one time Kashmiris would swear by Pakistan but not now. There has been a dramatic change. Pakistan is being now used by a Kashmiri only as a stick to beat the Indians. He knows that pro-Pak sentiment and its open manifestation annoy Indians and he freely uses these to derive pleasure of sweet revenge!
Indians too have used Kashmiris for testing their theory of secularism. Neither of the two has been sincere in caring for the people. It is the territory and its strategic advantages which have mattered for the both. The entire story of last 60 years or so has been a story of conflict management rather than conflict resolution. The same is being repeated now. Kashmiris do not reconcile to the circumstances but put their struggle on a temporary hold till the next opportunity presents itself. This has been a story of last 60 years or so and would have continued to be like that but for a change brought about during last couple of decades. A new generation has come of age during the years of conflict and turmoil which totally refuses to reconcile. There is a clear and visible cleavage.
Most of the elders have over the years learnt to compromise temporarily and live with the times but not the new generation. The only thing they have continuously seen during their formative years is brutal suppression. They refuse to put up with any kind of force and are resisting it. Fortunately so far there is a saving grace. They seem to believe that the armed conflict is not going to solve their problems. There is a paradigm shift which the authorities have failed to recognise and gracefully accept. The youth seem to be so far convinced that non-violent protest is better than mindless violence. They have become violent only when the authorities have refused to allow them to take out peaceful protests. Instead of the authorities recognising and respecting the aspirations of the youth, they are being pushed to the wall. When all channels of peaceful expression are blocked, the movement goes underground and results in senseless violence with disastrous consequences. We have yet to fully come out of the first wave of violence and the authorities are preparing grounds for a second wave which may be more violent and destructive. In the first wave, the driving force was the sentiments and emotions but the second wave is being generated by frustration and desperation. What does a common Kashmiri want? A peaceful life of dignity and honour. He wants an end to daily humiliation and harassment. At the same time he wants basic necessities of life. He wants both the good governance and “Azadi”.
However, none of the leaders from both the sides have been able to provide these to him. He has neither got the good governance nor the “Azadi”. Thus, he is facing a dilemma. A difficult predicament. However, he is trying to make the best of both. It is a battle of wits which he has been winning so far. His survival through centuries of external suppression is the proof of this ingenuity and intelligence. In fact, Sir Walter Lawrence and Canon Tyndale Biscoe have testified to this in their writings. Those who think that the massive turn out for voting means Kashmiris are fed up and have reconciled to their circumstances are sadly mistaken. They may be in for a shock sometime in future. Similarly, those who believe that a Kashmiri will honour every sermon for “Azadi” issued from posh residences are also sadly mistaken. Both need to know that a Kashmiri is the most unpredictable character in the entire history of this sub-continent. Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs, and Dogras came and ruled with majesty and glory over Kashmiris. All have gone into oblivion and are only on the pages of history but the Kashmiri is still there and would continue to be there for generations to come. Only because he is totally unpredictable!
(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 65, was born and raised in Srinagar. He attended the S.P. High School and the S.P College before joining the Regional Engineering College at Naseem Bagh in Civil Engineering. However, he changed his career to adventure sports like mountaineering and skiing, completing his training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and Gulmarg. He also completed a diploma in French language from the Alliance Française in New Delhi. He joined the J&K Tourism Department in 1973, rose to become its Director-General in 1996, and retired in 2003 after 30 years of service. He has been associated with the Adventure Sports at the national level and was recently re-elected as the Vice-President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the apex body of adventure sports in India, for two years. To commend his efforts in introducing rescue measures in Kashmir Mountains, he was awarded “Merite-Alpin” by Swiss in a special function in Les Diablerets in 1993. He continues to be a member of the Governing Council of IMF and is also the President of Jammu & Kashmir Mountaineering & Hiking Club.)
One wonders what really lies in the heart of a Kashmiri
Millions of people chanting slogans for “Azadi” marching towards Eidgah, and UN Military Observer Group Headquarter on one hand and on the other thousands lining up before polling booths to cast their votes in an election held under Indian auspices. Two irreconcilable extremes. How does one explain this dichotomy? Simply as a common Kashmiri’s strategy for survival! Having been let down by their leadership and facing powers beyond their capacity to take head on, they have worked out a methodology whereby they can switch between “Azadi” and the day to day living. They have not abandoned their ultimate and cherished goal of achieving total and complete emancipation but in the meantime the life has to continue and they have to survive. There are two distinct aspects which a common man has to consider.
The day to day governance and the ultimate “Azadi”. On the governance side which is being propagated by the so called “mainstream” leaders, the people are facing miserable conditions. These mainstream leaders have made hay while the sun was shining and have filled their own coffers. Peoples’ welfare has been their least priority. Power famine in the difficult and severe winter conditions. Missing drainage. Pot-holed roads. Collapsing bridges. Undependable and rudimentary health care. Total collapse of the basic infrastructure in spite of its half century long development funded by the Central Government by pumping in hundreds of thousands of crores.
People would not have reconciled to this loot of resources committed by so called mainstream leaders but they have no choice. Kashmiris temporarily reconcile to the circumstances when they feel their very survival is being threatened but whenever they get an opportunity to show their true urges, they burst out like a flood thereby confusing all the Kashmir watchers! The first let down has been by their so called “popular” leadership that has failed to substantiate the meaning of “Azadi”. What does “Azadi” mean to a common Kashmiri? How does he achieve it? The leaders themselves are not sure about it. How will they explain the same to the people? “Azadi” may be a beautiful dream. An abstract fascinating and mystifying idea which all of us dream about. But what does it mean in real and practical terms and how does one achieve it? Most of the leaders have failed to give the idea of “Azadi”a concrete shape. None has been able to give a blueprint and the road map to achieve it.
The only talk one hears is the “leaders” issuing sermons to the common people from posh residences for giving sacrifices. Whenever the people have felt that an opportunity exists to show to the world their true urges, they have forced the leaders to lead them! And when the leaders fail to make use of such opportunities, the people once again switch to the normal mode of living which gives an erroneous impression that they have given up!
The second let down has been by Pakistanis. Kashmiris had taken them to be their saviours and mentors but they have belied this position. They have only used Kashmiris as canon fodder to settle their scores with India. Pakistanis have used Kashmiris as guinea pigs to test their two nation theory. At one time Kashmiris would swear by Pakistan but not now. There has been a dramatic change. Pakistan is being now used by a Kashmiri only as a stick to beat the Indians. He knows that pro-Pak sentiment and its open manifestation annoy Indians and he freely uses these to derive pleasure of sweet revenge!
Indians too have used Kashmiris for testing their theory of secularism. Neither of the two has been sincere in caring for the people. It is the territory and its strategic advantages which have mattered for the both. The entire story of last 60 years or so has been a story of conflict management rather than conflict resolution. The same is being repeated now. Kashmiris do not reconcile to the circumstances but put their struggle on a temporary hold till the next opportunity presents itself. This has been a story of last 60 years or so and would have continued to be like that but for a change brought about during last couple of decades. A new generation has come of age during the years of conflict and turmoil which totally refuses to reconcile. There is a clear and visible cleavage.
Most of the elders have over the years learnt to compromise temporarily and live with the times but not the new generation. The only thing they have continuously seen during their formative years is brutal suppression. They refuse to put up with any kind of force and are resisting it. Fortunately so far there is a saving grace. They seem to believe that the armed conflict is not going to solve their problems. There is a paradigm shift which the authorities have failed to recognise and gracefully accept. The youth seem to be so far convinced that non-violent protest is better than mindless violence. They have become violent only when the authorities have refused to allow them to take out peaceful protests. Instead of the authorities recognising and respecting the aspirations of the youth, they are being pushed to the wall. When all channels of peaceful expression are blocked, the movement goes underground and results in senseless violence with disastrous consequences. We have yet to fully come out of the first wave of violence and the authorities are preparing grounds for a second wave which may be more violent and destructive. In the first wave, the driving force was the sentiments and emotions but the second wave is being generated by frustration and desperation. What does a common Kashmiri want? A peaceful life of dignity and honour. He wants an end to daily humiliation and harassment. At the same time he wants basic necessities of life. He wants both the good governance and “Azadi”.
However, none of the leaders from both the sides have been able to provide these to him. He has neither got the good governance nor the “Azadi”. Thus, he is facing a dilemma. A difficult predicament. However, he is trying to make the best of both. It is a battle of wits which he has been winning so far. His survival through centuries of external suppression is the proof of this ingenuity and intelligence. In fact, Sir Walter Lawrence and Canon Tyndale Biscoe have testified to this in their writings. Those who think that the massive turn out for voting means Kashmiris are fed up and have reconciled to their circumstances are sadly mistaken. They may be in for a shock sometime in future. Similarly, those who believe that a Kashmiri will honour every sermon for “Azadi” issued from posh residences are also sadly mistaken. Both need to know that a Kashmiri is the most unpredictable character in the entire history of this sub-continent. Mughals, Afghans, Sikhs, and Dogras came and ruled with majesty and glory over Kashmiris. All have gone into oblivion and are only on the pages of history but the Kashmiri is still there and would continue to be there for generations to come. Only because he is totally unpredictable!
Does Good Governance Matter for a Society Embellished in Rhetoric?
Good Governance is a 24/7 activity. In Kashmir it becomes a passing issue every 6 years. Sajjad looks at possibilities following the latest elections
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
Will the new government eradicate corruption from the system?
The second phase of elections is underway today, giving way to yet another round of dingdong battle between the state government and separatists. Whatever the outcome of these elections, the new government, apart from political challenges, has a big challenge of providing quality governance with a difference. A governance which can explore the economic potential of the state to the maximum extant and also brings down the rating of the state as far as corrupt practices are concerned. In all regimes, J&K state has continued to confront the challenges of governance as the conflict itself and the civil strife have been disrupting normal life.
In other words, it is the bad governance coupled with rampant corruption, weakened management systems leading to low growth, unemployment menace and poverty etc., which have been burning issues here since decades. Almost all sectors of economy are in bad shape, resulting in failure to tap the potential. One of the drawbacks has been inability to use the natural resources to the fullest extent.
The economic health of a region is gauged through its strong industries sector. Especially small and medium industries sector plays a great role in the economic development of a region. But on this front J&K state is one of the weakest states. Even as we have small scale and cottage industries, most of them are sick due to various reasons. Large and heavy industries are almost non-existent. Recent economic blockade is enough to substantiate the fact that how much our state is heavily dependent on other states for most of its requirements of consumer and capital goods. The absence of a strong industries sector in the state has resulted in one of the most complex development challenges of creating employment opportunities. There may be an argument that agriculture and horticulture are the dominant sectors of economy of the state, but the fact remains that its promise on the employment front has been limited. And for this, adverse ratio of agriculture land to the total geographical area is responsible.
In order to tap the potential of the state in various sectors of economy, experts have been stressing on expanding skill sets, knowledge base, New Delhi’s support, protection of economy till it grows to an extent where it can compete with other states, incentives and financial support and finally assistance in marketing of its indigenous products. The translation of this prescription into action is a huge challenge and it is the good governance, which can only ensure the plans of these experts executed into workable programmes. So, on economic front, the biggest challenge for the new government is the quality of governance, where only good governance practices can ensure to carve out full benefits of the various policy interventions. They need ideas and capacity to turn these ideas into policies and programmes, as ideas, policies and execution form the musical tones of good governance.
The new government irrespective of their alliance, should not turn a blind eye to the fact that in the past majority of the plans and programmes framed by the experts for transforming the ravaged economy of the state into a normal economic process have fallen victim to poor quality of governance. And they should also remember that the failure to execute these plans, which ultimately can lead to the comfort of a common man, has been instrumental in blocking the peace in the State.
However, before setting in motion of any economic development programme, the state’s vulnerable political environment is to be taken into account. For the past few years, ideas of having Special Industrial Zones, luring private sector investment in reshaping the state’s economy etc. made several rounds, but what this conflict zone desperately needs a think tank which can carve out a track where there is peace and prosperity for all. Unfortunately, we have seen that recommendations of the Prime Minister’s high-powered task force on the development of J&K, commonly known as Rangarajan Committee, submitted in November 2006, became victims of bad governance and they never saw light of the day. Under these circumstances there is need for the state to reposition its economy and secure benefits of globalization and the increasingly global trading environment.
Another most important thing is the level of corruption prevailing in the state. The “Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International” has depicted J&K state as “2nd corrupt state in the India. We have to understand that the extent of corruption amongst politicians and government officials depends on monopoly of power and the discretionary power they exercise in discharging their duties. Basically, the causes of corruption are generally rooted in the practices of governance observed in the past.
Corruption and nepotism have been the main reasons behind the fall of many empires like Roman empire, etc., Our politicians whosoever assume power have to take any lesson from these pages of history.
Will corruption continue to remain the characteristic feature of the new government in 2009? At least, they should not give an opportunity to the people here to look regretfully back to the old regimes of comparative justice, as well as efficient, and more or less honest administration.
So to combat corruption, it is very essential to have a strong political will and commitment, good government and good governance, administrative accountability, simplification of procedures, and public participation through watchdog ship approach of public audit committees. These public audit committees can go a long way to check the menace. Precisely, the corruption practices need to be dealt very seriously and severely. For this, there is need to do away with the slow and tardy legal system, so that the culprits are booked quickly under law of the land.
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
Will the new government eradicate corruption from the system?
The second phase of elections is underway today, giving way to yet another round of dingdong battle between the state government and separatists. Whatever the outcome of these elections, the new government, apart from political challenges, has a big challenge of providing quality governance with a difference. A governance which can explore the economic potential of the state to the maximum extant and also brings down the rating of the state as far as corrupt practices are concerned. In all regimes, J&K state has continued to confront the challenges of governance as the conflict itself and the civil strife have been disrupting normal life.
In other words, it is the bad governance coupled with rampant corruption, weakened management systems leading to low growth, unemployment menace and poverty etc., which have been burning issues here since decades. Almost all sectors of economy are in bad shape, resulting in failure to tap the potential. One of the drawbacks has been inability to use the natural resources to the fullest extent.
The economic health of a region is gauged through its strong industries sector. Especially small and medium industries sector plays a great role in the economic development of a region. But on this front J&K state is one of the weakest states. Even as we have small scale and cottage industries, most of them are sick due to various reasons. Large and heavy industries are almost non-existent. Recent economic blockade is enough to substantiate the fact that how much our state is heavily dependent on other states for most of its requirements of consumer and capital goods. The absence of a strong industries sector in the state has resulted in one of the most complex development challenges of creating employment opportunities. There may be an argument that agriculture and horticulture are the dominant sectors of economy of the state, but the fact remains that its promise on the employment front has been limited. And for this, adverse ratio of agriculture land to the total geographical area is responsible.
In order to tap the potential of the state in various sectors of economy, experts have been stressing on expanding skill sets, knowledge base, New Delhi’s support, protection of economy till it grows to an extent where it can compete with other states, incentives and financial support and finally assistance in marketing of its indigenous products. The translation of this prescription into action is a huge challenge and it is the good governance, which can only ensure the plans of these experts executed into workable programmes. So, on economic front, the biggest challenge for the new government is the quality of governance, where only good governance practices can ensure to carve out full benefits of the various policy interventions. They need ideas and capacity to turn these ideas into policies and programmes, as ideas, policies and execution form the musical tones of good governance.
The new government irrespective of their alliance, should not turn a blind eye to the fact that in the past majority of the plans and programmes framed by the experts for transforming the ravaged economy of the state into a normal economic process have fallen victim to poor quality of governance. And they should also remember that the failure to execute these plans, which ultimately can lead to the comfort of a common man, has been instrumental in blocking the peace in the State.
However, before setting in motion of any economic development programme, the state’s vulnerable political environment is to be taken into account. For the past few years, ideas of having Special Industrial Zones, luring private sector investment in reshaping the state’s economy etc. made several rounds, but what this conflict zone desperately needs a think tank which can carve out a track where there is peace and prosperity for all. Unfortunately, we have seen that recommendations of the Prime Minister’s high-powered task force on the development of J&K, commonly known as Rangarajan Committee, submitted in November 2006, became victims of bad governance and they never saw light of the day. Under these circumstances there is need for the state to reposition its economy and secure benefits of globalization and the increasingly global trading environment.
Another most important thing is the level of corruption prevailing in the state. The “Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International” has depicted J&K state as “2nd corrupt state in the India. We have to understand that the extent of corruption amongst politicians and government officials depends on monopoly of power and the discretionary power they exercise in discharging their duties. Basically, the causes of corruption are generally rooted in the practices of governance observed in the past.
Corruption and nepotism have been the main reasons behind the fall of many empires like Roman empire, etc., Our politicians whosoever assume power have to take any lesson from these pages of history.
Will corruption continue to remain the characteristic feature of the new government in 2009? At least, they should not give an opportunity to the people here to look regretfully back to the old regimes of comparative justice, as well as efficient, and more or less honest administration.
So to combat corruption, it is very essential to have a strong political will and commitment, good government and good governance, administrative accountability, simplification of procedures, and public participation through watchdog ship approach of public audit committees. These public audit committees can go a long way to check the menace. Precisely, the corruption practices need to be dealt very seriously and severely. For this, there is need to do away with the slow and tardy legal system, so that the culprits are booked quickly under law of the land.
A Tragedy Called Srinagar - Part 2
Afshana thinks Srinagar is becoming more like Mumbai. The irony is that most outsiders drawn to the city see it as their local Dubai
(Ms. Syeda Afshana, 34, was born in Srinagar. She attended the Vishwa Bharti High School in Rainawari, Srinagar, and the Government Women's College in Srinagar where she received a B.Sc. degree. She completed her Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 1999 and was the Gold Medallist (first position holder) in her graduating class. She is currently a Lecturer in the Media Education Research Centre (MERC) of the Kashmir University and pursuing her doctorate on the role of internet after 9/11.)
And here is another unreal city of Eliot
Unreal City,
under the brown fog
of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed
over London Bridge,
so many,
I had not thought
death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent,
were exhaled,
And each man
fixed his eyes
before his feet.
(T.S.Eliot)
A drive back home every evening makes me think edgily. The congestion and conundrum around is maddening. The jostling crowd and jammed roads winds one up.
Why this pandemonium? Is this a city or a chaos? The Srinagar of yore is fading out in the smog. The miasma of pollution, of both soul and substance, seems to have afflicted the city.
There is no denying the fact that the unrestrained migration of a segment of population has robbed the city of its sheen. The permanent settlements, over a period of time, have sparked off a phenomenon that is influencing each and every aspect of life in the city. The native Srinagararians are witness to the declining series of the city's grand ethos.
Starting from a migration that ensues for the search of work, and also for tagging along different quotas and categories, which is due because of the size of population, the transition from rural to urban setting occurs in a way that spoils the core of both of the lifestyles. From the simplicity of the village to the complexity of the city, the minds, meanings and morals undergo a change. The exposure gets addictive to the extent of forgetting the countryside, managing to get a productive employment and a permanent shelter in the city. As far as the quotas and categories, they become an ancient history, only to be revived when the progeny reaches to the point of chipping in the competition. And the cycle continues.
The migration that starts with a single individual ends up rooting in all kith and kin in the city. The influx continues. The job is secured, the land is seized, the house is sized, and the dynasty is here to stay. Srinagar becomes their Mumbai.
The cost of living in the city has amplified. The real estate prices are shooting up. The congestion is choking. The pollution is petrifying.
Most importantly, the social trends emerging because of this migration have not been beneficial. The mishmash of rustic and city culture has mugged the exotic nature of Srinagar life. The hybrid culture is not compatible with the composure of Srinagar. From language to dress to plain daily habits, the inner-city traditions and customs have lost their uniqueness. There is a break-down of an historical, social and cultural order battered by certain forces that are operating under the name of modernity. A stroll in the Habba Kadal area today presents the bucolic face with numerous families renting in the locality.
There is no point of harbouring malice against a population that swarms itself into the city due to various difficult forces. However, when the intrusion gets uncontainable and unmanageable, combing out the quintessence of the 'invaded' place, any sensitive soul in the city has a genuine right to grouse a grudge.
And, there is also no gain saying that the corruption in the public life in Srinagar owes its genesis to the majority population working out here. The story is no different for an immigrant politician, to Minister to any MLA, or for that matter any official head in administration or academics. Even the sad saga of various Kashmiri historical U-turns has a close connection with the country people, who have a distinction of equally participating in pro-freedom as well as pro-election rallies.
The issue of 'development', which in rural parlance means availability of good roads, drinking water, power transformers, govt. employment, schools and colleges, is an overriding demand for them. And, if all these things and comforts come to them, their crawling influence on city can stop somewhere, possibly.
However, the irony is that it won't. The lost love for their roots, the spirit to serve their impoverished people in far-flung areas, and the mounting desire for life of ease and coziness will continue to plague the bloated Srinagar.
As a Srinagararian, one is at a loss to understand as to what it can be that makes a certain section of population to disclaim and deny their identity with their roots. If it is so easy, why don't the Srinagararians display same traits? The answer tells us about what cannot be negated, come what may: It's the innate ethos, the influence of the place you belong to.
Of course, in this era of sham and superficiality, no body is a sacrosanct. But then, what matters is the kind and level of degradation that a group of people or an individual can stoop to. Further, this discourse has a definite cultural dimension. What we think of Bihari people swamping over in Kashmir, can provide an analogy to the cultural/social backgrounds within, besides.
Those who argue on the existence of melting-pot societies in the world, too admit of differences and divergences between the groups of people. Nonetheless, the corollary of such population mergers has a substantial reason(s) to be critical and disapproving.
And the way the universal problem of urbanization is being sniped and sneered all over the world, Srinagar appearing Mumbai to a group of population is but justified. Moreover, the downslide of serenity of Srinagar into an "Unreal City", a noisy and jarring metropolitan, nearer ala Mumbai, is becoming an uncomplimentary reality.
Like it or lick it, the fact remains so.
(Ms. Syeda Afshana, 34, was born in Srinagar. She attended the Vishwa Bharti High School in Rainawari, Srinagar, and the Government Women's College in Srinagar where she received a B.Sc. degree. She completed her Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 1999 and was the Gold Medallist (first position holder) in her graduating class. She is currently a Lecturer in the Media Education Research Centre (MERC) of the Kashmir University and pursuing her doctorate on the role of internet after 9/11.)
And here is another unreal city of Eliot
Unreal City,
under the brown fog
of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed
over London Bridge,
so many,
I had not thought
death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent,
were exhaled,
And each man
fixed his eyes
before his feet.
(T.S.Eliot)
A drive back home every evening makes me think edgily. The congestion and conundrum around is maddening. The jostling crowd and jammed roads winds one up.
Why this pandemonium? Is this a city or a chaos? The Srinagar of yore is fading out in the smog. The miasma of pollution, of both soul and substance, seems to have afflicted the city.
There is no denying the fact that the unrestrained migration of a segment of population has robbed the city of its sheen. The permanent settlements, over a period of time, have sparked off a phenomenon that is influencing each and every aspect of life in the city. The native Srinagararians are witness to the declining series of the city's grand ethos.
Starting from a migration that ensues for the search of work, and also for tagging along different quotas and categories, which is due because of the size of population, the transition from rural to urban setting occurs in a way that spoils the core of both of the lifestyles. From the simplicity of the village to the complexity of the city, the minds, meanings and morals undergo a change. The exposure gets addictive to the extent of forgetting the countryside, managing to get a productive employment and a permanent shelter in the city. As far as the quotas and categories, they become an ancient history, only to be revived when the progeny reaches to the point of chipping in the competition. And the cycle continues.
The migration that starts with a single individual ends up rooting in all kith and kin in the city. The influx continues. The job is secured, the land is seized, the house is sized, and the dynasty is here to stay. Srinagar becomes their Mumbai.
The cost of living in the city has amplified. The real estate prices are shooting up. The congestion is choking. The pollution is petrifying.
Most importantly, the social trends emerging because of this migration have not been beneficial. The mishmash of rustic and city culture has mugged the exotic nature of Srinagar life. The hybrid culture is not compatible with the composure of Srinagar. From language to dress to plain daily habits, the inner-city traditions and customs have lost their uniqueness. There is a break-down of an historical, social and cultural order battered by certain forces that are operating under the name of modernity. A stroll in the Habba Kadal area today presents the bucolic face with numerous families renting in the locality.
There is no point of harbouring malice against a population that swarms itself into the city due to various difficult forces. However, when the intrusion gets uncontainable and unmanageable, combing out the quintessence of the 'invaded' place, any sensitive soul in the city has a genuine right to grouse a grudge.
And, there is also no gain saying that the corruption in the public life in Srinagar owes its genesis to the majority population working out here. The story is no different for an immigrant politician, to Minister to any MLA, or for that matter any official head in administration or academics. Even the sad saga of various Kashmiri historical U-turns has a close connection with the country people, who have a distinction of equally participating in pro-freedom as well as pro-election rallies.
The issue of 'development', which in rural parlance means availability of good roads, drinking water, power transformers, govt. employment, schools and colleges, is an overriding demand for them. And, if all these things and comforts come to them, their crawling influence on city can stop somewhere, possibly.
However, the irony is that it won't. The lost love for their roots, the spirit to serve their impoverished people in far-flung areas, and the mounting desire for life of ease and coziness will continue to plague the bloated Srinagar.
As a Srinagararian, one is at a loss to understand as to what it can be that makes a certain section of population to disclaim and deny their identity with their roots. If it is so easy, why don't the Srinagararians display same traits? The answer tells us about what cannot be negated, come what may: It's the innate ethos, the influence of the place you belong to.
Of course, in this era of sham and superficiality, no body is a sacrosanct. But then, what matters is the kind and level of degradation that a group of people or an individual can stoop to. Further, this discourse has a definite cultural dimension. What we think of Bihari people swamping over in Kashmir, can provide an analogy to the cultural/social backgrounds within, besides.
Those who argue on the existence of melting-pot societies in the world, too admit of differences and divergences between the groups of people. Nonetheless, the corollary of such population mergers has a substantial reason(s) to be critical and disapproving.
And the way the universal problem of urbanization is being sniped and sneered all over the world, Srinagar appearing Mumbai to a group of population is but justified. Moreover, the downslide of serenity of Srinagar into an "Unreal City", a noisy and jarring metropolitan, nearer ala Mumbai, is becoming an uncomplimentary reality.
Like it or lick it, the fact remains so.
The Smallest Room in a Kashmiri Home was Always Special
Zahid shares his childhood memories of a tiny space called "Kotheur"
(Mr. Z. G. Mohammad, 59, was born and raised in Srinagar. He earned his Master's degree in English literature from the Kashmir University and has completed a course in Mass Communication from Indian Institute of Mass Communication. He is a writer and a journalist who has written for many newspapers, including the Statesman, the Sunday, and the Kashmir Times. He currently works for the Greater Kashmir.)
THE MUTE WITNESS
Kotheur: how can I forget that small room of my childhood
Barak Obama reminded me of Kotheur- the seven feet by five feet room in our three storied house. On one of the walls of this small room- I had pasted a sharp black and white picture of John F Kennedy. I had cut this picture from beautifully brought out magazine The Life. It was a period when I and my brother bought the Filmfare and the Picture Post and pasted pictures of matinee idols Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Madhu Bala, Meena Kumari and not Raj Kapoor behind the door of the Kotheur. I don’t know why I had pasted picture of American President in my room. His image - good image had perhaps from the discourses at home and in the Mohalla gone into my psyche. Those days unwittingly children in my birth burg admired America and abhorred Russia- and called it Dauda Roos.
Kotheur: The word had perhaps been derived from kouth (room) as poetaster has originated from the word poet. The Kotheur is no more in fashion in the new houses but the poetasters are in great demand. They are called the great literati. They are the neo-poet laureates. Listening to them many times reminds me of the Sazandar’s singing in the mandi (Timber depot) of Ramzan Khan from the window of the Kotheur.
There was hardly any house that did not have this small room. The Kashmir Pandit called it ‘Thakur Kotheur’ as it used them for housing idols of gods and goddesses preferably Shiva and Parvati and used it for worship. The ‘Thakur Kotheur’ of my teacher Kashi Nath for being forbidden to us always aroused my curiosity. I often tried to peep into this small room filled with aroma of burning ‘dhoop’. On many occasions I watched him praying in this small room with a burning small brass lamp in his hand but dared not to enter into it. It was his daughter who I think was reading in class three when I was in class four who made me conscious that I cannot enter the room as I was a Muslim.
Our three stories house also had a ‘Kotheur’. This small room was our workplace- reading room of me and my brothers. It had a history. It had been reading room of my father. My uncle had studied in the same room. Many of peers of my father had remained awake for nights together in this tiny room preparing for their examinations. Many times during our examination when father used to peep into this room from the half-shut door he would turn nostalgic. He remembered his examinations days. He would narrate his experiences of preparing for the matriculation examination that were then conducted by the Punjab University, Lahore. He remembered his friends- somewhere in the state administration and held high offices and some had been exiled in 1947 by the first Muslim Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. He neither admired Sheikh nor abhorred him. He was unlike his brother- my uncle’s heart was brimful with hate for the first PM for his having taken wrong decision at the right moment. He called him the proverbial owl whose hoots bring misfortune to generations to come. My father would turn poignantly emotional the moment he remembered his exiled friends. He had not any information about many of them but knew about some who had succeeded in earning a place of distinction in the newly born country seen as homeland for the Muslims of South Asia. Some had found a place in diplomatic service, some in engineering and some in administration. I think none of his friends ever returned to their native land and are buried without chiseled limestone tomb with beautifully inscribed verses thematically reading like:
Fugitive is man fugitive is dust;
Of these two ephemerals which is best;
Not man but dust.
The Kotheur: we had nicknamed it as the coop- the great coop. Like chicks after the dusk, the mother would shrill us to go inside this small room for finishing our home work. Those days there was no television – the only voice that entered our room after the sunset was from a megaphone fitted in the middle of flagpole on which faded red flag with plough remained hosted permanently. It had a mat as its flooring. There were no cushions or bolsters in our reading room. The only adornment was a beautiful kerosene lamp and our reading desks with drawers. Those days’ bolsters were a rarity that only affluent could afford. The imprints of back on the clay daubed walls of the kotehur were recognized as testimony of reading for long hours. I remember many times I deliberately brushed my back against the wall to prove that I was more studious than my brothers.
The kotehur had three windows. One of the windows faced the road- that in my childhood was the national highway that connected Kashmir to Ladakh and beyond. This window was witness to an era of ordeals, distresses and agonies. It had seen cavalcade of the merciless marauders lashing and beating people. It had seen turbaned soldiers with yellow flags top long arrows touching roof tops swaggering on the roads, it had seen cavalries with tridents flying yellow flags with red strips galloping across the road. My father many times remembered the day when martyrs of the 13 July were carried in a procession for burial in the martyrs’ graveyard at Khawaja Bazar. He often portrayed a graphic picture of the people who carried bodies of the martyrs to the graveyard. Many times I conjured scenes of thirty one in imagination: people dressed in tattered clothes, with huge turbans, with sunken eyes, bony faces and half-famished looks moving in hordes. When I heard my father narrating tales of thirties and forties to us little did I know that I will also have to watch reenactment macabre after macabre from same window. I remember the day when I first saw men in uniforms aiming their three-not-three rifles from a crossing towards a crowd. The crowd was raising the same old slogans that have become part of Kashmir- that they mutter even in dreams without fear of being caught. I remember the first shot the Sepoy fired hit a telegraphs pole outside our home- it was next shot that send shivers down my spine- it hit the vegetable seller who was carrying willow vat filled to capacity with hak on his shoulder- I first saw the willow vat falling down- then he fell off. I have no count- how many people were hit by bullets in our locality during my childhood- I have crossed the middle age and I am faster knocking at old age- the window my Kotheur continues to be a mute witness.
(Mr. Z. G. Mohammad, 59, was born and raised in Srinagar. He earned his Master's degree in English literature from the Kashmir University and has completed a course in Mass Communication from Indian Institute of Mass Communication. He is a writer and a journalist who has written for many newspapers, including the Statesman, the Sunday, and the Kashmir Times. He currently works for the Greater Kashmir.)
THE MUTE WITNESS
Kotheur: how can I forget that small room of my childhood
Barak Obama reminded me of Kotheur- the seven feet by five feet room in our three storied house. On one of the walls of this small room- I had pasted a sharp black and white picture of John F Kennedy. I had cut this picture from beautifully brought out magazine The Life. It was a period when I and my brother bought the Filmfare and the Picture Post and pasted pictures of matinee idols Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Madhu Bala, Meena Kumari and not Raj Kapoor behind the door of the Kotheur. I don’t know why I had pasted picture of American President in my room. His image - good image had perhaps from the discourses at home and in the Mohalla gone into my psyche. Those days unwittingly children in my birth burg admired America and abhorred Russia- and called it Dauda Roos.
Kotheur: The word had perhaps been derived from kouth (room) as poetaster has originated from the word poet. The Kotheur is no more in fashion in the new houses but the poetasters are in great demand. They are called the great literati. They are the neo-poet laureates. Listening to them many times reminds me of the Sazandar’s singing in the mandi (Timber depot) of Ramzan Khan from the window of the Kotheur.
There was hardly any house that did not have this small room. The Kashmir Pandit called it ‘Thakur Kotheur’ as it used them for housing idols of gods and goddesses preferably Shiva and Parvati and used it for worship. The ‘Thakur Kotheur’ of my teacher Kashi Nath for being forbidden to us always aroused my curiosity. I often tried to peep into this small room filled with aroma of burning ‘dhoop’. On many occasions I watched him praying in this small room with a burning small brass lamp in his hand but dared not to enter into it. It was his daughter who I think was reading in class three when I was in class four who made me conscious that I cannot enter the room as I was a Muslim.
Our three stories house also had a ‘Kotheur’. This small room was our workplace- reading room of me and my brothers. It had a history. It had been reading room of my father. My uncle had studied in the same room. Many of peers of my father had remained awake for nights together in this tiny room preparing for their examinations. Many times during our examination when father used to peep into this room from the half-shut door he would turn nostalgic. He remembered his examinations days. He would narrate his experiences of preparing for the matriculation examination that were then conducted by the Punjab University, Lahore. He remembered his friends- somewhere in the state administration and held high offices and some had been exiled in 1947 by the first Muslim Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. He neither admired Sheikh nor abhorred him. He was unlike his brother- my uncle’s heart was brimful with hate for the first PM for his having taken wrong decision at the right moment. He called him the proverbial owl whose hoots bring misfortune to generations to come. My father would turn poignantly emotional the moment he remembered his exiled friends. He had not any information about many of them but knew about some who had succeeded in earning a place of distinction in the newly born country seen as homeland for the Muslims of South Asia. Some had found a place in diplomatic service, some in engineering and some in administration. I think none of his friends ever returned to their native land and are buried without chiseled limestone tomb with beautifully inscribed verses thematically reading like:
Fugitive is man fugitive is dust;
Of these two ephemerals which is best;
Not man but dust.
The Kotheur: we had nicknamed it as the coop- the great coop. Like chicks after the dusk, the mother would shrill us to go inside this small room for finishing our home work. Those days there was no television – the only voice that entered our room after the sunset was from a megaphone fitted in the middle of flagpole on which faded red flag with plough remained hosted permanently. It had a mat as its flooring. There were no cushions or bolsters in our reading room. The only adornment was a beautiful kerosene lamp and our reading desks with drawers. Those days’ bolsters were a rarity that only affluent could afford. The imprints of back on the clay daubed walls of the kotehur were recognized as testimony of reading for long hours. I remember many times I deliberately brushed my back against the wall to prove that I was more studious than my brothers.
The kotehur had three windows. One of the windows faced the road- that in my childhood was the national highway that connected Kashmir to Ladakh and beyond. This window was witness to an era of ordeals, distresses and agonies. It had seen cavalcade of the merciless marauders lashing and beating people. It had seen turbaned soldiers with yellow flags top long arrows touching roof tops swaggering on the roads, it had seen cavalries with tridents flying yellow flags with red strips galloping across the road. My father many times remembered the day when martyrs of the 13 July were carried in a procession for burial in the martyrs’ graveyard at Khawaja Bazar. He often portrayed a graphic picture of the people who carried bodies of the martyrs to the graveyard. Many times I conjured scenes of thirty one in imagination: people dressed in tattered clothes, with huge turbans, with sunken eyes, bony faces and half-famished looks moving in hordes. When I heard my father narrating tales of thirties and forties to us little did I know that I will also have to watch reenactment macabre after macabre from same window. I remember the day when I first saw men in uniforms aiming their three-not-three rifles from a crossing towards a crowd. The crowd was raising the same old slogans that have become part of Kashmir- that they mutter even in dreams without fear of being caught. I remember the first shot the Sepoy fired hit a telegraphs pole outside our home- it was next shot that send shivers down my spine- it hit the vegetable seller who was carrying willow vat filled to capacity with hak on his shoulder- I first saw the willow vat falling down- then he fell off. I have no count- how many people were hit by bullets in our locality during my childhood- I have crossed the middle age and I am faster knocking at old age- the window my Kotheur continues to be a mute witness.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Can Obama Really Affect Kashmir's Future?
Shuhab puts a well deserved damper on unrealistic expectations
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Global Great Game and Kashmir
Amid the boycott of elections and brisk polling in first phase, Kashmir is euphoric over the possible role of United States of America in resolving the taxing dispute between India and Pakistan. It was generated by one odd statement by President-elect Barrack Obama who, besides expressing his concern over Kashmir, also hinted at appointing one of his predecessors, Bill Clinton, as the point on Kashmir. There is no doubt that new Democratic regime in Washington would work towards mending the fences with Muslim world which feels bruised at the hands of Bush administration, especially after September 11 attacks. Barrack Obama has indicated that he would set in motion the US troops rollback from Iraq which is not only costing it much on military front but has led to a widening wedge between US and the Muslims.
Democrats in any case would not follow the radical line adopted by Republicans but apparently it is not possible to change the foreign policy overnight to appease the Muslims at the time US continues to feel threatened from the forces of the likes of Osama Bin Laden. The immediate change in Washington's policy may not be imminent and it is difficult to see US ignoring the allies like Israel and completely befriending Palestine. The impression that Obama comes from a Muslim background and can be radically pro Muslim is also a misplaced idea. His task will be to maintain a fine balance between the two faiths, that are otherwise on a warpath at one level.
In the backdrop of consistent changes the global politics has witnessed after 9/11, the priorities for American administration have altogether taken a different shape. So the statements from Obama about Kashmir needed to be viewed in that context rather than a knee jerk response which could lead to a false impression that the solution was imminent. The US policy in South Asia is largely focused on Afghanistan, Taliban, Al Qaeda and most importantly Pakistan which is the nerve centre of the so called "War on Terror". This situation has to been seen in the context of India's leap in its diplomatic journey in the shape of all important US-India nuclear deal where in New Delhi could manage NSG waiver amid stiff resistance from some countries.
It is true that Kashmir was on the agenda of Clinton administration and the concerns expressed by the administration through the then Secretary of State Madeline Albright were of immense important to the region and seen as indicators of seriousness on part of Washington to see Kashmir dispute settled. India was always poles apart from US especially in the cold war period thus making enough space for Pakistan to be close to it, notwithstanding China's influence over the country. It was a compulsion for US to ally with Pakistan in presence of another world power called USSR. But sooner the equations started changing in the region, with New Delhi emerging as a leader in South Asia - thus covertly dictating to its small neighbours. However, Pakistan managed to steer through pressure and even competed India in nuclear tests and at the same time continued troubling India in Kashmir which even led to low intensity war Kargil, in 1999.
India's viewpoint that terrorism was a scourge was not taken so seriously by the West, especially US and its allies, until the hell broke loose on the country in the shape of 9/11. Many analysts believe that it was a watershed development which pushed ahead a new political alignment. India managed to convince the American policy makers that the terrorism was hitting it in a similar way and also gave an understanding that Pakistan was the "breeding centre" of this phenomenon of terror. Though US immediately allied with Pakistan on the war on terror but its suspicion about Islamabad's involvement in the overall game never allowed it to think on positive lines vis-à-vis Islamabad.
Now that Pakistan is embroiled in this war, alongside US, the primary concern for Washington is to come to terms with the actors in Afghanistan. Whether it will fall in line with Taliban or take repressive measures to curb them, remains to be seen. But Obama has made it clear that his administration will not be soft on Al Qaeda and its supporters. In that great game Pakistan is in a peculiar situation, where it cannot dictate to US. The trans-border attacks on Pakistani soil are also continuing despite the strong opposition from Yusuf Raza Gillani's government. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, during his visit to UN has assured Americans that he will support them in much effective manner than his predecessor Parvez Musharraf, and to be after the Taliban and Al Qaeda members is on top of that agenda for which Pakistani soil is in use since 2003. But this situation is all set to further weaken Pakistan both internally and externally. While the extremist forces within Pakistan, who are essentially against US have potential to upset the Islamabad-Washington relation and push the country into further economic and political instability, externally the country is bound to be alienated as its image as a country of "terrorist infestation" will not easily fade away.
Obama's remarks on Kashmir can then be seen in isolation and not in the context of its relation with Pakistan. To the extent of stating that it is a dispute it will be presumably fine with new dispensation in White House, but will it withstand the growing influence and pressure of New Delhi in going out of way to dictate a third party intervention. That possibility seems to be remote in the wake of Pakistan's weaker position on the global arena. US pressure could work only in case Pakistan was strongly positioned and able to mould the other world opinion in her favour. As for now US is unlikely to part ways with India, but at the same time has to cajole Pakistan. While Afghanistan is in the priority range Pakistan is in no position to bargain with Washington on Kashmir. It is time to wait till Obama takes over in January and then the foreign policy rules will follow; most probably without much change.
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Global Great Game and Kashmir
Amid the boycott of elections and brisk polling in first phase, Kashmir is euphoric over the possible role of United States of America in resolving the taxing dispute between India and Pakistan. It was generated by one odd statement by President-elect Barrack Obama who, besides expressing his concern over Kashmir, also hinted at appointing one of his predecessors, Bill Clinton, as the point on Kashmir. There is no doubt that new Democratic regime in Washington would work towards mending the fences with Muslim world which feels bruised at the hands of Bush administration, especially after September 11 attacks. Barrack Obama has indicated that he would set in motion the US troops rollback from Iraq which is not only costing it much on military front but has led to a widening wedge between US and the Muslims.
Democrats in any case would not follow the radical line adopted by Republicans but apparently it is not possible to change the foreign policy overnight to appease the Muslims at the time US continues to feel threatened from the forces of the likes of Osama Bin Laden. The immediate change in Washington's policy may not be imminent and it is difficult to see US ignoring the allies like Israel and completely befriending Palestine. The impression that Obama comes from a Muslim background and can be radically pro Muslim is also a misplaced idea. His task will be to maintain a fine balance between the two faiths, that are otherwise on a warpath at one level.
In the backdrop of consistent changes the global politics has witnessed after 9/11, the priorities for American administration have altogether taken a different shape. So the statements from Obama about Kashmir needed to be viewed in that context rather than a knee jerk response which could lead to a false impression that the solution was imminent. The US policy in South Asia is largely focused on Afghanistan, Taliban, Al Qaeda and most importantly Pakistan which is the nerve centre of the so called "War on Terror". This situation has to been seen in the context of India's leap in its diplomatic journey in the shape of all important US-India nuclear deal where in New Delhi could manage NSG waiver amid stiff resistance from some countries.
It is true that Kashmir was on the agenda of Clinton administration and the concerns expressed by the administration through the then Secretary of State Madeline Albright were of immense important to the region and seen as indicators of seriousness on part of Washington to see Kashmir dispute settled. India was always poles apart from US especially in the cold war period thus making enough space for Pakistan to be close to it, notwithstanding China's influence over the country. It was a compulsion for US to ally with Pakistan in presence of another world power called USSR. But sooner the equations started changing in the region, with New Delhi emerging as a leader in South Asia - thus covertly dictating to its small neighbours. However, Pakistan managed to steer through pressure and even competed India in nuclear tests and at the same time continued troubling India in Kashmir which even led to low intensity war Kargil, in 1999.
India's viewpoint that terrorism was a scourge was not taken so seriously by the West, especially US and its allies, until the hell broke loose on the country in the shape of 9/11. Many analysts believe that it was a watershed development which pushed ahead a new political alignment. India managed to convince the American policy makers that the terrorism was hitting it in a similar way and also gave an understanding that Pakistan was the "breeding centre" of this phenomenon of terror. Though US immediately allied with Pakistan on the war on terror but its suspicion about Islamabad's involvement in the overall game never allowed it to think on positive lines vis-à-vis Islamabad.
Now that Pakistan is embroiled in this war, alongside US, the primary concern for Washington is to come to terms with the actors in Afghanistan. Whether it will fall in line with Taliban or take repressive measures to curb them, remains to be seen. But Obama has made it clear that his administration will not be soft on Al Qaeda and its supporters. In that great game Pakistan is in a peculiar situation, where it cannot dictate to US. The trans-border attacks on Pakistani soil are also continuing despite the strong opposition from Yusuf Raza Gillani's government. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, during his visit to UN has assured Americans that he will support them in much effective manner than his predecessor Parvez Musharraf, and to be after the Taliban and Al Qaeda members is on top of that agenda for which Pakistani soil is in use since 2003. But this situation is all set to further weaken Pakistan both internally and externally. While the extremist forces within Pakistan, who are essentially against US have potential to upset the Islamabad-Washington relation and push the country into further economic and political instability, externally the country is bound to be alienated as its image as a country of "terrorist infestation" will not easily fade away.
Obama's remarks on Kashmir can then be seen in isolation and not in the context of its relation with Pakistan. To the extent of stating that it is a dispute it will be presumably fine with new dispensation in White House, but will it withstand the growing influence and pressure of New Delhi in going out of way to dictate a third party intervention. That possibility seems to be remote in the wake of Pakistan's weaker position on the global arena. US pressure could work only in case Pakistan was strongly positioned and able to mould the other world opinion in her favour. As for now US is unlikely to part ways with India, but at the same time has to cajole Pakistan. While Afghanistan is in the priority range Pakistan is in no position to bargain with Washington on Kashmir. It is time to wait till Obama takes over in January and then the foreign policy rules will follow; most probably without much change.
A Tragedy Called Srinagar - Part 1
Yet another story of an ancient city with citizens who lack both a sense of history and a sense of civics
Srinagar: one big garbage dump
Mutaharra A W Deva (Rising Kashmir)
Environmental pollution has increased alarmingly alongside human population, urbanization, industrialization and changing agricultural practices, largely due to the arbitrary exploitation of natural resources and ignorance of the deleterious side effects. The state of J&K is no exception. It is in fact worst hit from the effects of municipal solid waste management on our cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
Solid waste is a potential nightmare across the State; largely because of growing urban population due to inadequate policy and legislative instruments and also due to the deplorable organizational and financial capacities of our municipalities and urban local bodies. Sketching briefly the waste generation, collection and disposal scenario across the Sate of J&K, there is a need to highlight the issues in institutional arrangements for solid waste management.
The condition at Achen dumping site, situated in a mohalla, is deplorable. The populace is in great distress, as the foul smell has virtually made their life impossible in the area. On one of my recent visits to this site, people complained of social boycott to the extent that their sons are mostly remaining unmarried as no one is ready to marry off his girl in a family of this locality.
What is the solution, and where the fault lies are big questions that have remained unanswered till date. However, it may be conveyed that environment and environmental planning remained a casualty in our state. The clerical hold on administration has never allowed us to develop any of our plans on scientific lines. The technocrats have no role in our planning as is prevalent in the West and in other places of tourist importance whose economy depends on tourist related projects, like in our state of J&K.
The dismal position of municipal solid waste management touches particularly on the impact of municipalities’ financial health, autonomy limitations and potentials of alternative actors, particularly the economically exploited waste collectors and vendors of non formal sector. Direct and indirect financial instruments of cost recovery and generation control are advocated taking into account their operational hurdles in capacity building of local bodies; non-formal sector be organized and that the private sector participates more widely in collection and recycling. NGO begin to train marginal workers and build awareness among the poor as to the techniques and opportunities of solid waste collection.
Solid waste can be defined as the material that no longer has any value to the person who is responsible for it and it cannot be discharged through a pipe. It does not normally include human excreta. It is generated by mainly domestic source in our state, particularly in Srinagar City, apart from commercial, industrial, healthcare, agriculture, mining and mineral extraction activities, and accumulates in streets and public places. The word garbage, trash refuses and rubbish are used to refer to some forms of solid waste.
The municipal details, as conveyed by 2005 statistics, indicate population of Srinagar city as 9.95 lac based on 2000 census. Municipality caters to 6.69 lac people as against 11.16 lac actual population, meaning thereby that only 60% is taken care of by the Municipality. Area under Srinagar Municipality is 202 Sq. Kms (actually it is now 278 sq Kms distributed in 23 Wards). Population as per municipality record is 4.7 lac people.
Population of Srinagar city has been worked out at 11.16 lac, in the year 2005, on the basis of growth rate of preceding year i.e., 2.9% per annum, as per census and population of the year 2001; it includes those areas which have been included within municipal limits in the year 2003. The quantity of solid waste generated per capita per day is calculated at 480 gms based on a NEERI study undertaken for city of Srinagar for 2004-05. Total quantity of Solid Waste generated per day is 477 MT.
Municipal Corporation is collecting solid waste to the tune of 300 MT, and about 235 MT are transported to the Achen dumping site.
At present the Waste disposal methodology is:-
Crude/open dumping : 230 MTS
Open burning by people: 20 MTS
Recycling / Rag pickers: 20 MTS
Achen land fill site is around 600 canals of area where Municipal Corporation resorts to open dumping.
The Municipal Solid Waste (management and handling) Rules 2000, published by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI under the aegis of Environment Protection Act 1986 gives ample and clear ways of waste management methods and clearly shows the responsibility of Municipality and implementation of provisions of these rules and infrastructure development for collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid wastes. Government’s responsibility is also defined. The PCB has to monitor the compliance of the standards. For process of land filling as one of the disposal methodologies, site selection is an important aspect due to the fact that the urban population have shown huge increase in solid waste, and the studies have shown that the per capita increase varies form 100 gms to 500 grms in larger cities. The sites so identified need to be away from habitation forest areas, reserves and national parks and othe ego-fragile areas.
Land fill should be properly hedged and to be provided with a proper gate to monitor the movement of vehicles carrying the solid waste.
Waste disposal options are many but as described sanitary land filling system is the most prevalent one in the country. The system means trenches and pits in alternate layers of 80 cm thick refuse and then covered with an earth fill of 20 cms thickness. After 2-3 years, the solid waste (SW) volume shrinks by 25-30% and the land can be used for the parks, roads or as land for the small buildings with normal compaction. A land fill site can take 500 bags and refuse per cubic meter of trench space available. While locating the site for dumping refuse, as the land should be selected for taking into account that it can be used for 25-30 years, land filling depends on the availability of land area, soil conditions, ground water table, topography, distance form the residential area and the ultimate usage of site after reclamation.
The land fill operation is a biological method of waste treatment. SW can be stabilized by dividing it into five distinct phases. In the first phase aerobic bacteria deplete the available oxygen as a result of aerobic respiration and the temperature increases. In the second phase anaerobic conditions become established and the hydrogen and carbon dioxide is evolved. In the third phase Methane is liberated and in the 4th phase methonogic activities become stabilized. In the fifth-phase the system returns to aerobic conditions within the land fill. The duration of each phase varies with the environmental conditions.
The process of Bio-methane technology is used for the production of methane from the SW. Here separation and size reduction of the solid waste is carried out. After the moisture and nutrients are added, the pH is adjusted to about 6.7 and temperature of the slurry is increased to 55-660C. The Slurry is mixed well for about 7-10 days. After this the storage of the gas is carried out.
In the composting, which is a method of aerobic decomposition of SW, many types of micro-organisms already present in the waste stabilized the SW. The organisms include bacteria, which predominates at all stages, fungi which appear after the first week and actinomycetes which assist during the final stages. Mesophillic bacteria present oxidize the orgasnised matter in the refuse to carbon dioxide and release it as heart. The temperature increases up to 450C. Thermophillic bacteria takeover and continue the decomposition. The temperature further increases to 600 and SW is turned. After 3 weeks composites are stabilized.
The process of incineration involves burning of the SW at a very high temperature. The volume of SW is reduced up to 90% and the un-burnt SW is about 25% of the original. But the ash disposal and emissions from incinerators is a matter of concern for the environmentalists.
Health impact of solid waste is manifold. The increase in SW is due to an increase in the population. As the population increases, the demand for food and other essentials also goes high, resulting in the increase in waste. In our city, it is thrown in the streets as is a usual site, it attracts insects, flies, rats, dogs etc. which result in spreading foul odour due to decomposition. Waste form agriculture and industries can also cause serious health diseases because these wastes may indicate some chemicals pesticides, metals etc. Uncollected SW may also affect water bodies and cause many water borne diseases. Plastic is also harmful and its unhygienic disposal can cause toxic diseases as it releases heavy metals like copper, lead. mercury, chorimium, cobalt, selenium and cadmium etc.
For every successful programme, and in particular the areas directly related with human day to day activity, and having such a direct impact on all who are around, needs aggressive public awareness and heath education. Public needs to be made aware about the environmental hazards by arranging awareness camps and hammering home the point that the domestic waste should not be spread on streets, roads etc.
In our city there is a strong need of formation of a pressure group which can interact with the city municipal authorities to know about their plans and actions. Full involvement of citizens is required so that the city population becomes aware of what is happening in our city. The recent episode at Achen is a case in point; this land fill site is absolutely mismanaged by the municipality.
There are many factors which are hampering the technical and scientific work of the municipality but we cannot remain mute spectators to the changing environmental management scenario the world over. We cannot always plead ignorance. Infact our plans are faulty and we don’t take required measures to save the environment, at the inception of a project.
Let us vow to work for an environmental friendly city. And then dream of a beautiful city.
Srinagar: one big garbage dump
Mutaharra A W Deva (Rising Kashmir)
Environmental pollution has increased alarmingly alongside human population, urbanization, industrialization and changing agricultural practices, largely due to the arbitrary exploitation of natural resources and ignorance of the deleterious side effects. The state of J&K is no exception. It is in fact worst hit from the effects of municipal solid waste management on our cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
Solid waste is a potential nightmare across the State; largely because of growing urban population due to inadequate policy and legislative instruments and also due to the deplorable organizational and financial capacities of our municipalities and urban local bodies. Sketching briefly the waste generation, collection and disposal scenario across the Sate of J&K, there is a need to highlight the issues in institutional arrangements for solid waste management.
The condition at Achen dumping site, situated in a mohalla, is deplorable. The populace is in great distress, as the foul smell has virtually made their life impossible in the area. On one of my recent visits to this site, people complained of social boycott to the extent that their sons are mostly remaining unmarried as no one is ready to marry off his girl in a family of this locality.
What is the solution, and where the fault lies are big questions that have remained unanswered till date. However, it may be conveyed that environment and environmental planning remained a casualty in our state. The clerical hold on administration has never allowed us to develop any of our plans on scientific lines. The technocrats have no role in our planning as is prevalent in the West and in other places of tourist importance whose economy depends on tourist related projects, like in our state of J&K.
The dismal position of municipal solid waste management touches particularly on the impact of municipalities’ financial health, autonomy limitations and potentials of alternative actors, particularly the economically exploited waste collectors and vendors of non formal sector. Direct and indirect financial instruments of cost recovery and generation control are advocated taking into account their operational hurdles in capacity building of local bodies; non-formal sector be organized and that the private sector participates more widely in collection and recycling. NGO begin to train marginal workers and build awareness among the poor as to the techniques and opportunities of solid waste collection.
Solid waste can be defined as the material that no longer has any value to the person who is responsible for it and it cannot be discharged through a pipe. It does not normally include human excreta. It is generated by mainly domestic source in our state, particularly in Srinagar City, apart from commercial, industrial, healthcare, agriculture, mining and mineral extraction activities, and accumulates in streets and public places. The word garbage, trash refuses and rubbish are used to refer to some forms of solid waste.
The municipal details, as conveyed by 2005 statistics, indicate population of Srinagar city as 9.95 lac based on 2000 census. Municipality caters to 6.69 lac people as against 11.16 lac actual population, meaning thereby that only 60% is taken care of by the Municipality. Area under Srinagar Municipality is 202 Sq. Kms (actually it is now 278 sq Kms distributed in 23 Wards). Population as per municipality record is 4.7 lac people.
Population of Srinagar city has been worked out at 11.16 lac, in the year 2005, on the basis of growth rate of preceding year i.e., 2.9% per annum, as per census and population of the year 2001; it includes those areas which have been included within municipal limits in the year 2003. The quantity of solid waste generated per capita per day is calculated at 480 gms based on a NEERI study undertaken for city of Srinagar for 2004-05. Total quantity of Solid Waste generated per day is 477 MT.
Municipal Corporation is collecting solid waste to the tune of 300 MT, and about 235 MT are transported to the Achen dumping site.
At present the Waste disposal methodology is:-
Crude/open dumping : 230 MTS
Open burning by people: 20 MTS
Recycling / Rag pickers: 20 MTS
Achen land fill site is around 600 canals of area where Municipal Corporation resorts to open dumping.
The Municipal Solid Waste (management and handling) Rules 2000, published by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI under the aegis of Environment Protection Act 1986 gives ample and clear ways of waste management methods and clearly shows the responsibility of Municipality and implementation of provisions of these rules and infrastructure development for collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal solid wastes. Government’s responsibility is also defined. The PCB has to monitor the compliance of the standards. For process of land filling as one of the disposal methodologies, site selection is an important aspect due to the fact that the urban population have shown huge increase in solid waste, and the studies have shown that the per capita increase varies form 100 gms to 500 grms in larger cities. The sites so identified need to be away from habitation forest areas, reserves and national parks and othe ego-fragile areas.
Land fill should be properly hedged and to be provided with a proper gate to monitor the movement of vehicles carrying the solid waste.
Waste disposal options are many but as described sanitary land filling system is the most prevalent one in the country. The system means trenches and pits in alternate layers of 80 cm thick refuse and then covered with an earth fill of 20 cms thickness. After 2-3 years, the solid waste (SW) volume shrinks by 25-30% and the land can be used for the parks, roads or as land for the small buildings with normal compaction. A land fill site can take 500 bags and refuse per cubic meter of trench space available. While locating the site for dumping refuse, as the land should be selected for taking into account that it can be used for 25-30 years, land filling depends on the availability of land area, soil conditions, ground water table, topography, distance form the residential area and the ultimate usage of site after reclamation.
The land fill operation is a biological method of waste treatment. SW can be stabilized by dividing it into five distinct phases. In the first phase aerobic bacteria deplete the available oxygen as a result of aerobic respiration and the temperature increases. In the second phase anaerobic conditions become established and the hydrogen and carbon dioxide is evolved. In the third phase Methane is liberated and in the 4th phase methonogic activities become stabilized. In the fifth-phase the system returns to aerobic conditions within the land fill. The duration of each phase varies with the environmental conditions.
The process of Bio-methane technology is used for the production of methane from the SW. Here separation and size reduction of the solid waste is carried out. After the moisture and nutrients are added, the pH is adjusted to about 6.7 and temperature of the slurry is increased to 55-660C. The Slurry is mixed well for about 7-10 days. After this the storage of the gas is carried out.
In the composting, which is a method of aerobic decomposition of SW, many types of micro-organisms already present in the waste stabilized the SW. The organisms include bacteria, which predominates at all stages, fungi which appear after the first week and actinomycetes which assist during the final stages. Mesophillic bacteria present oxidize the orgasnised matter in the refuse to carbon dioxide and release it as heart. The temperature increases up to 450C. Thermophillic bacteria takeover and continue the decomposition. The temperature further increases to 600 and SW is turned. After 3 weeks composites are stabilized.
The process of incineration involves burning of the SW at a very high temperature. The volume of SW is reduced up to 90% and the un-burnt SW is about 25% of the original. But the ash disposal and emissions from incinerators is a matter of concern for the environmentalists.
Health impact of solid waste is manifold. The increase in SW is due to an increase in the population. As the population increases, the demand for food and other essentials also goes high, resulting in the increase in waste. In our city, it is thrown in the streets as is a usual site, it attracts insects, flies, rats, dogs etc. which result in spreading foul odour due to decomposition. Waste form agriculture and industries can also cause serious health diseases because these wastes may indicate some chemicals pesticides, metals etc. Uncollected SW may also affect water bodies and cause many water borne diseases. Plastic is also harmful and its unhygienic disposal can cause toxic diseases as it releases heavy metals like copper, lead. mercury, chorimium, cobalt, selenium and cadmium etc.
For every successful programme, and in particular the areas directly related with human day to day activity, and having such a direct impact on all who are around, needs aggressive public awareness and heath education. Public needs to be made aware about the environmental hazards by arranging awareness camps and hammering home the point that the domestic waste should not be spread on streets, roads etc.
In our city there is a strong need of formation of a pressure group which can interact with the city municipal authorities to know about their plans and actions. Full involvement of citizens is required so that the city population becomes aware of what is happening in our city. The recent episode at Achen is a case in point; this land fill site is absolutely mismanaged by the municipality.
There are many factors which are hampering the technical and scientific work of the municipality but we cannot remain mute spectators to the changing environmental management scenario the world over. We cannot always plead ignorance. Infact our plans are faulty and we don’t take required measures to save the environment, at the inception of a project.
Let us vow to work for an environmental friendly city. And then dream of a beautiful city.
Between the Devil (Hurriyat) and the Deep Sea (New Delhi)
Riyaz provides an assessment of the first polling day in the Valley
(Mr. Riyaz Masroor, 36, was born and raised in Srinagar. He is a Srinagar based journalist who writes in English, Urdu and kashmiri. Besides working in the local press, his articles have appeared on BBC Radio online, Himal Southasia and the Journal of International Federation of Journalists.)
Bandipora Verdict
On November 17, driving through the awfully deployed columns of army men, paramilitary troops and a desolate marketplace of Bandipora was enough to manifest an overwhelming mood for boycott. But that was not to be. Few paces down the street people jostled each other in long queues; some political workers exchanged blows; at some places rowdy activists resorted to rigging.
But, as compared to elections held in 1996 and 2002, the people registered a calculated response to both New Delhi and Hurriyat Conference. While a complete strike reflected their latent aspirations for Azadi an almost festive mood at polling booths showed how stale the idea of boycotting the elections had grown, especially at a time when neither the voter nor the vote-seeker was confined to the slogan of development. No body sought public support for accession to India; no body voted against Hurriyat Conference per se.
Here lies a crucial lesson for both New Delhi as well as Hurriyat.
Ever since the most flawed elections of 1952 New Delhi has been insisting that the Accession Treaty concluded between the fleeing Maharaja and the Union of India in 1947 had been “endorsed” by Kashmir assembly hence no need to hold a plebiscite as prescribed by the UN resolutions.
Although much water had flown down the Jhelum, India recently appeared stuck to the same belief when the country’s representative in UN equated Kashmir elections with right of self-determination. This stagnant and politically incorrect policy has always induced suspicion among masses about the mainstream of governance and need to strengthen democratic institutions. Sizeable voter turnout and the subsequent shutdown in Bandipora is, therefore, a popular verdict against New Delhi’s dicey approach toward Kashmir governance.
When you enforce change rather than waiting for the spadework to produce the change you are bound to end up in disaster. New Delhi was always nervy about Kashmir and it always attempted to force a change rather than creating conditions for a favorable change.
Notwithstanding an unhealthy stance the Indian representative took in the UN, J&K Governor N N Vohra sounded not just positive but also pragmatic when he responded to the voter turnout in Bandipora. His statement was interesting as well as amazing when viewed in the backdrop of India’s stance about elections in the UN. The Governor’s message did not mention the term right of self-determination or Hurriyat nor did it sound provocative against the people’s aspirations.
Lauding the people for cooperating with the state for the peaceful conduct of the polls the governor said, “The participation of people in large numbers, despite cold weather particularly in the valley and Ladakh region, reflects their deep faith in democracy. The electorate confidently sustained their commitment and trust in the power of ballot."
If judged in light of Mr Vohra’s response Hurriyat’s boycott call appears an act of stupidity. But when compared with New Delhi’s latest assertion in the UN, it seems any electoral exercise in Kashmir is ultimately used as a foreign policy chip to bog down Pakistan. Does Pakistan still matter? Is it not an opportune time to solemnize a true and unbiased relationship between J&K and New Delhi? What is New Delhi waiting for?
If the Hurriyat needs to move beyond boycott politics New Delhi requires more than that. It needs to de-link the electoral exercises in J&K from its foreign policy ambit. Let things change by themselves, let we not force change because forcing change evokes unfavorable reactions. Why do we forget the fiasco caused by erroneous judgment of Mr Vohra’s predecessor? And for that matter, has New Delhi’s sticking to the Atoot Ang policy and equating elections in J&K with plebiscite delivered any way for these past 61 years? Had it been so, Mr Obama might not have mentioned Kahsmir four times during his recent campaign and he would not have suggested a special envoy on Kashmir; European Union would not term Kashmir as a “beautiful prison” and the military observers posted in Srinagar would have long been removed.
This is the time that New Delhi made Kashmir the battle ground for true democracy. On the contrary it is giving enough moral space to separatists. When you require putting at least a dozen top leaders and scores of their supporters in jail and seal almost the entire Valley on the day of polling, however rosy the polling may look it would certainly lack the credibility. Let the dissent galore and the democracy will flourish. If New Delhi really wants a democratic consolidation in J&K it will have to dissociate Kashmir elections from its foreign policy agenda or any anti-Pakistan diplomatic offensive.
Hurriyat Conference and its affiliates such as JKLF and Peoples Conference also need some course correction. The leaders spearheading the separatism in J&K should understand the ideological import of the boycott. When the mainstream groups and their leaders, some of them having held top positions in Indian government, have de-linked the elections from their political beliefs Hurriyat has no sound reason to hold on to the belief that if people vote India will gain. Had they ever employed even a shred of common sense they would understand the finer fact of democracy. The fact is that even if 1% electorate turns out to vote the elections are considered valid. Given that conceptual strength coupled with a tighter grip over the ground, would it be ever difficult for Delhi to conduct polls?
(Mr. Riyaz Masroor, 36, was born and raised in Srinagar. He is a Srinagar based journalist who writes in English, Urdu and kashmiri. Besides working in the local press, his articles have appeared on BBC Radio online, Himal Southasia and the Journal of International Federation of Journalists.)
Bandipora Verdict
On November 17, driving through the awfully deployed columns of army men, paramilitary troops and a desolate marketplace of Bandipora was enough to manifest an overwhelming mood for boycott. But that was not to be. Few paces down the street people jostled each other in long queues; some political workers exchanged blows; at some places rowdy activists resorted to rigging.
But, as compared to elections held in 1996 and 2002, the people registered a calculated response to both New Delhi and Hurriyat Conference. While a complete strike reflected their latent aspirations for Azadi an almost festive mood at polling booths showed how stale the idea of boycotting the elections had grown, especially at a time when neither the voter nor the vote-seeker was confined to the slogan of development. No body sought public support for accession to India; no body voted against Hurriyat Conference per se.
Here lies a crucial lesson for both New Delhi as well as Hurriyat.
Ever since the most flawed elections of 1952 New Delhi has been insisting that the Accession Treaty concluded between the fleeing Maharaja and the Union of India in 1947 had been “endorsed” by Kashmir assembly hence no need to hold a plebiscite as prescribed by the UN resolutions.
Although much water had flown down the Jhelum, India recently appeared stuck to the same belief when the country’s representative in UN equated Kashmir elections with right of self-determination. This stagnant and politically incorrect policy has always induced suspicion among masses about the mainstream of governance and need to strengthen democratic institutions. Sizeable voter turnout and the subsequent shutdown in Bandipora is, therefore, a popular verdict against New Delhi’s dicey approach toward Kashmir governance.
When you enforce change rather than waiting for the spadework to produce the change you are bound to end up in disaster. New Delhi was always nervy about Kashmir and it always attempted to force a change rather than creating conditions for a favorable change.
Notwithstanding an unhealthy stance the Indian representative took in the UN, J&K Governor N N Vohra sounded not just positive but also pragmatic when he responded to the voter turnout in Bandipora. His statement was interesting as well as amazing when viewed in the backdrop of India’s stance about elections in the UN. The Governor’s message did not mention the term right of self-determination or Hurriyat nor did it sound provocative against the people’s aspirations.
Lauding the people for cooperating with the state for the peaceful conduct of the polls the governor said, “The participation of people in large numbers, despite cold weather particularly in the valley and Ladakh region, reflects their deep faith in democracy. The electorate confidently sustained their commitment and trust in the power of ballot."
If judged in light of Mr Vohra’s response Hurriyat’s boycott call appears an act of stupidity. But when compared with New Delhi’s latest assertion in the UN, it seems any electoral exercise in Kashmir is ultimately used as a foreign policy chip to bog down Pakistan. Does Pakistan still matter? Is it not an opportune time to solemnize a true and unbiased relationship between J&K and New Delhi? What is New Delhi waiting for?
If the Hurriyat needs to move beyond boycott politics New Delhi requires more than that. It needs to de-link the electoral exercises in J&K from its foreign policy ambit. Let things change by themselves, let we not force change because forcing change evokes unfavorable reactions. Why do we forget the fiasco caused by erroneous judgment of Mr Vohra’s predecessor? And for that matter, has New Delhi’s sticking to the Atoot Ang policy and equating elections in J&K with plebiscite delivered any way for these past 61 years? Had it been so, Mr Obama might not have mentioned Kahsmir four times during his recent campaign and he would not have suggested a special envoy on Kashmir; European Union would not term Kashmir as a “beautiful prison” and the military observers posted in Srinagar would have long been removed.
This is the time that New Delhi made Kashmir the battle ground for true democracy. On the contrary it is giving enough moral space to separatists. When you require putting at least a dozen top leaders and scores of their supporters in jail and seal almost the entire Valley on the day of polling, however rosy the polling may look it would certainly lack the credibility. Let the dissent galore and the democracy will flourish. If New Delhi really wants a democratic consolidation in J&K it will have to dissociate Kashmir elections from its foreign policy agenda or any anti-Pakistan diplomatic offensive.
Hurriyat Conference and its affiliates such as JKLF and Peoples Conference also need some course correction. The leaders spearheading the separatism in J&K should understand the ideological import of the boycott. When the mainstream groups and their leaders, some of them having held top positions in Indian government, have de-linked the elections from their political beliefs Hurriyat has no sound reason to hold on to the belief that if people vote India will gain. Had they ever employed even a shred of common sense they would understand the finer fact of democracy. The fact is that even if 1% electorate turns out to vote the elections are considered valid. Given that conceptual strength coupled with a tighter grip over the ground, would it be ever difficult for Delhi to conduct polls?
Does Voting by Minorities Matter?
In the electoral battle among elephants, Mahesh raises an interesting question about rights and aspirations of minorities
(Mr. Mahesh Kaul, 29, was born in Ghat Jogi Lankar, Rainawari, Srinagar. He completed his Master's degree in Tourism Management (MTM) and is now pursuing Ph.D. degree at the Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Management (CHTM) of the University of Jammu. His doctoral dissertation topic is, "Marketing Strategies for Promoting Heritage Tourism in Jammu Region." He is a member of PATH-Preserve Art Treasure and Heritage.)
On Behalf of the Displaced
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is a state of contradictions. Contradictions in terms of politics, culture and society. Politically the ground in the state is not leveled. It can be witnessed from the arrival of the electoral process in which the so called mainstream political parties are too eager to participate. These mainstream parties want the solution of the Kashmir issue in terms of autonomy and self rule but at the same time say that the election is meant for the administration purpose not the permanent solution of the political dilemma that has engulfed this state in terms of sovereignty since 1947 when the subcontinent was divided on the basis of the two nation theory.
No political dispensation wants to address the J&K issue straightway; everyone wants to beat about the bush. This has resulted in complicating this issue. The more the straightforward approach has been delayed the more has the problem aggravated, as it has led to the emergence of more dimensions related to the Kashmir issue.
Uncertainty in terms of political climate when the majority community of the valley denies the loyalty towards the Indian constitution and the minority community of the Kashmiri Pandits shows open and clear allegiance to the Indian constitution has led to the identity crisis. This has resulted in the atmosphere of distrust and fear psychosis. It has not only led to the political conflict but also the social conflict that ultimately led to the displacement of the Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland. Whether the political players and separatists accept it or not the displacement of the Pandits from the valley has weakened the case of the majority community in terms of the right to self determination. Since it has led to the demographic change of the Kashmir valley in particular and the J&K state in general.
It has established the fact that the state is in the grip of two nation theory. No doubt this suffered the jolt when Bangladesh was created in 1971, but the concept of the Islamic homeland conceptualized by Sir Mohammad Iqbal and taken to its logical conclusion by Mohammad Ali Jinnah has divided the Kashmiri society in terms of religion and its ground result was the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley.
Until and unless we are not ready to accept the religious and political dimensions of the Kashmir issue outside the pseudo secularism propagated by the Indian political establishment and the Indian state, the solution of the Kashmir issue is not going to come out in the foreseeable future. Pakistan needs to understand too that the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 from their ancestral homeland has changed the dynamics of the Kashmiri issue. It is no longer a case of the aspirations of the Muslim majority of the Kashmir who want secession from Indian nation but also the case of the aspirations of the internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits, who want the free flow of Indian democracy in the state.
Political powers and players in both India and Pakistan need to realize that Kashmir is not only a strategic region but also a region where conflict has created a refugee problem that projects it as a case of the human rights violations.
For the Kashmiri Pandits the election process has no political significance as it cannot change their status of being refugees or internally displaced people. The policy makers who want to create the concept of constituencies in exile are just creating an illusion. One needs to question the absurdity of the policy makers who feel that the Kashmiri Pandits should vote from outside their homeland. This raises the question mark, whether it is an act to safeguard the human rights of the Kashmiri Pandits or it is a deliberate act to hide their plight from the eyes of the international community.
Jammu and Kashmir issue cannot be solved till the state is governed by the special status of the Indian constitution and the part of the state that is under the Pakistani control is not taken into consideration as Indian state is bound by the Resolution of the Indian parliament, the government of India is answerable to the nation as to what it thinks of the part of the princely state that was also the geographic and cultural entity of the J&K? What about the refugees of 1947 who have been discriminated against till this day and not granted the state subject rights despite being the state subjects of the erstwhile princely state?
Keeping these facts in view one feels that the elections have no sanctity when lakhs of Kashmiri Pandit refugees and 1947 refugees are living in exile.
(Mr. Mahesh Kaul, 29, was born in Ghat Jogi Lankar, Rainawari, Srinagar. He completed his Master's degree in Tourism Management (MTM) and is now pursuing Ph.D. degree at the Centre for Hospitality and Tourism Management (CHTM) of the University of Jammu. His doctoral dissertation topic is, "Marketing Strategies for Promoting Heritage Tourism in Jammu Region." He is a member of PATH-Preserve Art Treasure and Heritage.)
On Behalf of the Displaced
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is a state of contradictions. Contradictions in terms of politics, culture and society. Politically the ground in the state is not leveled. It can be witnessed from the arrival of the electoral process in which the so called mainstream political parties are too eager to participate. These mainstream parties want the solution of the Kashmir issue in terms of autonomy and self rule but at the same time say that the election is meant for the administration purpose not the permanent solution of the political dilemma that has engulfed this state in terms of sovereignty since 1947 when the subcontinent was divided on the basis of the two nation theory.
No political dispensation wants to address the J&K issue straightway; everyone wants to beat about the bush. This has resulted in complicating this issue. The more the straightforward approach has been delayed the more has the problem aggravated, as it has led to the emergence of more dimensions related to the Kashmir issue.
Uncertainty in terms of political climate when the majority community of the valley denies the loyalty towards the Indian constitution and the minority community of the Kashmiri Pandits shows open and clear allegiance to the Indian constitution has led to the identity crisis. This has resulted in the atmosphere of distrust and fear psychosis. It has not only led to the political conflict but also the social conflict that ultimately led to the displacement of the Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland. Whether the political players and separatists accept it or not the displacement of the Pandits from the valley has weakened the case of the majority community in terms of the right to self determination. Since it has led to the demographic change of the Kashmir valley in particular and the J&K state in general.
It has established the fact that the state is in the grip of two nation theory. No doubt this suffered the jolt when Bangladesh was created in 1971, but the concept of the Islamic homeland conceptualized by Sir Mohammad Iqbal and taken to its logical conclusion by Mohammad Ali Jinnah has divided the Kashmiri society in terms of religion and its ground result was the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley.
Until and unless we are not ready to accept the religious and political dimensions of the Kashmir issue outside the pseudo secularism propagated by the Indian political establishment and the Indian state, the solution of the Kashmir issue is not going to come out in the foreseeable future. Pakistan needs to understand too that the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 from their ancestral homeland has changed the dynamics of the Kashmiri issue. It is no longer a case of the aspirations of the Muslim majority of the Kashmir who want secession from Indian nation but also the case of the aspirations of the internally displaced Kashmiri Pandits, who want the free flow of Indian democracy in the state.
Political powers and players in both India and Pakistan need to realize that Kashmir is not only a strategic region but also a region where conflict has created a refugee problem that projects it as a case of the human rights violations.
For the Kashmiri Pandits the election process has no political significance as it cannot change their status of being refugees or internally displaced people. The policy makers who want to create the concept of constituencies in exile are just creating an illusion. One needs to question the absurdity of the policy makers who feel that the Kashmiri Pandits should vote from outside their homeland. This raises the question mark, whether it is an act to safeguard the human rights of the Kashmiri Pandits or it is a deliberate act to hide their plight from the eyes of the international community.
Jammu and Kashmir issue cannot be solved till the state is governed by the special status of the Indian constitution and the part of the state that is under the Pakistani control is not taken into consideration as Indian state is bound by the Resolution of the Indian parliament, the government of India is answerable to the nation as to what it thinks of the part of the princely state that was also the geographic and cultural entity of the J&K? What about the refugees of 1947 who have been discriminated against till this day and not granted the state subject rights despite being the state subjects of the erstwhile princely state?
Keeping these facts in view one feels that the elections have no sanctity when lakhs of Kashmiri Pandit refugees and 1947 refugees are living in exile.
Even the School Meal Program is Mired in Corruption
On one hand the school staff claim the meal assistance is trivial and on the other hand they are caught making money for personal gain
The drama called mid day meal scheme
Manohar Lalgami (Daily Etalaat)
Srinagar: Like many other schemes in fore in Jammu Kashmir , the mid day meals scheme in Primary and Middle Schools is running on proxy figures and no one in the department has bothered to relate the scheme with its purpose i.e. to decrease the drop out rate.
As the money for the scheme comes from union HRD ministry the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has observed that the state of J&K has not submitted the actual attendance data to the concerned authorities and has once again sought the devolution of funds on average attendance basis.
Like some other states in the Indian union Jammu & Kashmir state’s education department too has cooked up the attendance of school going children regarding mid day meal scheme.
Official sources told this news daily that cooked up attendance is a face saver for the department; as there is not much number present in government schools, especially in urban areas. The data available does not reflect the view of the department that mid day meals has increased the student attendance and drop out rates have come down.
An official of the department on the basis of anonymity told Etalaat that the department was in no way serious about the monitoring as that would expose the realities behind the ‘drama called mid day meal scheme’.
Recently Comptroller and Auditor General of India in a bid to tighten internal controls has observed that a dozen states including Jammu & Kashmir have not submitted the actual figures to Ministry of Human Resource Development viz number of school going children.
Insiders say that the scheme has not much bearing in the urban and sub urban areas as neither the teachers nor the students show much interest in the mid day meals provided in the school.
A teacher once associated with the mid day meal scheme told this news daily that the money provided for mid day meals is so meager that the scheme cannot be implemented honestly as the market prices are much higher than the estimates of HRD babus. ‘Money provided per student for providing ‘nutritious meals’ is not even worth the price of a candy of their children’, he said.
Interestingly the smallest chocolate available in the market costs not less than five Rupees.
Director Education Shugufta Parveen when contacted told this newspaper that she was not aware of any query regarding mid day meals from CAG, but confessed that she has been receiving complaints regarding mid day meal scheme and concerned district offices have been asked to keep a check on its implementation. However she was not able to say any thing about data regarding average and actual attendance provided to Human Resources Development Ministry.
Recently two School teachers were caught selling the rice meant for midday meals in J&K.
The drama called mid day meal scheme
Manohar Lalgami (Daily Etalaat)
Srinagar: Like many other schemes in fore in Jammu Kashmir , the mid day meals scheme in Primary and Middle Schools is running on proxy figures and no one in the department has bothered to relate the scheme with its purpose i.e. to decrease the drop out rate.
As the money for the scheme comes from union HRD ministry the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has observed that the state of J&K has not submitted the actual attendance data to the concerned authorities and has once again sought the devolution of funds on average attendance basis.
Like some other states in the Indian union Jammu & Kashmir state’s education department too has cooked up the attendance of school going children regarding mid day meal scheme.
Official sources told this news daily that cooked up attendance is a face saver for the department; as there is not much number present in government schools, especially in urban areas. The data available does not reflect the view of the department that mid day meals has increased the student attendance and drop out rates have come down.
An official of the department on the basis of anonymity told Etalaat that the department was in no way serious about the monitoring as that would expose the realities behind the ‘drama called mid day meal scheme’.
Recently Comptroller and Auditor General of India in a bid to tighten internal controls has observed that a dozen states including Jammu & Kashmir have not submitted the actual figures to Ministry of Human Resource Development viz number of school going children.
Insiders say that the scheme has not much bearing in the urban and sub urban areas as neither the teachers nor the students show much interest in the mid day meals provided in the school.
A teacher once associated with the mid day meal scheme told this news daily that the money provided for mid day meals is so meager that the scheme cannot be implemented honestly as the market prices are much higher than the estimates of HRD babus. ‘Money provided per student for providing ‘nutritious meals’ is not even worth the price of a candy of their children’, he said.
Interestingly the smallest chocolate available in the market costs not less than five Rupees.
Director Education Shugufta Parveen when contacted told this newspaper that she was not aware of any query regarding mid day meals from CAG, but confessed that she has been receiving complaints regarding mid day meal scheme and concerned district offices have been asked to keep a check on its implementation. However she was not able to say any thing about data regarding average and actual attendance provided to Human Resources Development Ministry.
Recently two School teachers were caught selling the rice meant for midday meals in J&K.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Uniquely Kashmiri
Kangri is an old and trusted heat source especially when electric power is intermittant
CHILLY WINTER AND KANGRI
Farzana Syed (Kashmir Images)
Kashmiris have their own way of fighting the bitter cold of winter. It is a traditional fire pot called Kangri. In absence of up-to-the-mark electric supply and in the lack of comfortable supply of kereosene oil and LPG, the people here are forced to go back to Kangri that may be hazardous to their health but is the only way to protect them from the bitting winter cold.The valley of Kashmir is famous in theworld not only for its picturesque beauty but also for its rich traditions and culture.
Kangri (firepot) is one such name that forms an important part of Kashmiri culture and is a unique cultural identity of the valley. Kangri is the easiest and cheapest way to keep warm in the chilling cold of Kashmir. As the winter season has knocked at the doors, huge stocks of Kangri's can be seen in the markets and busy streets these days. In earlier period's Kangri used to be the only alternative available for the people to protect themselves from the chilling winters of Kashmir.
With the onset of winters the Kangri sellers have displayed their stocks in the markets and shops as this is the main season that fetches them bucks for earning livelihood and the people can be seen purchasing Kangris. "We are in the profession of making Kangris for decades. My grandfather used to make and sell Kangris and now the tradition has passed on to me" says a Kangri seller Nazir. Kangri is made from the dried twigs of willow trees and a round earthen pot inside which fire is put. The willow twigs are skillfully twisted around the round shaped earthen pot in such a way that it gives the appearance of a woven thing.
Kangris are also available in different varieties & designs and their price is fixed accordingly. The small, beautifully designed Kangris are also used as decorative items not only in Kashmir but also in other states and countries. "Types of Kangris also vary as per their strength and durability viz charari kangri, bandipuri kangri .These are some famous types and are always in demand," says Khursheed, a Kangri seller in Shehre Khas. "It is not every body's cup of tea to weave a special designed and strong Kangri, it takes a lot of skill and hardwork. We make specially designed Kangris on orders from our customers. These are specially used during marriages" he adds.
With the advent of other sophisticated alternatives like gas heaters, blowers etc the use of Kangri has reduced to some extent which indeed has affected its sales. "Nowadays there are many other alternatives available to keep warm in winters and these are preferred more than Kangris. This has definitely had a negative impact on our business" says Nazir. "But for a poor man like me Kangri is the only option" he says. Despite the availability of many other alternatives Kangri remains a favorite in all Kashmiri homes and has still maintained its own presence.
"I think it is not possible for a common Kashmiri to spend winters without even thinking of Kangri. It is a sort of feed for winters and it has its own charm" says Shameema, a local woman. Though there are many alternatives to survive from this chilling season enjoying the snowfall with Kangri inside the pheran holding a mug of hot tea in the hands has an incomparable charm.
CHILLY WINTER AND KANGRI
Farzana Syed (Kashmir Images)
Kashmiris have their own way of fighting the bitter cold of winter. It is a traditional fire pot called Kangri. In absence of up-to-the-mark electric supply and in the lack of comfortable supply of kereosene oil and LPG, the people here are forced to go back to Kangri that may be hazardous to their health but is the only way to protect them from the bitting winter cold.The valley of Kashmir is famous in theworld not only for its picturesque beauty but also for its rich traditions and culture.
Kangri (firepot) is one such name that forms an important part of Kashmiri culture and is a unique cultural identity of the valley. Kangri is the easiest and cheapest way to keep warm in the chilling cold of Kashmir. As the winter season has knocked at the doors, huge stocks of Kangri's can be seen in the markets and busy streets these days. In earlier period's Kangri used to be the only alternative available for the people to protect themselves from the chilling winters of Kashmir.
With the onset of winters the Kangri sellers have displayed their stocks in the markets and shops as this is the main season that fetches them bucks for earning livelihood and the people can be seen purchasing Kangris. "We are in the profession of making Kangris for decades. My grandfather used to make and sell Kangris and now the tradition has passed on to me" says a Kangri seller Nazir. Kangri is made from the dried twigs of willow trees and a round earthen pot inside which fire is put. The willow twigs are skillfully twisted around the round shaped earthen pot in such a way that it gives the appearance of a woven thing.
Kangris are also available in different varieties & designs and their price is fixed accordingly. The small, beautifully designed Kangris are also used as decorative items not only in Kashmir but also in other states and countries. "Types of Kangris also vary as per their strength and durability viz charari kangri, bandipuri kangri .These are some famous types and are always in demand," says Khursheed, a Kangri seller in Shehre Khas. "It is not every body's cup of tea to weave a special designed and strong Kangri, it takes a lot of skill and hardwork. We make specially designed Kangris on orders from our customers. These are specially used during marriages" he adds.
With the advent of other sophisticated alternatives like gas heaters, blowers etc the use of Kangri has reduced to some extent which indeed has affected its sales. "Nowadays there are many other alternatives available to keep warm in winters and these are preferred more than Kangris. This has definitely had a negative impact on our business" says Nazir. "But for a poor man like me Kangri is the only option" he says. Despite the availability of many other alternatives Kangri remains a favorite in all Kashmiri homes and has still maintained its own presence.
"I think it is not possible for a common Kashmiri to spend winters without even thinking of Kangri. It is a sort of feed for winters and it has its own charm" says Shameema, a local woman. Though there are many alternatives to survive from this chilling season enjoying the snowfall with Kangri inside the pheran holding a mug of hot tea in the hands has an incomparable charm.
A Journalist's Dilemma
Sajjad addresses the grey area when a reporter becomes the subject
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
Reporting in a Conflict: Should journalists silently observe or actively participate?
In today's modern era, conflict is ubiquitous. Our response to conflict has been mainly focused on emergency relief where we arm ourselves with blankets, medicines and occasionally a well-laid out plan drafted to control the conflict situation. Even as this type of support is vital for those caught in the conflict, the need to be informed is equally critical. Here emerges the role of media by providing the people in a conflict zone with long-term and sometimes life-saving social support through the means of information.
Today, once again one of the prevailing debates in the academic fraternity of journalism is objectivity, whether it is possible and to what extant it is the best vehicle to achieve the ultimate goal of the media – the truth. The debate of impartiality and balance has remained an important discourse in media circles.
The war in the former Yugoslavia precipitated a number of journalists on the front line to question their roles and professional ideals of objectivity and detachment. Indeed, it was this conflict, which saw veteran war correspondent Martin Bell coining the term journalism of attachment. He defines journalism of attachment as a journalism which recognises the media as part of this world and one 'that is aware of its responsibilities, that will not stand neutrally between good and evil, right and wrong, the victim and the oppressor'. In fact, no one should be proud of being neutral in the face of a conflict, which consumes innocent human lives.
Let us consider an example of why journalists shouldn't believe themselves to be a neutral observer or a witness to a conflict. A reporter in Bosnia wanted to get a story on a sniper, the soldiers causing most damage on the hills above Sarajevo. The reporter arranged to meet one in his position. The sniper caught two people in his viewfinder. The reporter asked, 'What do you see?' The sniper answered, 'I see two people walking in the street: which one of them do you want me to shoot?' The reporter, realising that he had made a grave error, urged the sniper not to shoot any of them, and turned to leave. As he did so, two shots were fired. The reporter looked at the sniper, who said, 'That was a pity, you could have saved one of their lives'
The journalism of attachment means that journalistic objectivity in war is inappropriate and unworkable and there are arguments in favour of moral journalism that tries to get closer to the truth. However, contrary to this, there are arguments believing that such an adoption of subjective reporting is very dangerous.
With these academic discourses in mind, I have chosen to look at the issues of objectivity in a conflict zone like Kashmir, which has witnessed a series of wars between two countries – India and Pakistan. Even as objectivity or detachment should be the ideal of conflict reporting, we should also have a moral reporting that highlights the problems in the conflict zone. While aspects of journalism of attachment have many qualities, such as a caring reporting to the suffering people of the conflict, leaving behind objectivity in journalism leads down a path that could result in the truth from being lost.
Where there is highly biased and government governed media in a country it is even more essential that professional journalists reporting on events in that part have to maintain due impartiality and objectivity. Reporting on different cultural contexts in a various conflict zone is often defamatory and malicious. Media has to keep itself away from biased reporting on nationalism, patriotism and other diverse issues in conflict zones.
The privatization of electronic media has to ensure that there is an end to the State media monopoly which is most of the times biased. Here the private electronic media channels have got to be so careful with their political correctness, don't say this don't say that, and make sure at the end of the day they present a balanced news report. Perceiving bias and exaggeration in news reports is definitely going to kill their credibility. So, it is the media's responsibility to remain completely objective when reporting news, political or not.
A journalist should sometimes embrace passionate, moral journalism instead of standing back and watching people suffer in the name of objectivity. This emotional journalism has attracted us into questioning the role of objectivity on the front line, believing that it gets in the way of truthful reporting. However, this idea has drawn criticism from other academics and practitioners of journalism, who note how the truth can be blurred because journalists become personally embroiled or even fail to understand the political context in where they work,
One should examine the relationship between the professional commitments and personal moralities, and how the represented political context affects the journalists' judgments and actions in the two works. Advocates of Journalism of attachment seek a greater truth in conflict reporting than the one that they are restrained to tell by the handcuffs of objectivity. Basically, we should seek a moral journalism - a journalism that cares as well as it knows. One thing is most crucial. A journalist must be careful not to become 'more important than the event and he should not even prescribe how the audience should feel and react.
As a student of journalism, today I feel that the journalism of attachment has opened a wider debate on objectivity, especially in conflict reporting situation like in Kashmir. In a situation prevailing here, should journalists take sides if there is a clear case of morally right and wrong? Should we give up on objectivity and leave it to journalists to dictate what is right and wrong for the people? Undoubtedly, conflict reporting is unique. Nevertheless, objectivity is possible in all situations, but not in the strict outdated form prevalent in the media psyche.
Journalism of attachment and detachment have their merits. Today one of the pertinent questions of journalism is that whether a journalist should remain an impartial detached observer of an event rather than a subjective partial participant. While academically debating this issue, there emerges one simple and straight answer – the journalists should always act as an observer just to get to the truth. But, here again, a million dollar question arises.
Can this professional ideal be practiced in the unique sphere of conflict situation like the one prevailing in Kashmir?
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
Reporting in a Conflict: Should journalists silently observe or actively participate?
In today's modern era, conflict is ubiquitous. Our response to conflict has been mainly focused on emergency relief where we arm ourselves with blankets, medicines and occasionally a well-laid out plan drafted to control the conflict situation. Even as this type of support is vital for those caught in the conflict, the need to be informed is equally critical. Here emerges the role of media by providing the people in a conflict zone with long-term and sometimes life-saving social support through the means of information.
Today, once again one of the prevailing debates in the academic fraternity of journalism is objectivity, whether it is possible and to what extant it is the best vehicle to achieve the ultimate goal of the media – the truth. The debate of impartiality and balance has remained an important discourse in media circles.
The war in the former Yugoslavia precipitated a number of journalists on the front line to question their roles and professional ideals of objectivity and detachment. Indeed, it was this conflict, which saw veteran war correspondent Martin Bell coining the term journalism of attachment. He defines journalism of attachment as a journalism which recognises the media as part of this world and one 'that is aware of its responsibilities, that will not stand neutrally between good and evil, right and wrong, the victim and the oppressor'. In fact, no one should be proud of being neutral in the face of a conflict, which consumes innocent human lives.
Let us consider an example of why journalists shouldn't believe themselves to be a neutral observer or a witness to a conflict. A reporter in Bosnia wanted to get a story on a sniper, the soldiers causing most damage on the hills above Sarajevo. The reporter arranged to meet one in his position. The sniper caught two people in his viewfinder. The reporter asked, 'What do you see?' The sniper answered, 'I see two people walking in the street: which one of them do you want me to shoot?' The reporter, realising that he had made a grave error, urged the sniper not to shoot any of them, and turned to leave. As he did so, two shots were fired. The reporter looked at the sniper, who said, 'That was a pity, you could have saved one of their lives'
The journalism of attachment means that journalistic objectivity in war is inappropriate and unworkable and there are arguments in favour of moral journalism that tries to get closer to the truth. However, contrary to this, there are arguments believing that such an adoption of subjective reporting is very dangerous.
With these academic discourses in mind, I have chosen to look at the issues of objectivity in a conflict zone like Kashmir, which has witnessed a series of wars between two countries – India and Pakistan. Even as objectivity or detachment should be the ideal of conflict reporting, we should also have a moral reporting that highlights the problems in the conflict zone. While aspects of journalism of attachment have many qualities, such as a caring reporting to the suffering people of the conflict, leaving behind objectivity in journalism leads down a path that could result in the truth from being lost.
Where there is highly biased and government governed media in a country it is even more essential that professional journalists reporting on events in that part have to maintain due impartiality and objectivity. Reporting on different cultural contexts in a various conflict zone is often defamatory and malicious. Media has to keep itself away from biased reporting on nationalism, patriotism and other diverse issues in conflict zones.
The privatization of electronic media has to ensure that there is an end to the State media monopoly which is most of the times biased. Here the private electronic media channels have got to be so careful with their political correctness, don't say this don't say that, and make sure at the end of the day they present a balanced news report. Perceiving bias and exaggeration in news reports is definitely going to kill their credibility. So, it is the media's responsibility to remain completely objective when reporting news, political or not.
A journalist should sometimes embrace passionate, moral journalism instead of standing back and watching people suffer in the name of objectivity. This emotional journalism has attracted us into questioning the role of objectivity on the front line, believing that it gets in the way of truthful reporting. However, this idea has drawn criticism from other academics and practitioners of journalism, who note how the truth can be blurred because journalists become personally embroiled or even fail to understand the political context in where they work,
One should examine the relationship between the professional commitments and personal moralities, and how the represented political context affects the journalists' judgments and actions in the two works. Advocates of Journalism of attachment seek a greater truth in conflict reporting than the one that they are restrained to tell by the handcuffs of objectivity. Basically, we should seek a moral journalism - a journalism that cares as well as it knows. One thing is most crucial. A journalist must be careful not to become 'more important than the event and he should not even prescribe how the audience should feel and react.
As a student of journalism, today I feel that the journalism of attachment has opened a wider debate on objectivity, especially in conflict reporting situation like in Kashmir. In a situation prevailing here, should journalists take sides if there is a clear case of morally right and wrong? Should we give up on objectivity and leave it to journalists to dictate what is right and wrong for the people? Undoubtedly, conflict reporting is unique. Nevertheless, objectivity is possible in all situations, but not in the strict outdated form prevalent in the media psyche.
Journalism of attachment and detachment have their merits. Today one of the pertinent questions of journalism is that whether a journalist should remain an impartial detached observer of an event rather than a subjective partial participant. While academically debating this issue, there emerges one simple and straight answer – the journalists should always act as an observer just to get to the truth. But, here again, a million dollar question arises.
Can this professional ideal be practiced in the unique sphere of conflict situation like the one prevailing in Kashmir?
Life After Elections
Shuhab shares his perspective of a game called "Back to the Future"
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Confused, and confusing the others
Kashmir's political spectrum is, nowadays, witnessing a high voltage drama in the name of elections, with both mainstream and separatist political parties locking horns. The real showdown will begin on Monday with the first phase of polling starting from north Kashmir's Bandipore district. The fight over claiming supremacy over the people's trust and confidence is confined to Kashmir valley; Ladakh and Jammu regions are witnessing routine election process.
The election becoming a theme suspected, and subjected to diametrically opposite pulls, to be contested or to be boycotted, applies only to Kashmir and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region. So the meaning and impact of elections on Kashmir valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu are essentially different than on the non Muslim majority areas of Jammu and Ladakh.
Even as the efforts to outwit each other are on, but presumably both have failed to cement an argument on their claims. It is an admitted and acknowledged fact that the separatist camp was dead till Amarnath agitation, and had almost surrendered to New Delhi's "power". Syed Ali Geelani was perhaps the lone voice who refused to reconcile with any sense of defeat. He took on even Pakistan, the only place he envies after Kashmir, and termed former Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf as the "traitor". There was apparently no roadmap with separatists, neither do they have it even after swarming support in the shape of June-Uprising, and as a consequence the heightened tempers of people in Kashmir, particularly of youth.
Similarly, the mainstream parties are under tremendous pressure to sing the "azadi" tune, though in a subtle manner. People's Democratic Party is armed with its Self Rule Framework and is concentrating on only those issues connected with the turmoil. It has walked a mile extra by identifying itself with the Muslim community, though only across the state. National Conference's story is interesting. Omar Abdullah is openly saying that elections are only for governance and Hurriyat is relevant till Kashmir issue is resolved. But as usual his diamond cutter is none else but charismatic father Farooq Abdulah, who sings a different tune.
For both these camps of "Azadi" and "Hindustan", it is a difficult path to tread upon. They are both confused, and are in turn confusing the public at large. The elections, scheduled to begin from Monday, are thus a battlefield for achieving supremacy, at ideational and ground level as well. One, by achieving the power, and other, by support to sustain the much abused "struggle". What could have been the programme of separatists in the absence of God send opportunity called "Amarnath agitation". Most of the leaders of this camp had disliked the election boycott in past. But this time even the leaders of likes of Sajjad Lone are in the forefront. All are relevant because of New Delhi's follies, otherwise they were fully in their basket. Many people believe that the young generation of politicians is struggling to become relevant, but is thisthe way to discover relevance, is debatable; because when people will dance to the tune of aging and ailing Geelani where is the space left for those who are "annoyed" with New Delhi for one or other reason. Amarnaths may not help them to sustain for long.
Writing on the wall is also for mainstreams who are harping on the "azadi" agenda. Will government of India oblige them by conceding even an iota of what separatists demand. They were not ready to release even a handful of prisoners on the demand of so called moderate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
The fight to claim the people will continue for years to come but will the assembly election throw up the genuine representatives is the big question. While the separatists have a valid point to oppose the elections but what is the alternative they are suggesting for Kashmiri masses who are becoming subservient to Jammu's political hegemony day in and day out. Past few years have seen gross discrimination with Kashmir on account of representation in services and other policy matters. This resulted because of weak and fragile political set up on this side. Elections in Jammu and Ladakh give them political strength which ultimately is translated in dictating to Kashmir. Absence of any such discourse in Kashmir has almost separated Leh from the state apparatus. In Leh district the "Azadi from Kashmir" has since been declared with no signs of Kashmir's administrative control.
Hurriyat's or JKLF's are in no position to give timeframe for complete "azadi" but they shall have to think on dealing with administrative matters as well if they claim to be representatives of the people in a holistic view. Congress and Muslim League had participated in elections before India achieved freedom. Drawing parallels may not be possible but who is going to safeguard the interests of Kashmiris in an administrative set up. An Ikhwani or a genuine Kashmiri. Or we should be contended with Jagmohans, Saexenas, Krisha Raos Sinhas and Vohras. Answer has to be found
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Confused, and confusing the others
Kashmir's political spectrum is, nowadays, witnessing a high voltage drama in the name of elections, with both mainstream and separatist political parties locking horns. The real showdown will begin on Monday with the first phase of polling starting from north Kashmir's Bandipore district. The fight over claiming supremacy over the people's trust and confidence is confined to Kashmir valley; Ladakh and Jammu regions are witnessing routine election process.
The election becoming a theme suspected, and subjected to diametrically opposite pulls, to be contested or to be boycotted, applies only to Kashmir and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region. So the meaning and impact of elections on Kashmir valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu are essentially different than on the non Muslim majority areas of Jammu and Ladakh.
Even as the efforts to outwit each other are on, but presumably both have failed to cement an argument on their claims. It is an admitted and acknowledged fact that the separatist camp was dead till Amarnath agitation, and had almost surrendered to New Delhi's "power". Syed Ali Geelani was perhaps the lone voice who refused to reconcile with any sense of defeat. He took on even Pakistan, the only place he envies after Kashmir, and termed former Pakistan President General Parvez Musharraf as the "traitor". There was apparently no roadmap with separatists, neither do they have it even after swarming support in the shape of June-Uprising, and as a consequence the heightened tempers of people in Kashmir, particularly of youth.
Similarly, the mainstream parties are under tremendous pressure to sing the "azadi" tune, though in a subtle manner. People's Democratic Party is armed with its Self Rule Framework and is concentrating on only those issues connected with the turmoil. It has walked a mile extra by identifying itself with the Muslim community, though only across the state. National Conference's story is interesting. Omar Abdullah is openly saying that elections are only for governance and Hurriyat is relevant till Kashmir issue is resolved. But as usual his diamond cutter is none else but charismatic father Farooq Abdulah, who sings a different tune.
For both these camps of "Azadi" and "Hindustan", it is a difficult path to tread upon. They are both confused, and are in turn confusing the public at large. The elections, scheduled to begin from Monday, are thus a battlefield for achieving supremacy, at ideational and ground level as well. One, by achieving the power, and other, by support to sustain the much abused "struggle". What could have been the programme of separatists in the absence of God send opportunity called "Amarnath agitation". Most of the leaders of this camp had disliked the election boycott in past. But this time even the leaders of likes of Sajjad Lone are in the forefront. All are relevant because of New Delhi's follies, otherwise they were fully in their basket. Many people believe that the young generation of politicians is struggling to become relevant, but is thisthe way to discover relevance, is debatable; because when people will dance to the tune of aging and ailing Geelani where is the space left for those who are "annoyed" with New Delhi for one or other reason. Amarnaths may not help them to sustain for long.
Writing on the wall is also for mainstreams who are harping on the "azadi" agenda. Will government of India oblige them by conceding even an iota of what separatists demand. They were not ready to release even a handful of prisoners on the demand of so called moderate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
The fight to claim the people will continue for years to come but will the assembly election throw up the genuine representatives is the big question. While the separatists have a valid point to oppose the elections but what is the alternative they are suggesting for Kashmiri masses who are becoming subservient to Jammu's political hegemony day in and day out. Past few years have seen gross discrimination with Kashmir on account of representation in services and other policy matters. This resulted because of weak and fragile political set up on this side. Elections in Jammu and Ladakh give them political strength which ultimately is translated in dictating to Kashmir. Absence of any such discourse in Kashmir has almost separated Leh from the state apparatus. In Leh district the "Azadi from Kashmir" has since been declared with no signs of Kashmir's administrative control.
Hurriyat's or JKLF's are in no position to give timeframe for complete "azadi" but they shall have to think on dealing with administrative matters as well if they claim to be representatives of the people in a holistic view. Congress and Muslim League had participated in elections before India achieved freedom. Drawing parallels may not be possible but who is going to safeguard the interests of Kashmiris in an administrative set up. An Ikhwani or a genuine Kashmiri. Or we should be contended with Jagmohans, Saexenas, Krisha Raos Sinhas and Vohras. Answer has to be found
The Kashmiri Durbar
Privileges enjoyed by ex chief ministers are envied by one and all
VIP protocol for former CMs
• G N Azad : 26 vehicles, 4 houses
• Farooq Abdullah : 6 vehicles
• Mufti Syed : 6 vehicles, 2 houses
• G M Shah : 3 vehicles, 2 houses
ECI considering complaint against Azad’s ‘chief minister’ status
Srinagar: The Election Commission of India has taken note of a complaint about Ghulam Nabi Azad being still accorded the "Chief Minister" status in terms of security and VIP hospitality.
Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy told reporters in Jammu that the Commission was ceased of the matter and it will be looked into. He did not elaborate but sources told Rising Kashmir that ECI had received a complaint from some political party stating gross violation of model code of conduct in respect of not downsizing the security and other facilities being enjoyed by Azad.
Sources said that it has been pointed out that he continued to have a fleet of 26 vehicles allotted to him at the time of being Chief Minister. This includes several bullet-proof cars and other luxury and high-end vehicles. This security paraphernalia also requires a battery of security personnel drawn from Special Security Group (SSG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, which is responsible for the security of Chief Ministers and former Chief Ministers. "This is the highest ever number of vehicles any Chief Minister has been using in Jammu and Kashmir in past 60 years" a top security official said.
It is not only the security. Azad has not even vacated any of the four houses under his occupation since the days of Chief Minister ship. He continues to hold the possession of Hari Niwas Palace which was renovated as Chief Minister's official residence at a whopping cost of around Rs 11 crores. He has also not vacated the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Guest House near Zeethyar Temple which he used as transit residence till Hari Niwas was completed. Sources revealed that the official residence of Chief Minister at Wazarat Road in Jammu has also not been vacated so far. Azad also continues to hold the possession of a palatial house in South Avenue in Delhi, which is the property of Jammu and Kashmir government. It was purchased in lieu of state owned property in Delhi. Azad insisted not to leave it after he took over as Chief Minister in 2005.
Though the former Chief Minister is entitled to have a house in Jammu and Srinagar in accordance with the law passed by NC government in 2000 but Azad is yet to shift to M A Road bungalow which was also renovated as Chief Minister's residence by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2003. It is under occupation of former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig but allotted to Azad. He has also been allotted a house in Jammu, official sources said.
In contrast, two former Chief Ministers, Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have been allotted only six vehicles each, including those used by their security guards. Their predecessor Ghulam Mohammad Shah is poor enough with one car and two escort vehicles. While Farooq lives in his own houses in Jammu and Srinagar, Mufti is allotted official residences in both the capitals. Shah also has two official residences in Jammu and Srinagar but he has converted the latter into the headquarters of Awami National Conference.
(Rising Kashmir)
VIP protocol for former CMs
• G N Azad : 26 vehicles, 4 houses
• Farooq Abdullah : 6 vehicles
• Mufti Syed : 6 vehicles, 2 houses
• G M Shah : 3 vehicles, 2 houses
ECI considering complaint against Azad’s ‘chief minister’ status
Srinagar: The Election Commission of India has taken note of a complaint about Ghulam Nabi Azad being still accorded the "Chief Minister" status in terms of security and VIP hospitality.
Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy told reporters in Jammu that the Commission was ceased of the matter and it will be looked into. He did not elaborate but sources told Rising Kashmir that ECI had received a complaint from some political party stating gross violation of model code of conduct in respect of not downsizing the security and other facilities being enjoyed by Azad.
Sources said that it has been pointed out that he continued to have a fleet of 26 vehicles allotted to him at the time of being Chief Minister. This includes several bullet-proof cars and other luxury and high-end vehicles. This security paraphernalia also requires a battery of security personnel drawn from Special Security Group (SSG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, which is responsible for the security of Chief Ministers and former Chief Ministers. "This is the highest ever number of vehicles any Chief Minister has been using in Jammu and Kashmir in past 60 years" a top security official said.
It is not only the security. Azad has not even vacated any of the four houses under his occupation since the days of Chief Minister ship. He continues to hold the possession of Hari Niwas Palace which was renovated as Chief Minister's official residence at a whopping cost of around Rs 11 crores. He has also not vacated the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Guest House near Zeethyar Temple which he used as transit residence till Hari Niwas was completed. Sources revealed that the official residence of Chief Minister at Wazarat Road in Jammu has also not been vacated so far. Azad also continues to hold the possession of a palatial house in South Avenue in Delhi, which is the property of Jammu and Kashmir government. It was purchased in lieu of state owned property in Delhi. Azad insisted not to leave it after he took over as Chief Minister in 2005.
Though the former Chief Minister is entitled to have a house in Jammu and Srinagar in accordance with the law passed by NC government in 2000 but Azad is yet to shift to M A Road bungalow which was also renovated as Chief Minister's residence by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in 2003. It is under occupation of former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig but allotted to Azad. He has also been allotted a house in Jammu, official sources said.
In contrast, two former Chief Ministers, Farooq Abdullah and Mufti Mohammad Sayeed have been allotted only six vehicles each, including those used by their security guards. Their predecessor Ghulam Mohammad Shah is poor enough with one car and two escort vehicles. While Farooq lives in his own houses in Jammu and Srinagar, Mufti is allotted official residences in both the capitals. Shah also has two official residences in Jammu and Srinagar but he has converted the latter into the headquarters of Awami National Conference.
(Rising Kashmir)
Friday, November 14, 2008
A Personal Billboard?
Nida sees walking billboards all around her
(Ms. Nida Rafiq Shiekh, 22, was born in Srinagar. She passed her Matriculation from the Presentation Convent High School and completed her 12th grade from the Mallinson Girls High School, both with distinction. She recently graduated from the Women's College, Srinagar, and is enrolled in the Media Education Centre (MERC) of the University of Kashmir pursuing a Master's degree in mass communication. She is a free lance writer who likes writing about the Kashmir issue and other topics like communal violence that have torn apart the Kashmiri society with tragic consequences. She loves writing and reading, and hopes to become a serious journalist and a documentary film maker some day.)
T-shirts Talk ....
“I am here for fun” this was the line that a young teenage boy was flaunting on his t-shirt during the recent protests in Kashmir. Contrary to that another exuberant adolescent was showing off his t-shirt one liner “I love freedom”. I don’t know whether these one liners were intentional or accidental but, somewhere it struck my mind that they can leave an impact and catch attention. That’s why sporting of t-shirts with an attention grabbing one liner is so much in vogue worldwide.
It began in the 1950s, when T-shirts became extremely popular both in Europe and America, and advertisers realized that they were a great way of promoting products. Soon we had T-shirts with slogans written on them. The title of a well-known book on communication published in the 1990s is called "Can you put it on a T-shirt?"
Throughout the 1980s and ever since in Japan, T-shirts have flourished as a personal expression. T-shirts with bold slogans were popular in the UK in the 1980s.
Since the late 1980s and especially the 1990s, T-shirts with prominent designer-name logos have become popular, especially with teenagers and young adults. These garments allow consumers to flaunt their taste for designer brands in an inexpensive way, in addition to being decorative.
In the US open of 2006, Sania Mirza’s t-shirt one-liner made headlines in the American media. It was “Don’t stand in my way”. This made her ambition for reaching to higher levels evident.
Screen printed T-shirts have been a standard form of product advertising for major consumer products, such as Coca-cola and Mickey Mouse, since the 1970s. However, since the 1990s, it has become common practice for companies of all sizes to produce T-shirts with their corporate logos or messages as part of their overall advertising campaigns.
The early 2000s saw the renewed popularity of T-shirts with slogans and designs with a strong inclination to the humorous and/or ironic. The trend has only increased later in this decade; embraced by celebrities, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and reflected back on them, too.
The political and social statements that T-shirts often display have become, since the 2000s, one of the reasons that they have so deeply permeated different levels of culture and society. The statements also may be found to be offensive, shocking or pornographic to some. Many different organizations have caught on to the statement-making trend, including chain and independent stores, websites, and schools.
Today, wearing a t-shirt with message is very common globally. They say they wear it on their sleeve and their t-shirts talk about them. In Kashmir also people wear these “talking t-shirts” as I call them. They are flaunted by boys mostly because of the cultural, religious and social guidelines that Kashmiris follow. However, some girls also wear them.
Everyday on my way to the university I come across many people wearing t-shirts with one-liners. Recently, I read this line on one t-shirt “Girl friends are like medicines. They come with expiry date.” Another very interesting t-shirt one-liner that struck me was “I was born intelligent. Education ruined me.” Other interesting t-shirt one-liner’s that one can come across on the streets of Kashmir are, “Cereal Killer” “Give my money back” “My mom thinks I’m cool”.
Wearing of these kinds of t-shirts is not a rage in the valley still; one can find people wearing them occasionally. The people from the valley mostly do not prefer t-shirts with strong messages or sayings. The small populations of people who do wear these kinds of t-shirts prefer humorous lines like “Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don’t have film.” Or “I couldn’t repair your breaks so I made your horn louder” or “God must love stupid people, he made so many” Or “I have a blood group with an attitude…..B+ve” Or “Hell was full so, I came back.”
Since, the talking t-shirt culture is a fast growing trend worldwide and a very popular trend in advertising and propaganda in the west. It could be well implemented in our valley as well. The college and university students can wear them as a style statement as well as for displaying their thoughts and beliefs. One thing that students like me can write on their t-shirt can be, “Hard work has a future payoff but laziness pays off now” or “Hard work never kills anybody…..but why take a chance.” Today, you can get anything written or printed on your t-shirts according to your needs and desires so; it wouldn’t be difficult to get a “talking t-shirt.
As we are all aware that it is extremely difficult for students like us to take away the current conditions of our Vale from our mind so while writing this it came to my mind what if the current key players in the affairs of our State would create t-shirts with one-liners depicting their ideology and stands? So, what would be the one-liner for the t-shirt’s of our mainstream political parties? Probably…., “I don’t have a solution but, I do admire the problem.” And the one-liner for the t-shirts of separatists would be, “All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.” And then the ordinary citizens of Kashmir could also wear a t-shirt with the message, “Eat well, Stay fit………Die anyway”.
Now, I am also thinking of buying a “talking t-shirt” for myself and the one-liner for that may possibly be, “I am nobody & nobody is perfect……….therefore, I am perfect.”
(Ms. Nida Rafiq Shiekh, 22, was born in Srinagar. She passed her Matriculation from the Presentation Convent High School and completed her 12th grade from the Mallinson Girls High School, both with distinction. She recently graduated from the Women's College, Srinagar, and is enrolled in the Media Education Centre (MERC) of the University of Kashmir pursuing a Master's degree in mass communication. She is a free lance writer who likes writing about the Kashmir issue and other topics like communal violence that have torn apart the Kashmiri society with tragic consequences. She loves writing and reading, and hopes to become a serious journalist and a documentary film maker some day.)
T-shirts Talk ....
“I am here for fun” this was the line that a young teenage boy was flaunting on his t-shirt during the recent protests in Kashmir. Contrary to that another exuberant adolescent was showing off his t-shirt one liner “I love freedom”. I don’t know whether these one liners were intentional or accidental but, somewhere it struck my mind that they can leave an impact and catch attention. That’s why sporting of t-shirts with an attention grabbing one liner is so much in vogue worldwide.
It began in the 1950s, when T-shirts became extremely popular both in Europe and America, and advertisers realized that they were a great way of promoting products. Soon we had T-shirts with slogans written on them. The title of a well-known book on communication published in the 1990s is called "Can you put it on a T-shirt?"
Throughout the 1980s and ever since in Japan, T-shirts have flourished as a personal expression. T-shirts with bold slogans were popular in the UK in the 1980s.
Since the late 1980s and especially the 1990s, T-shirts with prominent designer-name logos have become popular, especially with teenagers and young adults. These garments allow consumers to flaunt their taste for designer brands in an inexpensive way, in addition to being decorative.
In the US open of 2006, Sania Mirza’s t-shirt one-liner made headlines in the American media. It was “Don’t stand in my way”. This made her ambition for reaching to higher levels evident.
Screen printed T-shirts have been a standard form of product advertising for major consumer products, such as Coca-cola and Mickey Mouse, since the 1970s. However, since the 1990s, it has become common practice for companies of all sizes to produce T-shirts with their corporate logos or messages as part of their overall advertising campaigns.
The early 2000s saw the renewed popularity of T-shirts with slogans and designs with a strong inclination to the humorous and/or ironic. The trend has only increased later in this decade; embraced by celebrities, such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and reflected back on them, too.
The political and social statements that T-shirts often display have become, since the 2000s, one of the reasons that they have so deeply permeated different levels of culture and society. The statements also may be found to be offensive, shocking or pornographic to some. Many different organizations have caught on to the statement-making trend, including chain and independent stores, websites, and schools.
Today, wearing a t-shirt with message is very common globally. They say they wear it on their sleeve and their t-shirts talk about them. In Kashmir also people wear these “talking t-shirts” as I call them. They are flaunted by boys mostly because of the cultural, religious and social guidelines that Kashmiris follow. However, some girls also wear them.
Everyday on my way to the university I come across many people wearing t-shirts with one-liners. Recently, I read this line on one t-shirt “Girl friends are like medicines. They come with expiry date.” Another very interesting t-shirt one-liner that struck me was “I was born intelligent. Education ruined me.” Other interesting t-shirt one-liner’s that one can come across on the streets of Kashmir are, “Cereal Killer” “Give my money back” “My mom thinks I’m cool”.
Wearing of these kinds of t-shirts is not a rage in the valley still; one can find people wearing them occasionally. The people from the valley mostly do not prefer t-shirts with strong messages or sayings. The small populations of people who do wear these kinds of t-shirts prefer humorous lines like “Everyone has a photographic memory. Some don’t have film.” Or “I couldn’t repair your breaks so I made your horn louder” or “God must love stupid people, he made so many” Or “I have a blood group with an attitude…..B+ve” Or “Hell was full so, I came back.”
Since, the talking t-shirt culture is a fast growing trend worldwide and a very popular trend in advertising and propaganda in the west. It could be well implemented in our valley as well. The college and university students can wear them as a style statement as well as for displaying their thoughts and beliefs. One thing that students like me can write on their t-shirt can be, “Hard work has a future payoff but laziness pays off now” or “Hard work never kills anybody…..but why take a chance.” Today, you can get anything written or printed on your t-shirts according to your needs and desires so; it wouldn’t be difficult to get a “talking t-shirt.
As we are all aware that it is extremely difficult for students like us to take away the current conditions of our Vale from our mind so while writing this it came to my mind what if the current key players in the affairs of our State would create t-shirts with one-liners depicting their ideology and stands? So, what would be the one-liner for the t-shirt’s of our mainstream political parties? Probably…., “I don’t have a solution but, I do admire the problem.” And the one-liner for the t-shirts of separatists would be, “All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.” And then the ordinary citizens of Kashmir could also wear a t-shirt with the message, “Eat well, Stay fit………Die anyway”.
Now, I am also thinking of buying a “talking t-shirt” for myself and the one-liner for that may possibly be, “I am nobody & nobody is perfect……….therefore, I am perfect.”
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Heart of the Problem
Shoaib suggests that electric power shortage in the valley is directly connected with power theft. He is not speculating as he knows it first hand. The analysis that the Greater Kashmir would not publish in its entirety is provided below
(Mr. Shoaib Mushatq Shah, 28, was born in Srinagar and did his schooling from the Burn Hall School, Srinagar, passed 10th class in 1996 and then completed 2 additional (10+2) years from the Tyndale Biscoe School , Srinagar. He attended the Model institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET) in Jammu in the department of Electrical engineering. He graduated in 2004 and did his internship for 1 year at the Nuclear Research Laboratory, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (NRL-BARC), Srinagar. He later joined the Reliance Energy's BSES Rajdhani power Limited, working in the Enforcement Division to check power thefts. He is currently a Junior Engineer at the Grid Station, Bemina. Mr. Shah is socially active in alerting common citizens about the power theft menace and its impact on the society. His leisure time activities involve writing, reading and surfing the net.)
PEOPLE, POWER AND PDD - POWER THEFT
Electricity, as we know is a little bit like the air we breathe in. We don’t really worry for it prudent use unless it is missing. Our kleptomaniac approach towards electricity has become a menace in our society and I personally think that we all, including the people from the department are responsible for this imbroglio, in one way or the other. The prosperity and the growth of a country or a state depends a hell lot on its energy and the power sectors. Without enough power and energy available, no industry can survive and ultimately it will perish, and so will be the economy of that country or the state.
Power, as we all know is transmitted via overhead lines while distribution is being done through overhead lines and in certain areas through underground cables. The overhead lines being bare conductors are always susceptible to theft. As we might have noticed, in almost all of the residential areas and in many cases in non-residential areas too, power theft is almost a way of life. Due to the grace of the meter readers and inspectors, no effort is made to hide it and the method is so simple in itself: just locate a nearest overhead line ,that usually are available at ease in the downtown congested areas, sling a metal hook over it, turn a wire from the hook to the home. The result: an illegal supply of electricity that is not to be paid for and that lasts until the officials from the department stage one of this periodic raids. And when that happens, we simply wait for a few hours until the officials have gone before reconnecting.
Another alternative for carrying the power theft that is dogging the energy sector is meter tampering. Many consumers tamper with their service connections or meters to avoid paying for their fare share. These cases are on an increase in the Kashmir valley. Although the department has not yet resorted to the checking of the meter tampering but a lot of energy is being stolen by this mean method.
How often does this thought cross and strike our mind to go for one of the many illegal means of drawing free energy that would best suit us and to our needs? As soon as the watches click around 6 o’clock in the evening , we leave aside the job at hand and start connecting the hooks again that remain active till 8 o’clock in the morning and incase a consumer is dare enough, he leaves it intact and unaltered thus enjoying the uninterrupted supply of free energy to the fullest. During this period when we are relishing this free electricity, we don’t hesitate to connect our full load viz., our houses are fully lit throughout with high wattage bulbs, all geysers, heaters, room convectors are running to their full intensities. Experience and knowledge shows that on an average a normal middleclass metered consumer/household connects around 1kilowatt or say 1.5 Kilowatts of power load at a particular instant (usually in the peak hours of the morning and the evening) if he is not indulging in the meter theft. The demand of the same consumer reaches a zenith of around 5 kilowatts when he has resorted to the power theft i.e., when he has connected the hooks on the nearby electric wires running in his streets. This is a case of one household that is a part of and comprises our locality and we all are aware of what is happening in our respective areas.
The result is that the distribution transformers in our localities are hugely overloaded, since it has not been designed for such overloaded condition. The net result comes out in the form of the damage to the transformer or to one of its vital and costly parts. And when this happens, in spite of sharing the blame with the department, we just complain that the department uses substandard equipments and materials. Such cases of loss to the department, in the form of the damage to the transformer, can be seen everywhere around us and i think one can very well realize the losses suffered by the department.
It has come to the PDD people as a surprise when a new recently commissioned 150 MVA power transformer bank at one of the vital grid stations in the valley got overloaded in just a span of one year. And nobody can justify that the load has increased by that extent in the valley. There is only one reason that I think we can account it for and that is: more and more people are switching to power theft. People from every sphere of life, be it the aristocratic people or the plebian, the educated or the illiterates, the government employees or the businessmen, everybody have found power theft an alternative. This loss of power and ultimately the revenue is too great for any largest power utility company to absorb and that’s the primary reason, I guess, why the service and the utility is still being owned and run by the government.
Has anybody an idea of how much the people outside the J and K state are paying for the electricity they consume i.e what the tariff outside the state is? Take the below given case for example:
Units Rate per Unit (Approx.) Amount (Rs)
1 to 50 2.70 135
51 to 200 3.10 465
210 to 400 3.80 760
Thus for 400 units consumption a consumer (elsewhere from J and K) pays around Rs 1400 while here in the state we are handed over an electricity bill of around Rs 800 ( at an average rate of Rs 2 per unit). In New Delhi a consumer pays as much as Rs 6 for each unit of electricity he consumes. In spite of this much relaxation, we still go for power theft. If a consumer cannot afford to pay some good many bucks as electricity charges, we always have means to control our bills and thus save the money as well as the energy. But power theft is never an answer; rather we always have an excuse for it.
I wish to recall/suggest some useful tips to save the energy, as detailed below:
1) We should turn off our home/office equipments/appliances when not in use. Do we know that a computer that runs 24 hours a day, for instance, uses more power than an energy efficient refrigerator?
2) If we need to leave your computer on, then turn off the monitor. The monitor alone uses more than half the system’s energy.
3) Setting our computers, monitors and copiers to use sleep mode when not in use helps cut energy costs by approximately 40 %.
4) Battery chargers such as those used for laptops, cell phones and digital cameras draw power whenever they are plugged in and are very inefficient. Make it a habit to pull the plug out and save.
5) Screen Savers save computer screens, but not the energy. Start ups and shut downs do not use any extra energy, nor are they hard on our computer components. In fact, shutting computers down when we have finished using them actually reduces the wear and tear and also saves energy.
6) One of the best energy saving device is the light switch. Turn it off when not required.
7) Dirty tube lights and bulbs emit less light and can absorb 50% of the light; so we should dust our tube lights and lamps regularly.
8) Fluorescent tube lights and CFLs convert electricity to visible light up to 5 times more efficiently than ordinary bulbs and thus save about 70% of electricity for the same lighting levels. 9) 90% of the energy consumed by an ordinary bulb (incandescent lamp) is given off as heat rather than visibility. So it is the time to switch on to CFLs.
10) A 15 watt compact fluorescent bulb produces the same amount of light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
11) By reducing the temperature setting of a water heater from 60 degrees to 50 degrees C, we can save over 18 % of the energy used at the higher setting.
12) To help reduce heat loss, we should always insulate hot water pipes, especially where they run through unheated areas.
13) Try using an electric kettle to heat water. It’s more energy efficient than using an electric cook top element.
14) We should try to iron our clothes and linen all in one go. Avoid keeping a hot iron which is switched on in an upright position for long durations since more heat will be lost.
15) Avoid storing hot or warm food in to the refrigerator.
16) Use of white or light colors for interior walls, ceilings, curtains reflects more light within the building and therefore further reduces the cost of lighting.
17) The temperature regulator of the refrigerator should not be set at high if the quantity of the food inside is small. Also, we should stack food items inside to allow good air circulation.
18) By locating the doors and windows to admit more sunlight through them, we can avoid using electricity for lighting our home and office during the day.
19) Orientation of the house and surrounding landscape has a large effect on energy consumption. Planting trees on the south and west will reflect natural light through the windows resulting in less use of the heating appliances like room heaters etc in winters and would also provide ample of light.
20) Auto defrost refrigerators consumes more electricity. Larger the refrigerator, higher is the usage of electricity.
Conserving or saving energy is a natural cause. According to a recent official survey, energy theft in some countries is surprisingly high. It is not that only we people (i.e. Kashmiris or say the Indians…) are miles ahead than the people from the other parts of the globe in this menace of power theft. In china more than 3% of the nations power supply is lost to theft. Power theft in Mexico is 10-20 %, in South America it is 10-16 %, and believe it or not the figures for India are 20-50 %. As per an official estimate , as much as 42 % of the power supplied to India’s capital disappears through ”transmission loses”, meaning it is consumed without being paid for. In effect, it is stolen. The Delhi Vidut Board (DVB) study provides evidence that most of these so called T & D losses (transmission and distribution losses) are plain and simple theft. The state electricity boards (SEBs) like the Jammu and Kashmir Power development department (PDD) loses at crores of rupees due to electricity theft. It would be amazing to know that even if half of the theft could be checked and prevented by some extraordinary means like for example an improved tamper evident meter sealing system and some dedicated intelligence; most of the SEBs including the JKPDD would be in good profit.
As well said by Eleanor Roosevelt:
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
So we have to believe that there is a need to stop stealing electricity, we have to believe that we can afford and survive if we spare a few hundred of rupees for paying for the electricity we consume, and then start working on it.
To start with let’s change our habit of stealing electricity. It is agreed that the meter readers and the inspectors play a big role and they are a part and parcel for all the misuse of the electricity that happens .It is the support and the help of these miscreants and in some cases the higher ups too, that the general public becomes successful in achieving the target of the power theft. The government has to take the initiative and then the department has to play a vital role at all steps in eradicating this menace. To start with they have to deal with these meter readers and the inspector community people very harshly. The department should conduct mass raids, with the support of the police and the judiciary, in areas where there is severe power theft. Many a cases of faulty meters have been encountered by the consumers. The department has to come forward to the rescue of these innocent consumers. The common people would be provided with quality and quantity power but once they leave the practice of the power theft. Then some efficient energy management supported by innovative energy conservation techniques and tamper proof meters should follow. This is the key to sustainable development and growth. Let’s change ourselves and leave no stone unturned to conserve energy and so to say conserve our future.
(Mr. Shoaib Mushatq Shah, 28, was born in Srinagar and did his schooling from the Burn Hall School, Srinagar, passed 10th class in 1996 and then completed 2 additional (10+2) years from the Tyndale Biscoe School , Srinagar. He attended the Model institute of Engineering and Technology (MIET) in Jammu in the department of Electrical engineering. He graduated in 2004 and did his internship for 1 year at the Nuclear Research Laboratory, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (NRL-BARC), Srinagar. He later joined the Reliance Energy's BSES Rajdhani power Limited, working in the Enforcement Division to check power thefts. He is currently a Junior Engineer at the Grid Station, Bemina. Mr. Shah is socially active in alerting common citizens about the power theft menace and its impact on the society. His leisure time activities involve writing, reading and surfing the net.)
PEOPLE, POWER AND PDD - POWER THEFT
Electricity, as we know is a little bit like the air we breathe in. We don’t really worry for it prudent use unless it is missing. Our kleptomaniac approach towards electricity has become a menace in our society and I personally think that we all, including the people from the department are responsible for this imbroglio, in one way or the other. The prosperity and the growth of a country or a state depends a hell lot on its energy and the power sectors. Without enough power and energy available, no industry can survive and ultimately it will perish, and so will be the economy of that country or the state.
Power, as we all know is transmitted via overhead lines while distribution is being done through overhead lines and in certain areas through underground cables. The overhead lines being bare conductors are always susceptible to theft. As we might have noticed, in almost all of the residential areas and in many cases in non-residential areas too, power theft is almost a way of life. Due to the grace of the meter readers and inspectors, no effort is made to hide it and the method is so simple in itself: just locate a nearest overhead line ,that usually are available at ease in the downtown congested areas, sling a metal hook over it, turn a wire from the hook to the home. The result: an illegal supply of electricity that is not to be paid for and that lasts until the officials from the department stage one of this periodic raids. And when that happens, we simply wait for a few hours until the officials have gone before reconnecting.
Another alternative for carrying the power theft that is dogging the energy sector is meter tampering. Many consumers tamper with their service connections or meters to avoid paying for their fare share. These cases are on an increase in the Kashmir valley. Although the department has not yet resorted to the checking of the meter tampering but a lot of energy is being stolen by this mean method.
How often does this thought cross and strike our mind to go for one of the many illegal means of drawing free energy that would best suit us and to our needs? As soon as the watches click around 6 o’clock in the evening , we leave aside the job at hand and start connecting the hooks again that remain active till 8 o’clock in the morning and incase a consumer is dare enough, he leaves it intact and unaltered thus enjoying the uninterrupted supply of free energy to the fullest. During this period when we are relishing this free electricity, we don’t hesitate to connect our full load viz., our houses are fully lit throughout with high wattage bulbs, all geysers, heaters, room convectors are running to their full intensities. Experience and knowledge shows that on an average a normal middleclass metered consumer/household connects around 1kilowatt or say 1.5 Kilowatts of power load at a particular instant (usually in the peak hours of the morning and the evening) if he is not indulging in the meter theft. The demand of the same consumer reaches a zenith of around 5 kilowatts when he has resorted to the power theft i.e., when he has connected the hooks on the nearby electric wires running in his streets. This is a case of one household that is a part of and comprises our locality and we all are aware of what is happening in our respective areas.
The result is that the distribution transformers in our localities are hugely overloaded, since it has not been designed for such overloaded condition. The net result comes out in the form of the damage to the transformer or to one of its vital and costly parts. And when this happens, in spite of sharing the blame with the department, we just complain that the department uses substandard equipments and materials. Such cases of loss to the department, in the form of the damage to the transformer, can be seen everywhere around us and i think one can very well realize the losses suffered by the department.
It has come to the PDD people as a surprise when a new recently commissioned 150 MVA power transformer bank at one of the vital grid stations in the valley got overloaded in just a span of one year. And nobody can justify that the load has increased by that extent in the valley. There is only one reason that I think we can account it for and that is: more and more people are switching to power theft. People from every sphere of life, be it the aristocratic people or the plebian, the educated or the illiterates, the government employees or the businessmen, everybody have found power theft an alternative. This loss of power and ultimately the revenue is too great for any largest power utility company to absorb and that’s the primary reason, I guess, why the service and the utility is still being owned and run by the government.
Has anybody an idea of how much the people outside the J and K state are paying for the electricity they consume i.e what the tariff outside the state is? Take the below given case for example:
Units Rate per Unit (Approx.) Amount (Rs)
1 to 50 2.70 135
51 to 200 3.10 465
210 to 400 3.80 760
Thus for 400 units consumption a consumer (elsewhere from J and K) pays around Rs 1400 while here in the state we are handed over an electricity bill of around Rs 800 ( at an average rate of Rs 2 per unit). In New Delhi a consumer pays as much as Rs 6 for each unit of electricity he consumes. In spite of this much relaxation, we still go for power theft. If a consumer cannot afford to pay some good many bucks as electricity charges, we always have means to control our bills and thus save the money as well as the energy. But power theft is never an answer; rather we always have an excuse for it.
I wish to recall/suggest some useful tips to save the energy, as detailed below:
1) We should turn off our home/office equipments/appliances when not in use. Do we know that a computer that runs 24 hours a day, for instance, uses more power than an energy efficient refrigerator?
2) If we need to leave your computer on, then turn off the monitor. The monitor alone uses more than half the system’s energy.
3) Setting our computers, monitors and copiers to use sleep mode when not in use helps cut energy costs by approximately 40 %.
4) Battery chargers such as those used for laptops, cell phones and digital cameras draw power whenever they are plugged in and are very inefficient. Make it a habit to pull the plug out and save.
5) Screen Savers save computer screens, but not the energy. Start ups and shut downs do not use any extra energy, nor are they hard on our computer components. In fact, shutting computers down when we have finished using them actually reduces the wear and tear and also saves energy.
6) One of the best energy saving device is the light switch. Turn it off when not required.
7) Dirty tube lights and bulbs emit less light and can absorb 50% of the light; so we should dust our tube lights and lamps regularly.
8) Fluorescent tube lights and CFLs convert electricity to visible light up to 5 times more efficiently than ordinary bulbs and thus save about 70% of electricity for the same lighting levels. 9) 90% of the energy consumed by an ordinary bulb (incandescent lamp) is given off as heat rather than visibility. So it is the time to switch on to CFLs.
10) A 15 watt compact fluorescent bulb produces the same amount of light as a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
11) By reducing the temperature setting of a water heater from 60 degrees to 50 degrees C, we can save over 18 % of the energy used at the higher setting.
12) To help reduce heat loss, we should always insulate hot water pipes, especially where they run through unheated areas.
13) Try using an electric kettle to heat water. It’s more energy efficient than using an electric cook top element.
14) We should try to iron our clothes and linen all in one go. Avoid keeping a hot iron which is switched on in an upright position for long durations since more heat will be lost.
15) Avoid storing hot or warm food in to the refrigerator.
16) Use of white or light colors for interior walls, ceilings, curtains reflects more light within the building and therefore further reduces the cost of lighting.
17) The temperature regulator of the refrigerator should not be set at high if the quantity of the food inside is small. Also, we should stack food items inside to allow good air circulation.
18) By locating the doors and windows to admit more sunlight through them, we can avoid using electricity for lighting our home and office during the day.
19) Orientation of the house and surrounding landscape has a large effect on energy consumption. Planting trees on the south and west will reflect natural light through the windows resulting in less use of the heating appliances like room heaters etc in winters and would also provide ample of light.
20) Auto defrost refrigerators consumes more electricity. Larger the refrigerator, higher is the usage of electricity.
Conserving or saving energy is a natural cause. According to a recent official survey, energy theft in some countries is surprisingly high. It is not that only we people (i.e. Kashmiris or say the Indians…) are miles ahead than the people from the other parts of the globe in this menace of power theft. In china more than 3% of the nations power supply is lost to theft. Power theft in Mexico is 10-20 %, in South America it is 10-16 %, and believe it or not the figures for India are 20-50 %. As per an official estimate , as much as 42 % of the power supplied to India’s capital disappears through ”transmission loses”, meaning it is consumed without being paid for. In effect, it is stolen. The Delhi Vidut Board (DVB) study provides evidence that most of these so called T & D losses (transmission and distribution losses) are plain and simple theft. The state electricity boards (SEBs) like the Jammu and Kashmir Power development department (PDD) loses at crores of rupees due to electricity theft. It would be amazing to know that even if half of the theft could be checked and prevented by some extraordinary means like for example an improved tamper evident meter sealing system and some dedicated intelligence; most of the SEBs including the JKPDD would be in good profit.
As well said by Eleanor Roosevelt:
“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
So we have to believe that there is a need to stop stealing electricity, we have to believe that we can afford and survive if we spare a few hundred of rupees for paying for the electricity we consume, and then start working on it.
To start with let’s change our habit of stealing electricity. It is agreed that the meter readers and the inspectors play a big role and they are a part and parcel for all the misuse of the electricity that happens .It is the support and the help of these miscreants and in some cases the higher ups too, that the general public becomes successful in achieving the target of the power theft. The government has to take the initiative and then the department has to play a vital role at all steps in eradicating this menace. To start with they have to deal with these meter readers and the inspector community people very harshly. The department should conduct mass raids, with the support of the police and the judiciary, in areas where there is severe power theft. Many a cases of faulty meters have been encountered by the consumers. The department has to come forward to the rescue of these innocent consumers. The common people would be provided with quality and quantity power but once they leave the practice of the power theft. Then some efficient energy management supported by innovative energy conservation techniques and tamper proof meters should follow. This is the key to sustainable development and growth. Let’s change ourselves and leave no stone unturned to conserve energy and so to say conserve our future.
Playing the Extremist Game
Shuhab believes that by playing the Islamic card, PDP has plunged into a whole new ocean of problems and prospects
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
And PDP goes green
Party manifestos make an important constituent of any meaningful electoral process. Whether the parties adhere to such a document which they release with great fanfare following the announcement of elections or not, but this is a customary practice meant to reach out to the voters and to tell them what the party is upto. Elsewhere the manifestos are only about how a particular party will deal with the issues of development, economy, administration and some odd social issues; in Kashmir, however, the manifestos are not confined to development, employment and taxes but they mainly revolve round the political programs aimed at negotiating with the overall uncertain and inflammable political condition of Kashmir. The need for this approach has been reinforced by the resurgence of mass movement in recent months, forcing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a young regional party, to think on the lines which earlier seemed unthinkable. It has departed from the traditional policy of emphasizing on the secular character of India and has rather targeted its archrival National Conference for trumpeting secularism which according to the party should not mean trampling the interests of majority community.
Is there an interesting turn of events that the Kashmir has off late been witnessing on political front! The PDP, in other words, has started gravitating towards identifying itself with the Muslims character of the state. Going through the Self Rule Framework released by the party ahead of its party manifesto there are clear indications on how the party wants to draw the battle lines. It is looking more towards the integration with Pakistan Administered Kashmir and talking about measures to alleviate the “sufferings” of Muslims in the Jammu region. The manifesto is no different from the Self Rule Framework and is rather dominated with its contents though some pages have been given to issues like development and employment. Going by the selection of candidates, particularly in the Jammu region, it is clear that party has kept in mind the sentiment of a particular community. Taking for example the Poonch-Haveli constituency; PDP had received a shot in the arm with the joining of Yashpal Sharma who finished second in last bye-elections and had emerged as a popular leader in the area. But to identify itself with the majority Muslim community, particularly in the wake of complete polarization in Jammu region, the party decided to give the ticket to Imtiaz Bandey. Similarly the options have been weighed in other areas as well, keeping this factor always present before mind.
The party president Mehbooba Mufti was vocal in saying that PDP was being targeted for taking up the projects like Mughal Road, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, and Islamic University which are apprarently for the interests of Muslims. The Mughal Road seen as bridging the Muslims of Rajouri-Poonch and Kashmir has been an irritant among a section of establishment from New Delhi to Srinagar. The R & B Minister, Madan Lal Sharma in Mufti led coalition had openly recorded his reservations about its construction.
What has come to us in the shape Self Rule Framework or the PDP manifesto is exactly in line with the party’s posturing pre and post Amarnath land row. Notwithstanding the fact that the land row emerged from the follies of its own two senior ministers, the subsequent developments suggested a radical change in the mindset of party’s leadership. Mehbooba was the lone mainstream political leader who vehemently opposed the agreement with Sangarsh Samiti saying that the people of Kashmir were not taken into confidence before inking it down. Her statements against New Delhi’s policies also indicated a shift in the party posturing. Latest was the opposition to the holding of elections for the assembly at this juncture. By doing all this, party had already tread on a path to identify itself with the majority community.
Many questions strike while breaking ones brain on this changed direction of PDP. Many analysts would believe that it is part of a gimmick any political party would adopt to attain a comfortable pace on the road to power. But the real issue is that PDP in any case cannot replace Hurriyat Conference in projecting a particular sentiment. And at the same time cannot afford to distance itself from New Delhi to an extent that getting back to the original position becomes impossible. The PDP founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed is considered to be the shrewdest politician in Jammu and Kashmir, and has had long association with India’s national politics by being directly associated with Congress, Janta Dal and other parties. Why is he opting for a politics that does not match with the India’s national politics, of which he has been an intimate part up till now? If the change in Mufti’s mind is real, and could sustain, it needs a detailed analysis. How a staunch secularist and a firm believer of Indian politics has transformed himself into a politician who talks about a particular community only. Here those who blame India for not being sincere towards Kashmir can score a point and Mufti’s changed stance can give them a feeling of being vindicated.
While the Muftis’ have played a very sensitive card in this election it remains to be seen as to what extent it can work in the state which has all the potential to drift in a dangerous divisive direction. …PDP has chosen a risky path by departing from traditional menifestos and jumped into a larger ideological ring. It must be aware of the fact that Hindus in this state only constitute 30 percent of the population and a significant number of seats which can push a party to the power come only through the Muslim votes in the state. But the calculation in that game can also take a different turn as all the votes of a community cannot be the lot of a particular party or ideology. By all accounts PDP must have calculated its risks by giving a challenge to National Conference which has presence in all the three regions of state and does also have a Muslim tinge in its presentation. There are other areas and sections which are in one way or the other tied to the leaders of other parties, and necessarily cannot buy the PDP theory.
The up short of the matter is that the party has now taken a completely different course by talking about solution to the larger issue and merging it with the electoral politics. Will this synthesis work, only the time will tell.
(Shuhab Hashmi, 38, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
And PDP goes green
Party manifestos make an important constituent of any meaningful electoral process. Whether the parties adhere to such a document which they release with great fanfare following the announcement of elections or not, but this is a customary practice meant to reach out to the voters and to tell them what the party is upto. Elsewhere the manifestos are only about how a particular party will deal with the issues of development, economy, administration and some odd social issues; in Kashmir, however, the manifestos are not confined to development, employment and taxes but they mainly revolve round the political programs aimed at negotiating with the overall uncertain and inflammable political condition of Kashmir. The need for this approach has been reinforced by the resurgence of mass movement in recent months, forcing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a young regional party, to think on the lines which earlier seemed unthinkable. It has departed from the traditional policy of emphasizing on the secular character of India and has rather targeted its archrival National Conference for trumpeting secularism which according to the party should not mean trampling the interests of majority community.
Is there an interesting turn of events that the Kashmir has off late been witnessing on political front! The PDP, in other words, has started gravitating towards identifying itself with the Muslims character of the state. Going through the Self Rule Framework released by the party ahead of its party manifesto there are clear indications on how the party wants to draw the battle lines. It is looking more towards the integration with Pakistan Administered Kashmir and talking about measures to alleviate the “sufferings” of Muslims in the Jammu region. The manifesto is no different from the Self Rule Framework and is rather dominated with its contents though some pages have been given to issues like development and employment. Going by the selection of candidates, particularly in the Jammu region, it is clear that party has kept in mind the sentiment of a particular community. Taking for example the Poonch-Haveli constituency; PDP had received a shot in the arm with the joining of Yashpal Sharma who finished second in last bye-elections and had emerged as a popular leader in the area. But to identify itself with the majority Muslim community, particularly in the wake of complete polarization in Jammu region, the party decided to give the ticket to Imtiaz Bandey. Similarly the options have been weighed in other areas as well, keeping this factor always present before mind.
The party president Mehbooba Mufti was vocal in saying that PDP was being targeted for taking up the projects like Mughal Road, Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, and Islamic University which are apprarently for the interests of Muslims. The Mughal Road seen as bridging the Muslims of Rajouri-Poonch and Kashmir has been an irritant among a section of establishment from New Delhi to Srinagar. The R & B Minister, Madan Lal Sharma in Mufti led coalition had openly recorded his reservations about its construction.
What has come to us in the shape Self Rule Framework or the PDP manifesto is exactly in line with the party’s posturing pre and post Amarnath land row. Notwithstanding the fact that the land row emerged from the follies of its own two senior ministers, the subsequent developments suggested a radical change in the mindset of party’s leadership. Mehbooba was the lone mainstream political leader who vehemently opposed the agreement with Sangarsh Samiti saying that the people of Kashmir were not taken into confidence before inking it down. Her statements against New Delhi’s policies also indicated a shift in the party posturing. Latest was the opposition to the holding of elections for the assembly at this juncture. By doing all this, party had already tread on a path to identify itself with the majority community.
Many questions strike while breaking ones brain on this changed direction of PDP. Many analysts would believe that it is part of a gimmick any political party would adopt to attain a comfortable pace on the road to power. But the real issue is that PDP in any case cannot replace Hurriyat Conference in projecting a particular sentiment. And at the same time cannot afford to distance itself from New Delhi to an extent that getting back to the original position becomes impossible. The PDP founder Mufti Muhammad Sayeed is considered to be the shrewdest politician in Jammu and Kashmir, and has had long association with India’s national politics by being directly associated with Congress, Janta Dal and other parties. Why is he opting for a politics that does not match with the India’s national politics, of which he has been an intimate part up till now? If the change in Mufti’s mind is real, and could sustain, it needs a detailed analysis. How a staunch secularist and a firm believer of Indian politics has transformed himself into a politician who talks about a particular community only. Here those who blame India for not being sincere towards Kashmir can score a point and Mufti’s changed stance can give them a feeling of being vindicated.
While the Muftis’ have played a very sensitive card in this election it remains to be seen as to what extent it can work in the state which has all the potential to drift in a dangerous divisive direction. …PDP has chosen a risky path by departing from traditional menifestos and jumped into a larger ideological ring. It must be aware of the fact that Hindus in this state only constitute 30 percent of the population and a significant number of seats which can push a party to the power come only through the Muslim votes in the state. But the calculation in that game can also take a different turn as all the votes of a community cannot be the lot of a particular party or ideology. By all accounts PDP must have calculated its risks by giving a challenge to National Conference which has presence in all the three regions of state and does also have a Muslim tinge in its presentation. There are other areas and sections which are in one way or the other tied to the leaders of other parties, and necessarily cannot buy the PDP theory.
The up short of the matter is that the party has now taken a completely different course by talking about solution to the larger issue and merging it with the electoral politics. Will this synthesis work, only the time will tell.
The State of Denial
Razdan recounts ground realities in the present day valley that are conveniently ignored by the Kashmiri intelligentsia
(Mr. P. N. Razdan, 69, was born and raised in Srinagar. He completed his master's degree in Statistics from the Patna university and joined the J&K state service. He rose through the ranks to the post of Special Secretary, Department of Planning and Development, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. After his retirement in 1997, he was appointed as Advisor, Planning and Development. In his leisure time, Mr. Razdan stays engaged by doing consulting and social work, and by writing occasional commentaries on Kashmir for various newspapers.)
Pandits’ migration - in retrospect
I find it obligatory to add my opinion to the debate on Pandits started by Dr Rumana Hamid, both for her sincerity and bold expression of facts. This issue haunts both Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits alike and shall continue to do so, till at least the present generation lasts. While Dr Hamid’s article is basically a response to observations made by some readers in response to her earlier article on the subject, I shall expand the ambit of discussions a little wider.
While discussing Kashmiri Muslim-Pandit relationship, we must differentiate between personal and community relationships. If we are talking of personal relationships, I must say with all confidence that these continue to be strong, cordial and sincere. These can’t be otherwise since involved are two humans - by nature affectionate, responsive and civilized. I live in Delhi. My dentist is a Kashmiri Muslim, my cardiologist is a Kashmiri Muslim, and I have several Kashmiri Muslim friends here. I am sure that is the case with so many other Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims too. On visits to Kashmir after their migration including my own, one has only to narrate the stories of bonhomie, warmth and respect the locals have shown to them. Besides, Kashmiri whether a Muslim or a Pandit is emotional by nature and emotion flows out of him at the first salutation itself.
But when it comes to community relationships, it touches a historical and political ethos. After independence, community interests between Muslims and Pandits have clashed in areas like jobs, promotions, contracts, business, agrarian reforms, admission to professional colleges etc. and Pandits were discriminated on the basis of their numbers. This however was expected as a logical sequence of more and more native Muslims getting education and awareness. But what happened additionally in the case of Kashmir was that the community interests were seen as co-terminus with the interests of Muslims as a faith. In Islam, the governance, development and public relationships are part of the Shariat and therefore inability of the elected and secular governments to meet the community requirements was seen as its failure and the demand for an alternative form of Islamic governance was the next step. Kashmir has seen many bouts of such rules by tyrant Muslim rulers where rights, privileges and even existence of non-Muslims were denied.
Had outsiders not supported this, it is possible the fury would have been resolved internally. Both support from neighboring Islamic country and the violence compounded the problem. What could prevent a situation like this to take fundamentalist overtones was the emergence of a leader, who would be above human fragilities, progressive, read the religious scriptures correctly and see human being as a special creation of God and not religious molecules. We have had Badshah and Sheikh Abdullah in Kashmir, and Akbar, Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Azad in India. The absence of such a leader was the failure of Kashmir in 1989, which turned out to be a crucial point in its history. When it put paid to all its values of syncretic culture, Kashmiriyat as was known the world over.
Once you put this background in place, everything falls in line. Exodus of Pandits, effort for introduction of an Islamic code of conduct, refusal of place for Amarnath pilgrims etc. were all actions towards furtherance of this demand which has now assumed the shape of a total separation from India. Dr Hamid calls it alienation. Sure it is, but not against subjugation but for a faith based form of governance as opposed to Indian system of plural democracy.
Dr Hamid is also not absolutely right when she says that unlike Muslims, for Pandits Indian rule was comforting and like a dream state. It may be true now but it was not so before their migration. Pandits were equally frustrated, if not more. They had the experiences of the alienation of their land holdings without compensation in 1950, the refusal of handing over the abducted girl Parmeshawri Handoo by the Central government in 1968, refusal to maintain their job prospects in central government establishments in Kashmir when their chances of state employment had receded and many other issues on which the central government mostly took a stand in favor of the majority population. Had the movement not been faith based and violent, it is likely that Pandits would have opted for azadi like their fellow citizens. After all who gave the first clarion call for an independent Kashmir. None other than R.C.Kak, the Pandit Prime Minister of Kashmir. But things to day are different. Pandits are obliged to Government of India, Jammu people and Shiv Sena for coming to their rescue in their troubled times after their migration from Kashmir.
Again, the justification that in the mayhem of 1990’s everybody became a victim, so Pandits need not crib at it, is not fair. One has to imagine the atmosphere of that time. It was a mass movement with fanatic religious slogans and Pandit was considered as a symbol of Indian rule in Kashmir. Nobody in those dark days could speak about the killers, not even in a close knit family. To-day Dr Hamid can freely say that the militants killed Muslim intellectuals but that was not the case then. We are to day in a relatively free atmosphere discussing things coolly and I admire Dr Hamid’s frankness to do so.
Pandits outside Kashmir today are much better economically and socially. Yes the biggest tragedy has been the loss of home and identity. But that is a pain for our generation only since the youth of to day think differently. So we shall continue to refresh our memories of home by visiting Kashmir and interacting with our Muslim brethren as and when possible. The possibility of Pandits’ return to Kashmir is interlinked with the issue of Kashmir, the form of political system and governance, the Kashmiris would like for themselves. Till then history will record the happenings of 1990 as yet another migration of Pandits from Kashmir leaving the banner of the community with the handful of Pandits that continue to live in the valley.
(Greater Kashmir)
(Mr. P. N. Razdan, 69, was born and raised in Srinagar. He completed his master's degree in Statistics from the Patna university and joined the J&K state service. He rose through the ranks to the post of Special Secretary, Department of Planning and Development, Government of Jammu and Kashmir. After his retirement in 1997, he was appointed as Advisor, Planning and Development. In his leisure time, Mr. Razdan stays engaged by doing consulting and social work, and by writing occasional commentaries on Kashmir for various newspapers.)
Pandits’ migration - in retrospect
I find it obligatory to add my opinion to the debate on Pandits started by Dr Rumana Hamid, both for her sincerity and bold expression of facts. This issue haunts both Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits alike and shall continue to do so, till at least the present generation lasts. While Dr Hamid’s article is basically a response to observations made by some readers in response to her earlier article on the subject, I shall expand the ambit of discussions a little wider.
While discussing Kashmiri Muslim-Pandit relationship, we must differentiate between personal and community relationships. If we are talking of personal relationships, I must say with all confidence that these continue to be strong, cordial and sincere. These can’t be otherwise since involved are two humans - by nature affectionate, responsive and civilized. I live in Delhi. My dentist is a Kashmiri Muslim, my cardiologist is a Kashmiri Muslim, and I have several Kashmiri Muslim friends here. I am sure that is the case with so many other Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims too. On visits to Kashmir after their migration including my own, one has only to narrate the stories of bonhomie, warmth and respect the locals have shown to them. Besides, Kashmiri whether a Muslim or a Pandit is emotional by nature and emotion flows out of him at the first salutation itself.
But when it comes to community relationships, it touches a historical and political ethos. After independence, community interests between Muslims and Pandits have clashed in areas like jobs, promotions, contracts, business, agrarian reforms, admission to professional colleges etc. and Pandits were discriminated on the basis of their numbers. This however was expected as a logical sequence of more and more native Muslims getting education and awareness. But what happened additionally in the case of Kashmir was that the community interests were seen as co-terminus with the interests of Muslims as a faith. In Islam, the governance, development and public relationships are part of the Shariat and therefore inability of the elected and secular governments to meet the community requirements was seen as its failure and the demand for an alternative form of Islamic governance was the next step. Kashmir has seen many bouts of such rules by tyrant Muslim rulers where rights, privileges and even existence of non-Muslims were denied.
Had outsiders not supported this, it is possible the fury would have been resolved internally. Both support from neighboring Islamic country and the violence compounded the problem. What could prevent a situation like this to take fundamentalist overtones was the emergence of a leader, who would be above human fragilities, progressive, read the religious scriptures correctly and see human being as a special creation of God and not religious molecules. We have had Badshah and Sheikh Abdullah in Kashmir, and Akbar, Gandhi, Ghaffar Khan, Maulana Azad in India. The absence of such a leader was the failure of Kashmir in 1989, which turned out to be a crucial point in its history. When it put paid to all its values of syncretic culture, Kashmiriyat as was known the world over.
Once you put this background in place, everything falls in line. Exodus of Pandits, effort for introduction of an Islamic code of conduct, refusal of place for Amarnath pilgrims etc. were all actions towards furtherance of this demand which has now assumed the shape of a total separation from India. Dr Hamid calls it alienation. Sure it is, but not against subjugation but for a faith based form of governance as opposed to Indian system of plural democracy.
Dr Hamid is also not absolutely right when she says that unlike Muslims, for Pandits Indian rule was comforting and like a dream state. It may be true now but it was not so before their migration. Pandits were equally frustrated, if not more. They had the experiences of the alienation of their land holdings without compensation in 1950, the refusal of handing over the abducted girl Parmeshawri Handoo by the Central government in 1968, refusal to maintain their job prospects in central government establishments in Kashmir when their chances of state employment had receded and many other issues on which the central government mostly took a stand in favor of the majority population. Had the movement not been faith based and violent, it is likely that Pandits would have opted for azadi like their fellow citizens. After all who gave the first clarion call for an independent Kashmir. None other than R.C.Kak, the Pandit Prime Minister of Kashmir. But things to day are different. Pandits are obliged to Government of India, Jammu people and Shiv Sena for coming to their rescue in their troubled times after their migration from Kashmir.
Again, the justification that in the mayhem of 1990’s everybody became a victim, so Pandits need not crib at it, is not fair. One has to imagine the atmosphere of that time. It was a mass movement with fanatic religious slogans and Pandit was considered as a symbol of Indian rule in Kashmir. Nobody in those dark days could speak about the killers, not even in a close knit family. To-day Dr Hamid can freely say that the militants killed Muslim intellectuals but that was not the case then. We are to day in a relatively free atmosphere discussing things coolly and I admire Dr Hamid’s frankness to do so.
Pandits outside Kashmir today are much better economically and socially. Yes the biggest tragedy has been the loss of home and identity. But that is a pain for our generation only since the youth of to day think differently. So we shall continue to refresh our memories of home by visiting Kashmir and interacting with our Muslim brethren as and when possible. The possibility of Pandits’ return to Kashmir is interlinked with the issue of Kashmir, the form of political system and governance, the Kashmiris would like for themselves. Till then history will record the happenings of 1990 as yet another migration of Pandits from Kashmir leaving the banner of the community with the handful of Pandits that continue to live in the valley.
(Greater Kashmir)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The Quantity Gained is the Quality Lost
We called it once the "dirty little secret" of the Education Department because of the sheer size of B. Ed production factory in Kashmir.
B Ed Blues
Any wrong practice in B Ed colleges can bring disrepute to the institution of education in Kashmir
The allegations made by a group of north Indian students, who are pursing B Ed course, about the mass copying are deeply disturbing and doff putting. The students allege that the concerned authorities have made promises with them of being allowed mass copying in the examination centre as a huge amount of money has been paid by the students in the form of boarding, lodging and admission in the respective colleges. In order to better the educational standards and to expand the base of educational sector in Kashmir it was a conscious step taken by educational authorities to attract students from other states to Kashmir.
B Ed course was on top of the list that attracted huge number of students from outside J&K. It was an encouraging sign that those who perused this course in the colleges of the Valley were very satisfied with the way they received training and their degrees mattered a lot in their respective states. This was one of the reasons that Valley saw flourishing of B Ed colleges. A huge rush of students from various states of India came to valley despite media in India projecting the image of Kashmir as a zone full of violence.
But all this seemed to have adversely affected the quality of education in our B Ed colleges. In an attempt to earn more money, people running these colleges started compromising many things. If the allegation of students that mass copying is encouraged to send this message across that even if students don’t attend their classes and also don’t work hard they can get the degree certificate, is true then it is a matter that needs to dealt with seriously. If the concerned authorities don’t give heed to it, it will be their tacit approval to whatever wrong practices have crept in these colleges.
Also, while it is important to looking into the matter as early as possible, there is infact urgency to bring the truth to the fore. The higher officials in the education department must not exhibit a lackadaisical approach while dealing with this matter and if something wrong is found the authorities should take strict possible action against the culprits. Besides, if need arises the registration of such colleges should be canceled permanently as it involves the prestige of our state. Whosoever tries to damage that prestige should be dealt with an iron hand.
(Rising Kashmir)
B Ed Blues
Any wrong practice in B Ed colleges can bring disrepute to the institution of education in Kashmir
The allegations made by a group of north Indian students, who are pursing B Ed course, about the mass copying are deeply disturbing and doff putting. The students allege that the concerned authorities have made promises with them of being allowed mass copying in the examination centre as a huge amount of money has been paid by the students in the form of boarding, lodging and admission in the respective colleges. In order to better the educational standards and to expand the base of educational sector in Kashmir it was a conscious step taken by educational authorities to attract students from other states to Kashmir.
B Ed course was on top of the list that attracted huge number of students from outside J&K. It was an encouraging sign that those who perused this course in the colleges of the Valley were very satisfied with the way they received training and their degrees mattered a lot in their respective states. This was one of the reasons that Valley saw flourishing of B Ed colleges. A huge rush of students from various states of India came to valley despite media in India projecting the image of Kashmir as a zone full of violence.
But all this seemed to have adversely affected the quality of education in our B Ed colleges. In an attempt to earn more money, people running these colleges started compromising many things. If the allegation of students that mass copying is encouraged to send this message across that even if students don’t attend their classes and also don’t work hard they can get the degree certificate, is true then it is a matter that needs to dealt with seriously. If the concerned authorities don’t give heed to it, it will be their tacit approval to whatever wrong practices have crept in these colleges.
Also, while it is important to looking into the matter as early as possible, there is infact urgency to bring the truth to the fore. The higher officials in the education department must not exhibit a lackadaisical approach while dealing with this matter and if something wrong is found the authorities should take strict possible action against the culprits. Besides, if need arises the registration of such colleges should be canceled permanently as it involves the prestige of our state. Whosoever tries to damage that prestige should be dealt with an iron hand.
(Rising Kashmir)
A City Where Government is Equally to Blame
From police headquarters to museum complex none have building permissions
‘Illegal’ sarkari buildings galore in capital
M. Hyderi (Greater Kashmir)
Srinagar: Believe it or not, the state government has “illegally” constructed several multi-storied buildings in the city, as it didn’t get the requisite building permission from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
The SMC officials say the buildings even violate the Master Plan adding that the city father Salman Sagar is expected to initiate a “legal action against the offenders”.
The “tainted” list includes the recently commissioned state-of-the-art police headquarters at Pir Bagh on the Airport road, the officials said. Even the Museum Complex on the Jhelum banks, which is getting finishing touches has been constructed without the SMC permission.
To mention, it’s vital for any building construction to have a clearance from the SMC, which gives the permission after a survey of the case though its specialized arm, the Building Organization Construction Authority (BOCA).
Police Headquarters:
The multistoried J&K Police Headquarters building, commissioned past month, officials say, not only lacks the SMC permission but brazenly violates the Master Plan. As against the 52 odd feet permissible height, the mega structure is around 80 feet tall. Moreover, the structure has popped up in a residential area which is in violation to the Master Plan, the officials said.
SMC says the police department didn’t even ever apply for the permission.
The Sangermaal:
Construction of Srinagar Development Authority owned – Sangermaal, the mega commercial shopping complex coming up at the city center is almost complete, but till now the SDA never sought a permission from the SMC.
The Hajj House:
The Hajj House at Bemina By-pass also lacks the building permission. If experts are to be believed the building constructed by the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation also violates the Master Plan (2000-2021).
The Legislature Complex:
The SMC officials claimed that the Legislature Complex building, built in over two decades, has been constructed without taking the corporation into the confidence.The building was commissioned in July this year.“Basically the successive regimes neglected the role of corporation and so they never sought any permissions,” said a senior SMC official, requesting not to be named.
The Museum:
The state-of-the-art Museum building on the Jhelum banks near Lal Mandi which is yet to be commissioned also lacks the permission.
Is the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) sleeping?
Well why didn’t the corporation ever take action against such “illegal” constructions? “We apprized the government a number of times but no attention was paid to our requests,” said an SMC official.
Govt response:
A senior government official, however, says the SMC permission wasn’t required for such constructions.
“All these constructions had a nod from the government so there was no role of SMC,” opines an official.
‘Illegal’ sarkari buildings galore in capital
M. Hyderi (Greater Kashmir)
Srinagar: Believe it or not, the state government has “illegally” constructed several multi-storied buildings in the city, as it didn’t get the requisite building permission from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
The SMC officials say the buildings even violate the Master Plan adding that the city father Salman Sagar is expected to initiate a “legal action against the offenders”.
The “tainted” list includes the recently commissioned state-of-the-art police headquarters at Pir Bagh on the Airport road, the officials said. Even the Museum Complex on the Jhelum banks, which is getting finishing touches has been constructed without the SMC permission.
To mention, it’s vital for any building construction to have a clearance from the SMC, which gives the permission after a survey of the case though its specialized arm, the Building Organization Construction Authority (BOCA).
Police Headquarters:
The multistoried J&K Police Headquarters building, commissioned past month, officials say, not only lacks the SMC permission but brazenly violates the Master Plan. As against the 52 odd feet permissible height, the mega structure is around 80 feet tall. Moreover, the structure has popped up in a residential area which is in violation to the Master Plan, the officials said.
SMC says the police department didn’t even ever apply for the permission.
The Sangermaal:
Construction of Srinagar Development Authority owned – Sangermaal, the mega commercial shopping complex coming up at the city center is almost complete, but till now the SDA never sought a permission from the SMC.
The Hajj House:
The Hajj House at Bemina By-pass also lacks the building permission. If experts are to be believed the building constructed by the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation also violates the Master Plan (2000-2021).
The Legislature Complex:
The SMC officials claimed that the Legislature Complex building, built in over two decades, has been constructed without taking the corporation into the confidence.The building was commissioned in July this year.“Basically the successive regimes neglected the role of corporation and so they never sought any permissions,” said a senior SMC official, requesting not to be named.
The Museum:
The state-of-the-art Museum building on the Jhelum banks near Lal Mandi which is yet to be commissioned also lacks the permission.
Is the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) sleeping?
Well why didn’t the corporation ever take action against such “illegal” constructions? “We apprized the government a number of times but no attention was paid to our requests,” said an SMC official.
Govt response:
A senior government official, however, says the SMC permission wasn’t required for such constructions.
“All these constructions had a nod from the government so there was no role of SMC,” opines an official.
Paradise (about to be) Lost?
A grim reminder of how public indifference, official malfeasance and gun culture is slowly destroying the beauty of Kashmir
Green future of Kashmir under threat
India’s ‘paradise’ — Kashmir — is threatening to lose its charming picture postcard beauty. The danger has nothing to do with the separatists’ fight for ‘azadi.’
The deafening war cries for ‘azadi’ in Kashmir has led local players, their patrons across the border and the state authorities to ignore a ‘time bomb’ that may, in a few decades, convert the valley’s lush green fields and mountains into a barren desert resembling adjoining high-altitude Ladakh.
The “time bomb” lies just a few kilometers from the Line of Control (LOC) — it is the Kolahoi glacier that is melting at an alarming speed, threatening to snatch away the beautiful green robe of the valley.
It is the Kolahoi and other such glaciers’ waters that has made the valley lush green and fertile, leading the Kashmiris to proudly proclaim that “if there is heaven, it is where we live.” Located a short trek away from Pahalgam, this glacier is the valley’s only year-round source of water.
The twin-peaked Kolahoi glacier, rising almost 18,000 feet (5,500m), is rapidly melting due to global warming. The base of the glacier is at the head of the Lidder valley. Climbing from 3400m up to 4000m, the glacier descends from twin majestic peaks at 5433m.
In 1985, the glacier’s snout stretched half-a-mile (800 metre) further down the valley. The traces are still visible. Now, the snout is much smaller.
Because of the close proximity of the LOC, the densely forest covered mountains and the valley around the glacier are an infiltration route for the terrorists sneaking over from Pakistan. This made the regular monitoring of the glacier unsafe.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) recently organised a research expedition of the University of Kashmir University to visit the glacier. Instead of snow-white, the team found it of a dirty brown colour and covered with crevasses. On seeing the melting rate, TERI and the university have now sounded an alarm bell.
The glacier attracts many trekkers also and they are shocked when they reach there. “Instead of being a point of joy and beauty, it offers a depressing sight,” said a Delhi-based environment loving photographer, Kamal Sahai, who was recently there. “It looked more like a huge mudslide than a frozen reservoir of fresh water,” Sahai said.
One can take a short trek to the Kolahoi glacier from Pahalgam and return in four to five days.
According to Ghulam Jeelani, a geo-hydrologist, who visited the glacier as a member of the University of Kashmir’s research expedition, “if the glacier continues to melt at the current speed, it may disappear from the map of glaciers in a decade or so.”
During a recent visit to the Kashmir Valley, this correspondent met many environmentalists who expressed concern over the “green future of Kashmir” because of melting Kolahoi glacier. They have appealed to the people to sign a petition urging UN Secretary-General, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to create and sign a Kolahoi Accord by 2011.
The Kolahoi glacier’s melting has put on stake the Kashmir valley’s reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful tourist destination. It also threatens the livelihood of lakhs of people.
Kolahoi’s melting is creating a scary future scenario for the valley. This glacier feeds the Jhelum, which drains into Srinagar’s Dal Lake - the most popular attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. The lake’s shikharas (houseboats) are world famous.
A long tussle between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, which turned ugly with terrorism spreading its wings, stopped attention focusing on the alarming shrinkage of the Kolahoi glacier.
TERI scientist Syed Hasnain, who is India’s top glacier expert, has accused the government of being less interested in environmental problems. “Both New Delhi and Islamabad should put politics aside, and deal with the glacier’s melting issue, otherwise an environmental disaster is not far.” TERI plans to include Kolahoi in an index of benchmark glaciers that span the Himalayas.
It is the Kolahoi and other such glaciers’ water that has made the Kashmir valley so fertile. The valley produces a rich crop of rice, wheat and corn. And, of course, famous apple orchards and fields of saffron are also there - thanks to the glacier waters.
The valley’s natural beauty depends on water, and the water supply depends on glaciers such as Kolahoi. After the snow melts in May and June, the glaciers are the only source of water.
“If these glaciers disappear, we will lose our heaven,” says an old taxi driver, Mohd. Ali, living in Srinagar.
An environmentalist in Srinagar commented, “Kashmir needs a ‘political climate change’ to save the Kolahoi glacier which will ensure Kashmir retains its status as heaven on earth.”
Maybe, the slow death of Kashmir’s lush valley will wake up the ‘azadi’ seekers’ to put down their arms and find a common cause to save their paradise, environmentalists are hoping.
Green future of Kashmir under threat
India’s ‘paradise’ — Kashmir — is threatening to lose its charming picture postcard beauty. The danger has nothing to do with the separatists’ fight for ‘azadi.’
The deafening war cries for ‘azadi’ in Kashmir has led local players, their patrons across the border and the state authorities to ignore a ‘time bomb’ that may, in a few decades, convert the valley’s lush green fields and mountains into a barren desert resembling adjoining high-altitude Ladakh.
The “time bomb” lies just a few kilometers from the Line of Control (LOC) — it is the Kolahoi glacier that is melting at an alarming speed, threatening to snatch away the beautiful green robe of the valley.
It is the Kolahoi and other such glaciers’ waters that has made the valley lush green and fertile, leading the Kashmiris to proudly proclaim that “if there is heaven, it is where we live.” Located a short trek away from Pahalgam, this glacier is the valley’s only year-round source of water.
The twin-peaked Kolahoi glacier, rising almost 18,000 feet (5,500m), is rapidly melting due to global warming. The base of the glacier is at the head of the Lidder valley. Climbing from 3400m up to 4000m, the glacier descends from twin majestic peaks at 5433m.
In 1985, the glacier’s snout stretched half-a-mile (800 metre) further down the valley. The traces are still visible. Now, the snout is much smaller.
Because of the close proximity of the LOC, the densely forest covered mountains and the valley around the glacier are an infiltration route for the terrorists sneaking over from Pakistan. This made the regular monitoring of the glacier unsafe.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) recently organised a research expedition of the University of Kashmir University to visit the glacier. Instead of snow-white, the team found it of a dirty brown colour and covered with crevasses. On seeing the melting rate, TERI and the university have now sounded an alarm bell.
The glacier attracts many trekkers also and they are shocked when they reach there. “Instead of being a point of joy and beauty, it offers a depressing sight,” said a Delhi-based environment loving photographer, Kamal Sahai, who was recently there. “It looked more like a huge mudslide than a frozen reservoir of fresh water,” Sahai said.
One can take a short trek to the Kolahoi glacier from Pahalgam and return in four to five days.
According to Ghulam Jeelani, a geo-hydrologist, who visited the glacier as a member of the University of Kashmir’s research expedition, “if the glacier continues to melt at the current speed, it may disappear from the map of glaciers in a decade or so.”
During a recent visit to the Kashmir Valley, this correspondent met many environmentalists who expressed concern over the “green future of Kashmir” because of melting Kolahoi glacier. They have appealed to the people to sign a petition urging UN Secretary-General, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to create and sign a Kolahoi Accord by 2011.
The Kolahoi glacier’s melting has put on stake the Kashmir valley’s reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful tourist destination. It also threatens the livelihood of lakhs of people.
Kolahoi’s melting is creating a scary future scenario for the valley. This glacier feeds the Jhelum, which drains into Srinagar’s Dal Lake - the most popular attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. The lake’s shikharas (houseboats) are world famous.
A long tussle between Pakistan and India over Kashmir, which turned ugly with terrorism spreading its wings, stopped attention focusing on the alarming shrinkage of the Kolahoi glacier.
TERI scientist Syed Hasnain, who is India’s top glacier expert, has accused the government of being less interested in environmental problems. “Both New Delhi and Islamabad should put politics aside, and deal with the glacier’s melting issue, otherwise an environmental disaster is not far.” TERI plans to include Kolahoi in an index of benchmark glaciers that span the Himalayas.
It is the Kolahoi and other such glaciers’ water that has made the Kashmir valley so fertile. The valley produces a rich crop of rice, wheat and corn. And, of course, famous apple orchards and fields of saffron are also there - thanks to the glacier waters.
The valley’s natural beauty depends on water, and the water supply depends on glaciers such as Kolahoi. After the snow melts in May and June, the glaciers are the only source of water.
“If these glaciers disappear, we will lose our heaven,” says an old taxi driver, Mohd. Ali, living in Srinagar.
An environmentalist in Srinagar commented, “Kashmir needs a ‘political climate change’ to save the Kolahoi glacier which will ensure Kashmir retains its status as heaven on earth.”
Maybe, the slow death of Kashmir’s lush valley will wake up the ‘azadi’ seekers’ to put down their arms and find a common cause to save their paradise, environmentalists are hoping.
Can Kashmiri Potatoes Dominate the $459 Million Chip market?
Entrepreneurs keen to launch Kashmir brand chips to serve Rs. 100 Cr market
Kashmir Produces 20,000 tons of Potatoes
Shabir Dar (Rising Kashmir)
Srinagar: Despite availability of indigenous raw material – potatoes – for snacks production, Jammu and Kashmir imports potato chips worth 100 crores every year. The Valley produces more than 20,000 tons of potatoes annually.
The trend of importing snacks from outside states has not encouraged industrial bodies and entrepreneurs to set up units of potato chips manufacturing units in Kashmir.
“We should have a Kashmiri brand of potato chips here, as these are in high demand here. This could be good for growers, dealers, traders and for consumers as well,” Mushtaq Ahmad, a wholesale dealer of potato chips said.
“Till now, no initiative has been taken by government or by any private entrepreneur to start potato chips unit here,’ he added.
Kashmir witnessed an impressive growth of vegetables from past three years, as per growers and agriculture authorities. Chairman of Kashmir Kissan Forum, Ghulam Mustafa Masoodi said that valley produces sufficient quantity of potatoes, both for the indigenous consumptions and for export to other states.
“We have more than 20,000 tons annual production of potatoes and during peak season, besides meeting the domestic needs we are able to export around 500 tons to outside states,” he said.
“If potato chips units come up in the valley, there is enough of indigenous raw material to feed them,” Masoodi added.
"Now, hybrid varieties have come up and those can enable production of 300-400 percent more than the average yield. There are also some breeds which can survive in snowfall, but those are yet to be introduced here,” he said.
The market size of potato chips in India, as per the latest survey is $459 million. It is one of the largest snack markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Only Australia, China, Japan and South Korea have won greater revenue from the sale of snacks. India contributes three percent to the total Asia-Pacific snack market revenue.
“Kashmir too can earn good revenue out of indigenous chips production if we are able to establish a brand, ensure its sustainability and make quality product,” said director Entrepreneurs Development Institute (EDI), Mohammad Ismail Parray.
Many entrepreneurs are approaching EDI for establishing such units in Kashmir. “But, we have to do lot of work before going directly into setting up chips production units here. We need to form clusters of growers at local level and have to ensure good quantity and quality production of potato. Then we have to put lot of labour and efforts in it, by planning productivity and marketing,” he added.
Meanwhile, president of Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) Shakeel Qalander said that initiatives are on from the industrial body’s side to establish potato chips units in the valley.
“Our endeavours are going on. We are already in line with some entrepreneurs, who want to establish such units here. FCIK is encouraging it and we have asked the entrepreneurs to go for it, even though we have to import potatoes in the beginning. We hope very soon we may have our indigenous potato chips producing units here,” he said.
Kashmir Produces 20,000 tons of Potatoes
Shabir Dar (Rising Kashmir)
Srinagar: Despite availability of indigenous raw material – potatoes – for snacks production, Jammu and Kashmir imports potato chips worth 100 crores every year. The Valley produces more than 20,000 tons of potatoes annually.
The trend of importing snacks from outside states has not encouraged industrial bodies and entrepreneurs to set up units of potato chips manufacturing units in Kashmir.
“We should have a Kashmiri brand of potato chips here, as these are in high demand here. This could be good for growers, dealers, traders and for consumers as well,” Mushtaq Ahmad, a wholesale dealer of potato chips said.
“Till now, no initiative has been taken by government or by any private entrepreneur to start potato chips unit here,’ he added.
Kashmir witnessed an impressive growth of vegetables from past three years, as per growers and agriculture authorities. Chairman of Kashmir Kissan Forum, Ghulam Mustafa Masoodi said that valley produces sufficient quantity of potatoes, both for the indigenous consumptions and for export to other states.
“We have more than 20,000 tons annual production of potatoes and during peak season, besides meeting the domestic needs we are able to export around 500 tons to outside states,” he said.
“If potato chips units come up in the valley, there is enough of indigenous raw material to feed them,” Masoodi added.
"Now, hybrid varieties have come up and those can enable production of 300-400 percent more than the average yield. There are also some breeds which can survive in snowfall, but those are yet to be introduced here,” he said.
The market size of potato chips in India, as per the latest survey is $459 million. It is one of the largest snack markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Only Australia, China, Japan and South Korea have won greater revenue from the sale of snacks. India contributes three percent to the total Asia-Pacific snack market revenue.
“Kashmir too can earn good revenue out of indigenous chips production if we are able to establish a brand, ensure its sustainability and make quality product,” said director Entrepreneurs Development Institute (EDI), Mohammad Ismail Parray.
Many entrepreneurs are approaching EDI for establishing such units in Kashmir. “But, we have to do lot of work before going directly into setting up chips production units here. We need to form clusters of growers at local level and have to ensure good quantity and quality production of potato. Then we have to put lot of labour and efforts in it, by planning productivity and marketing,” he added.
Meanwhile, president of Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) Shakeel Qalander said that initiatives are on from the industrial body’s side to establish potato chips units in the valley.
“Our endeavours are going on. We are already in line with some entrepreneurs, who want to establish such units here. FCIK is encouraging it and we have asked the entrepreneurs to go for it, even though we have to import potatoes in the beginning. We hope very soon we may have our indigenous potato chips producing units here,” he said.
On the Education day, Know Your Educationists
A gathering at the SKICC organized by the Academic Staff College of the University of Kashmir on November 1, 2008, provided an unique setting for Kashmir's academia to gather for promoting education
NOVEMBER 11: EDUCATION DAY
(Geer Muhammad Ishaq, Dr. Z. A. Chatt and Prof. Mehraj-ud-din present a brief overview of the proceedings of an expert level panel discussion on higher education held at SKICC.)
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India has decided to observe 11th November, birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Union Minister of Education as the “National Education Day” every year. A resolution to this effect has been adopted by the Government of India on September 11th, 2008. At this occasion, it will be pertinent to present a brief overview of the proceedings and recommendations of an expert level panel discussion organized by the Academic Staff College of the University of Kashmir in association with Indian Institute of Public Administration, Kashmir Chapter at SKICC, Srinagar on November 1st, 2008. Veteran educationists of the state including principals of several degree colleges and noted academicians of the Universities of Kashmir and Jammu participated in the panel discussion that was divided into two sessions in addition to the inaugural session. Theme of the first session was, “Higher Education in India – Changing Dynamics”, whereas the theme for second session was, “Higher Education – Professional Development and Quality Control”.
Prof. Riyaz Punjabi, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir, in his special address also made a set of recommendations for introspection and subsequent rectification of our higher education system that include addressing the problems at micro level with special reference to the J&K state, bridging the gap between academia and policy-makers, making greater infrastructure available to colleges and universities, restoring dignity of teachers and honouring their feedback, need for non-intervention by political forces, greater collaboration and better coordination between three units of education at school, college and University level.
Shri N. N. Vohra, Governor of the J&K state presented a comparative overview of the situation existing at the time of independence of India and the one existing today. He expressed his grave concern over deteriorating standards of education alongside a proportional increase in the number of educational institutions. He emphasized upon the eminent academicians of the state to determine the extent, in the context of present democratic functioning, to which we can proceed further and set the system right. He informed the gathering about the government decision to set up a committee to establish state knowledge commission.
During the first session that was chaired by Prof. A.G. Madhosh, former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kashmir and co-chaired by Prof. T. A. Kawoos, Principal, Amar Singh College, Sringar, several noted educationists of the state presented their views and recommendations. Those who spoke besides Chairman and Co-Chairman during the first session include Prof. G. R. Malik, former Head, Dept. of English/Director, EMMRC, University of Kashmir, Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, Director, Institute of Computer Sciences, University of Kashmir, Prof. (Dr.) Zeenat Ara, Principal, Govt. Women’s College, Srinagar, Prof. Z. A. Chatt, Senior Faculty, Govt. Degree College, Anantnag and Prof. C. L. Vishen, Chairman, CASET. During post-session interaction, Mr. Nasir Mirza, Senior Faculty, MERC, University of Kashmir, Prof. M. I. Nazki, ex-Controller of Examinations, University of Kashmir, Prof. A. R. Khan, Professor of Zoology, Prof. Yasmin, Prof. Sharf-e-Alam, former Vice-Chancellor of Patna University and others participated in the deliberations.
During the second session that was chaired by Prof. Nisar Ali, Coordinator, PG Centres, University of Kashmir and co-chaired by Prof. G. M. Dar, Principal, Sadiq Memorial College of Education, Srinagar, experts who presented their views and suggestions besides chairman and the co-chairman include, Prof. G. M. Sangmi, Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kashmir, Prof. N. A. Nadeem, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kashmir, Prof. M. I. Nazki, ex-Controller of Examination, University of Kashmir, Prof. A. R. Rather, former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kashmir, Prof. Ashok Aima, Senior Faculty, The Business School, University of Jammu, Prof. V.K. Kapoor, Director, Law School, University of Jammu, Prof. Abdul Hamid, Principal, Govt. College of Education, Sringar, Prof. Syed Rabia Firdous, Principal, Gandhi Memorial College, Srinagar and Prof. Nazir Ahmed Gilkar, Senior Faculty, Degree College, Bemina. Several principals of various degree colleges and university teachers participated in the post-session interactions and posed many questions to the panellists.
There is also need for diversification of education at middle or high school level owing to the fact that orientation of students towards professional subjects needs to be done from 8th or 10th standard onwards so as to provide greater avenues and foster their inherent capabilities in one particular stream rather than making them study all kinds of subjects irrespective of their personal interests and inclinations. Education should be made compulsory only upto a particular stage and then it should be made more choice-based. Admission policy in colleges and universities should be streamlined and made fool-proof. Admissions should be strictly made on the basis of total intake capacity of the respective institutions and the aptitude/merit of aspiring candidates rather than on the basis of other stray considerations. There are instances where colleges having a total intake capacity of 4000 have ended up giving admissions to over 12000 students in a single session. Need of the hour is to implement UGC guidelines in letter and spirit and stop violating norms.
Creative skills and competitive spirits of the students of higher education should be fostered and encouraged. In order to make our students better citizens, human and moral values need to be inculcated in them by way of value-based education. That is very important in order to lessen the burden of evils and turmoil in our society. Industry-academia interaction should be enhanced. At least one residential college at each district headquarters should be upgraded/established with extended library access to students as well as the faculty beyond normal working hours of the college. There should be greater autonomy to institutions of higher learning and the concept of autonomous colleges as envisaged under the objectives of proposed state knowledge commission should be seriously considered. There is dire need to carry out regular review and updation of syllabi as well as reforms in evaluation/examination patterns by all educational institutes. Adhocism and contractualism that breeds mediocrity in higher education should be abolished and only clear vacancies should be created and subsequently got filled up by meritorious candidates through proper selection procedure.
Objectives of higher education should be properly defined and total quality management procedures adopted in teaching, research and extension at the institutions of higher learning. Undue intervention by politicians in educational institutions should be stopped and the academicians should be allowed to work freely without submitting to any extraneous considerations. Ways and means should be explored to reduce the stress levels among students as a result of emerging cut throat competition and decreasing job opportunities. We should keep pace with brisk technological advancements in teaching learning process and should not lag behind in adopting the latest technology in every sphere of our education, be it in teaching, devising syllabi, evaluation methods, certification and automation procedures etc. Distance mode of education should be expanded to enhance accessibility to education. Alongside providing better perks and remuneration to teachers, they should be made more accountable. Transparency in educational institutions should be increased and teachers should have a greater realization of their responsibilities towards the society. Recruitment and transfer procedures and policies in educational institutions should be made more transparent so that they are not used by the vested interests as a tool for punishment or reward. Integrated efforts should be made by all stake holders in converting our educational institutes into the centres of knowledge and excellence. All players should contribute their bit towards building a knowledge based society.
(This article does not cover all the views and recommendations presented by various participants due to constraints of space. Same are given in the full report of proceedings available at the Academic Staff College, University of Kashmir. Geer Mohammad Ishaq is Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Pharm. Sciences, K.U, Dr. Z. A. Chatt is senior faculty at Degree College Anantnag and Prof. Mehraj-ud-din is Director, Academic Staff College, Kashmir University. Greater Kashmir news)
NOVEMBER 11: EDUCATION DAY
(Geer Muhammad Ishaq, Dr. Z. A. Chatt and Prof. Mehraj-ud-din present a brief overview of the proceedings of an expert level panel discussion on higher education held at SKICC.)
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India has decided to observe 11th November, birthday of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first Union Minister of Education as the “National Education Day” every year. A resolution to this effect has been adopted by the Government of India on September 11th, 2008. At this occasion, it will be pertinent to present a brief overview of the proceedings and recommendations of an expert level panel discussion organized by the Academic Staff College of the University of Kashmir in association with Indian Institute of Public Administration, Kashmir Chapter at SKICC, Srinagar on November 1st, 2008. Veteran educationists of the state including principals of several degree colleges and noted academicians of the Universities of Kashmir and Jammu participated in the panel discussion that was divided into two sessions in addition to the inaugural session. Theme of the first session was, “Higher Education in India – Changing Dynamics”, whereas the theme for second session was, “Higher Education – Professional Development and Quality Control”.
Prof. Riyaz Punjabi, Vice-Chancellor, University of Kashmir, in his special address also made a set of recommendations for introspection and subsequent rectification of our higher education system that include addressing the problems at micro level with special reference to the J&K state, bridging the gap between academia and policy-makers, making greater infrastructure available to colleges and universities, restoring dignity of teachers and honouring their feedback, need for non-intervention by political forces, greater collaboration and better coordination between three units of education at school, college and University level.
Shri N. N. Vohra, Governor of the J&K state presented a comparative overview of the situation existing at the time of independence of India and the one existing today. He expressed his grave concern over deteriorating standards of education alongside a proportional increase in the number of educational institutions. He emphasized upon the eminent academicians of the state to determine the extent, in the context of present democratic functioning, to which we can proceed further and set the system right. He informed the gathering about the government decision to set up a committee to establish state knowledge commission.
During the first session that was chaired by Prof. A.G. Madhosh, former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kashmir and co-chaired by Prof. T. A. Kawoos, Principal, Amar Singh College, Sringar, several noted educationists of the state presented their views and recommendations. Those who spoke besides Chairman and Co-Chairman during the first session include Prof. G. R. Malik, former Head, Dept. of English/Director, EMMRC, University of Kashmir, Prof. Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, Director, Institute of Computer Sciences, University of Kashmir, Prof. (Dr.) Zeenat Ara, Principal, Govt. Women’s College, Srinagar, Prof. Z. A. Chatt, Senior Faculty, Govt. Degree College, Anantnag and Prof. C. L. Vishen, Chairman, CASET. During post-session interaction, Mr. Nasir Mirza, Senior Faculty, MERC, University of Kashmir, Prof. M. I. Nazki, ex-Controller of Examinations, University of Kashmir, Prof. A. R. Khan, Professor of Zoology, Prof. Yasmin, Prof. Sharf-e-Alam, former Vice-Chancellor of Patna University and others participated in the deliberations.
During the second session that was chaired by Prof. Nisar Ali, Coordinator, PG Centres, University of Kashmir and co-chaired by Prof. G. M. Dar, Principal, Sadiq Memorial College of Education, Srinagar, experts who presented their views and suggestions besides chairman and the co-chairman include, Prof. G. M. Sangmi, Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kashmir, Prof. N. A. Nadeem, Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kashmir, Prof. M. I. Nazki, ex-Controller of Examination, University of Kashmir, Prof. A. R. Rather, former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Kashmir, Prof. Ashok Aima, Senior Faculty, The Business School, University of Jammu, Prof. V.K. Kapoor, Director, Law School, University of Jammu, Prof. Abdul Hamid, Principal, Govt. College of Education, Sringar, Prof. Syed Rabia Firdous, Principal, Gandhi Memorial College, Srinagar and Prof. Nazir Ahmed Gilkar, Senior Faculty, Degree College, Bemina. Several principals of various degree colleges and university teachers participated in the post-session interactions and posed many questions to the panellists.
There is also need for diversification of education at middle or high school level owing to the fact that orientation of students towards professional subjects needs to be done from 8th or 10th standard onwards so as to provide greater avenues and foster their inherent capabilities in one particular stream rather than making them study all kinds of subjects irrespective of their personal interests and inclinations. Education should be made compulsory only upto a particular stage and then it should be made more choice-based. Admission policy in colleges and universities should be streamlined and made fool-proof. Admissions should be strictly made on the basis of total intake capacity of the respective institutions and the aptitude/merit of aspiring candidates rather than on the basis of other stray considerations. There are instances where colleges having a total intake capacity of 4000 have ended up giving admissions to over 12000 students in a single session. Need of the hour is to implement UGC guidelines in letter and spirit and stop violating norms.
Creative skills and competitive spirits of the students of higher education should be fostered and encouraged. In order to make our students better citizens, human and moral values need to be inculcated in them by way of value-based education. That is very important in order to lessen the burden of evils and turmoil in our society. Industry-academia interaction should be enhanced. At least one residential college at each district headquarters should be upgraded/established with extended library access to students as well as the faculty beyond normal working hours of the college. There should be greater autonomy to institutions of higher learning and the concept of autonomous colleges as envisaged under the objectives of proposed state knowledge commission should be seriously considered. There is dire need to carry out regular review and updation of syllabi as well as reforms in evaluation/examination patterns by all educational institutes. Adhocism and contractualism that breeds mediocrity in higher education should be abolished and only clear vacancies should be created and subsequently got filled up by meritorious candidates through proper selection procedure.
Objectives of higher education should be properly defined and total quality management procedures adopted in teaching, research and extension at the institutions of higher learning. Undue intervention by politicians in educational institutions should be stopped and the academicians should be allowed to work freely without submitting to any extraneous considerations. Ways and means should be explored to reduce the stress levels among students as a result of emerging cut throat competition and decreasing job opportunities. We should keep pace with brisk technological advancements in teaching learning process and should not lag behind in adopting the latest technology in every sphere of our education, be it in teaching, devising syllabi, evaluation methods, certification and automation procedures etc. Distance mode of education should be expanded to enhance accessibility to education. Alongside providing better perks and remuneration to teachers, they should be made more accountable. Transparency in educational institutions should be increased and teachers should have a greater realization of their responsibilities towards the society. Recruitment and transfer procedures and policies in educational institutions should be made more transparent so that they are not used by the vested interests as a tool for punishment or reward. Integrated efforts should be made by all stake holders in converting our educational institutes into the centres of knowledge and excellence. All players should contribute their bit towards building a knowledge based society.
(This article does not cover all the views and recommendations presented by various participants due to constraints of space. Same are given in the full report of proceedings available at the Academic Staff College, University of Kashmir. Geer Mohammad Ishaq is Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Pharm. Sciences, K.U, Dr. Z. A. Chatt is senior faculty at Degree College Anantnag and Prof. Mehraj-ud-din is Director, Academic Staff College, Kashmir University. Greater Kashmir news)
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Yet Another Opportunity to Form a Consensus is About to Evaporate
Mehmood suggests that so-called solutions to the Kashmir issue are meaningless unless there is there is an opportunity to debate pros and cons of any approach openly and fearlessly
(Mr. Mehmood-ur-Rashid, mid-30's, lives and works in Srinagar. His commentary is published by the Rising Kashmir.)
Of Problems and Solutions
In our private discussions we always keep talking about the role of intellectuals in getting us out of the crisis that we are in. It is in fact the expression of the pain that our collective body suffers. These discussions, in fact, augur well if they are not just for the sake of passing time.
At an institutional level also we keep finding ways to deliberate on things at an intellectual plane. We have even started writing in detail about the possible solutions of the Kashmir dispute. From independent writers to political parties things are being discussed at length as what can be the possible ways of getting this people out of the present chaos. But if it becomes a part of the dull exercise of conferring 'recognition' on a select group of people or a sellable constellations of ideas, no good can be expected of it. Let us believe that it initiates a meaningful activity of untying the knots hitherto untouched. Let us pray that such initiatives start provoking the collective mind of Kashmir. Shake it out of the slumber and prepare it to confront the legions of questions marching to lay siege to it. For how long can the existence of such questions be denied? We can not duck the barrage of these questions. We can not shut our minds and presume that if there is a paradise on earth, it is here. It is not here. Surely it is not. We have to muster the courage and accept that we are the denizens of a wasteland. A land laid waste by those in whom this people invested its blood. Let it give a flip to a process of looking inwards rather than consuming our energies on imposed politics and putative protests.
Without being cynical about things, there is no other way than to accept that as a people we stand on dangerous cross roads. What made us reach here can not, and must not escape our deliberations. But while we deliberate on the crisis that we are deep in, we should not forget that more than anything else it is important to find ways of getting out of this crisis. Probably this is where we need to exercise caution. Instead of an academic involvement we need to intellectually engage with the process of understanding the situation. An exclusively academic approach towards the problem may reveal many unknown facets but it is more likely that it ignores the general participation of peoples' mind. Contrary to this an intellectual engagement invokes the interest of greater common mind. Without discouraging any kind of scholarly engagement, we only need to speed up the process of shaping up the public mind. Underlining the dangers yet pointing towards hope. With due regards to the grim visage of an academic, Kashmir today is in search of calm faced intellectual teaching the ways to negotiate the bends on the highway of crisis. Yes we need to be informed that we are caught but at the same time we must be told how to be out.
One way of ending the crisis may be plain capitulation and simple submission to the state-send ideas, political processes, Visions and Frameworks. That may get us a tentative relief but before long we will find ourselves in a bigger crisis. So like all other fields of life, there are no short cuts here either. We have to tread a path, long and circuitous. It is here that we need a guide that can hold our hand and see us through. One who can answer that eternal cry–of–crisis; what to do now?
It was the most unfortunate thing that happened when people rose in revolt against India in early nineties. The engine of the resistance was fuelled with some slogans and set off. Under the impact of ear splitting shrill people waited for something great to happen. A day or two and the rocket of resistance will be circumambulating the planet freedom. It didn't happen. Actually it wasn't to happen. The reasons of failure were so obvious and so many that even God wouldn't have helped us. Except giving birth to a situation that consumed life armed resistance was blank on every count. Immediately after some years the romance with freedom started getting sour.
Doubts, suspicion, disappointment and a subsequent loss of faith started gripping the minds. Thanks to the fear of the situation that none dared ask this question. We have lost the way? Any intellectual endeavour was fraught with consequences. The elements of our society were fanned out to extremes, where every thing becomes need driven. Law, religion, morality; all such ingredients of a lively civilization vanished. Those who knew that we have lost the way sealed their lips, because on extremes you need to save your life first. Those who found a chance to make killing out of it would consider such questions as blasphemous, hence a license to kill.
Those who discovered an opportunity in it to make their political careers did a fresh political ablution and set off on a holy journey to the temples of Indian political establishment. So everyone was busy addressing his own need.
Different 'realities' were imported and sold to Kashmiris. That we had lost our way , was actually the only reality and it remained covered up. In this sprawling market of 'realities', if anything was conspicuous by its absence, it was the reality.
Like many other things, collective condition has an inherent tendency to change. The darker areas started getting illuminated. The unasked question began to make a murmur. Slowly and gradually it gained strength. People started asking it. Now is the time to respond to this question. Either we, as a collectivity, can collapse under the weight of this question or we can emerge as a formidable force that has to be reckoned with.
When Lenin found himself shouldering the weight of this situation he yelled, 'what is to be done? ' When Iqbal confronted this loss of direction he cried exactly the same; Pas Che Bayad Kard( now what has to be done? ). When Faiz realized that the dawn of freedom that arrived was not the one that he had longed for, he went the same way, " Ab Tum Hi Kaho Kya Karna Hai"( Now you tell me what is to be done ? ) Giving voice to this question probably makes the beginning of the realization that it has come to a head.
The time demands the appearance of intellectuals on the collective screen. No more slogans please, we need to actuate ourselves into a serious debate. To begin with, intellectuals need to formulate this question; phrase it properly. Before we find out the answers, the real task is to shape up the question. It is a huge and Herculean task. We can arrive at the solution only if we understand the problem first. Any mistake here can cost us dare.
Political parties working for India in Kashmir have introduced their own versions of problem. From Kashmiriyat to Visions and Frameworks, they have adorned it in many different ways. They too build up their case from the same point; that Kashmiris can not afford to be in a state of affairs that they are in for long. No denying it; very true. Bt it doesn't need to do much to find out that how truthful they are ? An intellectual's task is to save this question from being hijacked. He too has to take off from the same point, but the language and content of his question will make the difference. Of course intent too.
In the crisis of today, an intellectual has to make it sure that he doesn't miss the sight of tomorrow.
Let us join Iqbal in his prayer;
Imroz Ke Shoorish Mein Andaishia farada dai
(In the turbulence of today, O God, make me conscious of what lies ahead.)
(Mr. Mehmood-ur-Rashid, mid-30's, lives and works in Srinagar. His commentary is published by the Rising Kashmir.)
Of Problems and Solutions
In our private discussions we always keep talking about the role of intellectuals in getting us out of the crisis that we are in. It is in fact the expression of the pain that our collective body suffers. These discussions, in fact, augur well if they are not just for the sake of passing time.
At an institutional level also we keep finding ways to deliberate on things at an intellectual plane. We have even started writing in detail about the possible solutions of the Kashmir dispute. From independent writers to political parties things are being discussed at length as what can be the possible ways of getting this people out of the present chaos. But if it becomes a part of the dull exercise of conferring 'recognition' on a select group of people or a sellable constellations of ideas, no good can be expected of it. Let us believe that it initiates a meaningful activity of untying the knots hitherto untouched. Let us pray that such initiatives start provoking the collective mind of Kashmir. Shake it out of the slumber and prepare it to confront the legions of questions marching to lay siege to it. For how long can the existence of such questions be denied? We can not duck the barrage of these questions. We can not shut our minds and presume that if there is a paradise on earth, it is here. It is not here. Surely it is not. We have to muster the courage and accept that we are the denizens of a wasteland. A land laid waste by those in whom this people invested its blood. Let it give a flip to a process of looking inwards rather than consuming our energies on imposed politics and putative protests.
Without being cynical about things, there is no other way than to accept that as a people we stand on dangerous cross roads. What made us reach here can not, and must not escape our deliberations. But while we deliberate on the crisis that we are deep in, we should not forget that more than anything else it is important to find ways of getting out of this crisis. Probably this is where we need to exercise caution. Instead of an academic involvement we need to intellectually engage with the process of understanding the situation. An exclusively academic approach towards the problem may reveal many unknown facets but it is more likely that it ignores the general participation of peoples' mind. Contrary to this an intellectual engagement invokes the interest of greater common mind. Without discouraging any kind of scholarly engagement, we only need to speed up the process of shaping up the public mind. Underlining the dangers yet pointing towards hope. With due regards to the grim visage of an academic, Kashmir today is in search of calm faced intellectual teaching the ways to negotiate the bends on the highway of crisis. Yes we need to be informed that we are caught but at the same time we must be told how to be out.
One way of ending the crisis may be plain capitulation and simple submission to the state-send ideas, political processes, Visions and Frameworks. That may get us a tentative relief but before long we will find ourselves in a bigger crisis. So like all other fields of life, there are no short cuts here either. We have to tread a path, long and circuitous. It is here that we need a guide that can hold our hand and see us through. One who can answer that eternal cry–of–crisis; what to do now?
It was the most unfortunate thing that happened when people rose in revolt against India in early nineties. The engine of the resistance was fuelled with some slogans and set off. Under the impact of ear splitting shrill people waited for something great to happen. A day or two and the rocket of resistance will be circumambulating the planet freedom. It didn't happen. Actually it wasn't to happen. The reasons of failure were so obvious and so many that even God wouldn't have helped us. Except giving birth to a situation that consumed life armed resistance was blank on every count. Immediately after some years the romance with freedom started getting sour.
Doubts, suspicion, disappointment and a subsequent loss of faith started gripping the minds. Thanks to the fear of the situation that none dared ask this question. We have lost the way? Any intellectual endeavour was fraught with consequences. The elements of our society were fanned out to extremes, where every thing becomes need driven. Law, religion, morality; all such ingredients of a lively civilization vanished. Those who knew that we have lost the way sealed their lips, because on extremes you need to save your life first. Those who found a chance to make killing out of it would consider such questions as blasphemous, hence a license to kill.
Those who discovered an opportunity in it to make their political careers did a fresh political ablution and set off on a holy journey to the temples of Indian political establishment. So everyone was busy addressing his own need.
Different 'realities' were imported and sold to Kashmiris. That we had lost our way , was actually the only reality and it remained covered up. In this sprawling market of 'realities', if anything was conspicuous by its absence, it was the reality.
Like many other things, collective condition has an inherent tendency to change. The darker areas started getting illuminated. The unasked question began to make a murmur. Slowly and gradually it gained strength. People started asking it. Now is the time to respond to this question. Either we, as a collectivity, can collapse under the weight of this question or we can emerge as a formidable force that has to be reckoned with.
When Lenin found himself shouldering the weight of this situation he yelled, 'what is to be done? ' When Iqbal confronted this loss of direction he cried exactly the same; Pas Che Bayad Kard( now what has to be done? ). When Faiz realized that the dawn of freedom that arrived was not the one that he had longed for, he went the same way, " Ab Tum Hi Kaho Kya Karna Hai"( Now you tell me what is to be done ? ) Giving voice to this question probably makes the beginning of the realization that it has come to a head.
The time demands the appearance of intellectuals on the collective screen. No more slogans please, we need to actuate ourselves into a serious debate. To begin with, intellectuals need to formulate this question; phrase it properly. Before we find out the answers, the real task is to shape up the question. It is a huge and Herculean task. We can arrive at the solution only if we understand the problem first. Any mistake here can cost us dare.
Political parties working for India in Kashmir have introduced their own versions of problem. From Kashmiriyat to Visions and Frameworks, they have adorned it in many different ways. They too build up their case from the same point; that Kashmiris can not afford to be in a state of affairs that they are in for long. No denying it; very true. Bt it doesn't need to do much to find out that how truthful they are ? An intellectual's task is to save this question from being hijacked. He too has to take off from the same point, but the language and content of his question will make the difference. Of course intent too.
In the crisis of today, an intellectual has to make it sure that he doesn't miss the sight of tomorrow.
Let us join Iqbal in his prayer;
Imroz Ke Shoorish Mein Andaishia farada dai
(In the turbulence of today, O God, make me conscious of what lies ahead.)
Lack of a Proper J&K Environmental Law Means no Environmental Assessments are Mandated for Large Projects
Basharat hears from NGO's who believe new power transmission lines will harm local environment
(Mr. Syed Basharat, 28, was born in Kreeri, Baramulla, and did his schooling in Kreeri, and later in Uri and Sopore. He graduated from the Degree College in Baramulla and completed his Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 2005. He has been a reporter for Kashmir Images, a Srinagar based daily, London based website Gaashonline.Com, and a Srinagar based journal, Globe. Currently, he is working as a special correspondent with Jammu based daily newspaper, The Kashmir Times.)
Power transmission lines threaten ecology and lives of people from 6 villages in Budgam
Srinagar: The public outcry about anticipated accidents and health hazards due to Higher Voltage Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines coming out from a 6.5 mega watt capacity mini hydroelectricity project that crosses through six-far-flung densely populated villages of Branwar belt of Budgam district has no takers in the governor's administration. It is not only that these electricity lines are a potent threat to poor people but the environment including flora and fauna is under constant danger due to this project in this area.
A Chandigrah based P&R Group is constructing a 6.5 Mega Watts capacity mini hydroelectricity project at Branwar on the banks of Doodh Ganga stream. Presently the management is busy installing electricity pylons and Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines (33000 KV) from the project to its receiving station
Over 70 per cent of this project has been completed and in next few months, there would no chance of shifting the transmission lines of this project from a highly populous area, which has become a cause for sleepless nights for this neglected lot.
Some of the affected families who had met authorities requesting them to shift these electricity lines, maintain, "The officials say shifting of these lines via Dood Ganga side will require more pylons and the wire." The officials, these families added, have promised to depute a team to assess their complaints. "We have also written to the chief secretary but no action has been taken so far," says a social activist of Budgam Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat.
Some locals who work in this project revealed that there is a nexus between management of this electricity project and local contractors who have taken some local influential people into confidence to provide cheap labour to the company.
A few NGOs working in this area term these electricity lines as a 'disaster in making'. "As this area witnesses heavy snowfall in winters there is clear apprehension of a big disaster in the area. We demand placing of these high risk electricity transmission lines via banks of Dood Ganga stream which is safer than this area," said representatives of the two NGOs-Awami Insaaf Committee and Citizens Council Chadoora.
Locals believe that it is not the human habitation but the trout fish is also in high danger. "The trout fish is found in Meckhanin area which is 16 kilometers from Branwar. The water for this electricity project would be lifted from this place and the trout found in abundance is bound to vanish," added some locals here.
Since Yousmarg-a famous health resort, is just 3 kilometers from Branwar, locals are of the opinion that this tourist place will also loose it sheen. "Tourists come here to see a water bowl and in absence of that water nobody will be interested to visit this place," said Dr Bhat.
The ecology of the area has also been disturbed by the management of the power project. The locals revealed that hundreds of Kail and Fir trees in the Doodh Ganga forest range of Pir panchaal division have been felled for construction of a Dam for the power project near Mundikhaal.
The migratory population at Godakhal, Dupakhal, Kandikhal has also been affected as the water from these places was drained by the project authorities. "It was only after our group informed P&R group chairman, the water was restored to the streams in these areas," said Dr Bhat. He added that the officials of forest department have become a mute spectator over these happenings. "One can see huge bulldozers and JCBs in the deep forests of Doodh Ganga forest range," added Dr Bhat.
"Even the water level of Doodh Ganga stream will be reduced nearly by 80 percent from Machekhanian to Branwar as the same water is to be diverted at Machekhanian which is some 16 kilometers south of Branwar and will be passing through huge pipes via forest compartments of Godakhal, Hamakhal, Mundikhal, Haijan and finally will fall down on the power project turbine at Branwar," Dr Bhat opined.
The officials of the two NGOs complained that the management of the power project did not consult environmental/forest experts while the work was started on power project. "We don't want the project to be closed neither are we against the development of area in fact the project has generated lot of employment in the area but this all should not happen at the cost of lives of common poor people and endangering our nature and environment," said Dr Bhat.
(Mr. Syed Basharat, 28, was born in Kreeri, Baramulla, and did his schooling in Kreeri, and later in Uri and Sopore. He graduated from the Degree College in Baramulla and completed his Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 2005. He has been a reporter for Kashmir Images, a Srinagar based daily, London based website Gaashonline.Com, and a Srinagar based journal, Globe. Currently, he is working as a special correspondent with Jammu based daily newspaper, The Kashmir Times.)
Power transmission lines threaten ecology and lives of people from 6 villages in Budgam
Srinagar: The public outcry about anticipated accidents and health hazards due to Higher Voltage Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines coming out from a 6.5 mega watt capacity mini hydroelectricity project that crosses through six-far-flung densely populated villages of Branwar belt of Budgam district has no takers in the governor's administration. It is not only that these electricity lines are a potent threat to poor people but the environment including flora and fauna is under constant danger due to this project in this area.
A Chandigrah based P&R Group is constructing a 6.5 Mega Watts capacity mini hydroelectricity project at Branwar on the banks of Doodh Ganga stream. Presently the management is busy installing electricity pylons and Overhead Electricity Transmission Lines (33000 KV) from the project to its receiving station
Over 70 per cent of this project has been completed and in next few months, there would no chance of shifting the transmission lines of this project from a highly populous area, which has become a cause for sleepless nights for this neglected lot.
Some of the affected families who had met authorities requesting them to shift these electricity lines, maintain, "The officials say shifting of these lines via Dood Ganga side will require more pylons and the wire." The officials, these families added, have promised to depute a team to assess their complaints. "We have also written to the chief secretary but no action has been taken so far," says a social activist of Budgam Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat.
Some locals who work in this project revealed that there is a nexus between management of this electricity project and local contractors who have taken some local influential people into confidence to provide cheap labour to the company.
A few NGOs working in this area term these electricity lines as a 'disaster in making'. "As this area witnesses heavy snowfall in winters there is clear apprehension of a big disaster in the area. We demand placing of these high risk electricity transmission lines via banks of Dood Ganga stream which is safer than this area," said representatives of the two NGOs-Awami Insaaf Committee and Citizens Council Chadoora.
Locals believe that it is not the human habitation but the trout fish is also in high danger. "The trout fish is found in Meckhanin area which is 16 kilometers from Branwar. The water for this electricity project would be lifted from this place and the trout found in abundance is bound to vanish," added some locals here.
Since Yousmarg-a famous health resort, is just 3 kilometers from Branwar, locals are of the opinion that this tourist place will also loose it sheen. "Tourists come here to see a water bowl and in absence of that water nobody will be interested to visit this place," said Dr Bhat.
The ecology of the area has also been disturbed by the management of the power project. The locals revealed that hundreds of Kail and Fir trees in the Doodh Ganga forest range of Pir panchaal division have been felled for construction of a Dam for the power project near Mundikhaal.
The migratory population at Godakhal, Dupakhal, Kandikhal has also been affected as the water from these places was drained by the project authorities. "It was only after our group informed P&R group chairman, the water was restored to the streams in these areas," said Dr Bhat. He added that the officials of forest department have become a mute spectator over these happenings. "One can see huge bulldozers and JCBs in the deep forests of Doodh Ganga forest range," added Dr Bhat.
"Even the water level of Doodh Ganga stream will be reduced nearly by 80 percent from Machekhanian to Branwar as the same water is to be diverted at Machekhanian which is some 16 kilometers south of Branwar and will be passing through huge pipes via forest compartments of Godakhal, Hamakhal, Mundikhal, Haijan and finally will fall down on the power project turbine at Branwar," Dr Bhat opined.
The officials of the two NGOs complained that the management of the power project did not consult environmental/forest experts while the work was started on power project. "We don't want the project to be closed neither are we against the development of area in fact the project has generated lot of employment in the area but this all should not happen at the cost of lives of common poor people and endangering our nature and environment," said Dr Bhat.
An Inspiring Story of a Young Lad
Musavirr narrates the story of a young man with a "Can DO" attitude
(Mr. Musavirr Wani, 27, was born in Srinagar and attened the Burn Hall School. He graduated from the Meerut University and joined the Kashmir Times as a reporter. Loves driving his car and surfing internet to seek out workshops and fellowships so that he can travel and present the true picture of Kashmir.)
Fighting a battle alone: He lost his leg in cross-firing but refuses to give up
Srinagar: He does not let disability overcome him nor he considers it his "helplessness". Brave and daring, Haji Muzaffar has proved his worth as much as he could and has enrolled himself in a professional college.
Pinning high hopes on his future, he is trying to get Andolite (artificial limb) sanctioned in his favour. Muzaffar a second year student pursuing a diploma course in Civil Engineering in KG Polytechnic, Gogji Bagh has not let disability overshadow his talent and capabilities though somewhere deep down he does feel a little let down.
Muzaffar was like other normal child till in the year 1994 a bullet pierced his right leg as a result of cross firing and the whole world around him changed abruptly. Remembering that episode might be quite painful for Muzaffar but he sounded bold while narrating the entire scene without apparently having any grudges or complains.
He was a student of fourth standard when he met with this "accident". In his words, "I was studying in my room in the first floor of the house and all of a sudden there were few gun shots. Hearing the gun shots I rushed downstairs. The moment I reached there, a bullet pierced my right leg and I got the feeling as if the entire world around turned topsy-turvy," Muzaffar narrated.
Gearing up courage later, he fought out his disability courageously and his family too supported him in this. After completing his schooling from Anantnag, his hometown, he joined the professional course of engineering. "I was guided by my teacher and supported by my parents to join the course. It is because of their support and guidance that I have reached this stage and if things go well I have high expectations from life," he added.
"I do not want to be a "bojh" (burden) on any one. I want to be self dependent. We too have wishes, aims and dreams. Like others we too want to become doc tors or engineers. Only thing is that we want a supportive atmosphere to express our voice and to exhibit our talent," he stated. Muzaffar however, is in need of Andolite (an artificial limb) that according to him costs Rs. 3.50 lakh which his family can not afford and he looks for a support in this respect. He believes that the same, if provided, could make a lot of difference to him. It, he said, would help him in making his work easier and life a bit comfortable. "I want some one to help me in this regard as my family is not financially that much sound which could bear the expense of such a facility that could help me in mitigating the problems that I usually face and that have now become a part of my life. Though I had myself, on individual basis, tried for this facility from the Social Welfare Department but unfortunately could not avail the facility," he admitted.
He wishes to go for further studies, (to pursue a degree in M. Tech) in case he fails to get a job after completing his studies in the college. He, however, is optimistic about his future and wants to explore the capabilities bestowed upon him by Almighty in whatever way he can.
(Mr. Musavirr Wani, 27, was born in Srinagar and attened the Burn Hall School. He graduated from the Meerut University and joined the Kashmir Times as a reporter. Loves driving his car and surfing internet to seek out workshops and fellowships so that he can travel and present the true picture of Kashmir.)
Fighting a battle alone: He lost his leg in cross-firing but refuses to give up
Srinagar: He does not let disability overcome him nor he considers it his "helplessness". Brave and daring, Haji Muzaffar has proved his worth as much as he could and has enrolled himself in a professional college.
Pinning high hopes on his future, he is trying to get Andolite (artificial limb) sanctioned in his favour. Muzaffar a second year student pursuing a diploma course in Civil Engineering in KG Polytechnic, Gogji Bagh has not let disability overshadow his talent and capabilities though somewhere deep down he does feel a little let down.
Muzaffar was like other normal child till in the year 1994 a bullet pierced his right leg as a result of cross firing and the whole world around him changed abruptly. Remembering that episode might be quite painful for Muzaffar but he sounded bold while narrating the entire scene without apparently having any grudges or complains.
He was a student of fourth standard when he met with this "accident". In his words, "I was studying in my room in the first floor of the house and all of a sudden there were few gun shots. Hearing the gun shots I rushed downstairs. The moment I reached there, a bullet pierced my right leg and I got the feeling as if the entire world around turned topsy-turvy," Muzaffar narrated.
Gearing up courage later, he fought out his disability courageously and his family too supported him in this. After completing his schooling from Anantnag, his hometown, he joined the professional course of engineering. "I was guided by my teacher and supported by my parents to join the course. It is because of their support and guidance that I have reached this stage and if things go well I have high expectations from life," he added.
"I do not want to be a "bojh" (burden) on any one. I want to be self dependent. We too have wishes, aims and dreams. Like others we too want to become doc tors or engineers. Only thing is that we want a supportive atmosphere to express our voice and to exhibit our talent," he stated. Muzaffar however, is in need of Andolite (an artificial limb) that according to him costs Rs. 3.50 lakh which his family can not afford and he looks for a support in this respect. He believes that the same, if provided, could make a lot of difference to him. It, he said, would help him in making his work easier and life a bit comfortable. "I want some one to help me in this regard as my family is not financially that much sound which could bear the expense of such a facility that could help me in mitigating the problems that I usually face and that have now become a part of my life. Though I had myself, on individual basis, tried for this facility from the Social Welfare Department but unfortunately could not avail the facility," he admitted.
He wishes to go for further studies, (to pursue a degree in M. Tech) in case he fails to get a job after completing his studies in the college. He, however, is optimistic about his future and wants to explore the capabilities bestowed upon him by Almighty in whatever way he can.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Unlocking Traffic While Improving Environment
This former academic has some interesting ideas on promoting "old fashioned ways" to a healthy body and clean air
(Mr. Abdul Gani Bhat, 65, was born in Srinagar. He attended Government Primary School in Natipora and S. P. School in Srinagar. He earned his college degree in B. Comm from the University of Jammu and Kashmir, studying in colleges both in Jammu and Srinagar, and standing first in both colleges in the first as well as in the final year. He received his B.Ed. degree from the YMCA College, Madras/Chennai, and M.Ed. degree from the Government College of Physical Education, Patiala, where he was a gold medalist for securing the first position. He subsequently received degrees from Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Gwalior, for M.Phil. Degree, Kashmir University for Master of Commerce Degree, National Institute of Sports, Banglore, for NIS Diploma, and National institute for Environment Education, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, for Environment Education. Mr. Bhat is a retired professor, and President of the People's Union for Justice with passion for fostering democratic values and seeking justice for hapless and down trodden. His leisure activities are listening to soft music, gardening, and outing.)
Stuck in a jam
For the last several months the scene of traffic jams on the roads of Srinagar City has become a common sight. Bottle necks on roads remain so much packed and filled with vehicles that it is difficult even for the pedestrians to worm their way through, not to talk of the problems of cyclists. The root cause is the mad and wholesale purchasing of cars by people, whether they need it or not, simply as a status symbol. The problem has been aggravated by the banks who offer consumer loans on easy terms for purchasing cars. And the race is going on. On top of all this is the ever increasing eagerness shown by the Registering Authority for registering private cars etc. Without considering the menace it is creating on the city roads, they unhesitatingly go ahead with the process Traffic mismanaged is an added factor in the phenomenon.
I suppose there are standing orders from Traffic Department that public transport vehicles should not carry over loads. But overloading has become the order of the day and there is no check to it.
People have also become lazy. They would like to wait for hours together for a bus than to walk the distance of a mile or two, or would like to be in traffic jam in their cars for hours together instead of walking, cycling or using public transport. Pollution has increased and the people's health, fitness and wellbeing have got greatly affected.
The authorities have never pondered over the healthy and pollution free cycle transport, and the problems being faced by cyclists on roads. There is no separate lane for them and at occasions they have to carry their cycles on shoulders for lack of space, which is often occupied by automobiles.
What is the solution?
1. The wholesale and unbridled registration of private cars, wagons etc should be stopped forthwith. Rather registration of all such private transport vehicles in the City of Srinagar should be banned for some time.
2. Plying bicycles should be encouraged by providing incentives, subsidies and encouragements and special treatment from the traffic police personnel. Dealers should be encouraged and offered incentives by way of subsidies etc. for procuring best quality and light paddle bicycles from country and foreign markets. Cycle repairing shops should be set up at shorter distances, and they should be encouraged to render prompt and cheap service to the bicycle paddlers. Cycles should be allowed entry to all Government office premises, and there should be parking facilities provided at important stations at nominal rates. Cycle dealers should also be encouraged to introduce used exchange schemes for used cycles. There should be separate cycle tracks earmarked on both side of the road, which should be allowed to be used exclusively by cycle paddlers
3. Public transport system should be improved. The practice of receiving Hafta by traffic people from mini bus drivers and others should get stopped forthwith. The traffic squad should be scrupulously honest and fair in implementing traffic rules not by coercive methods but by persuasive methods. Traffic law should prevail and punitive actions should become a rarity and not a rule.
4. Unabashed use of government cars etc. by government officials should be checked and stopped forthwith. Only those officers should be allowed to use government cars for whom it is extremely necessary. There should be proper record of traveling by such officers, irrespective of their ranks, while using government vehicles.
5. Amy and other para-military transport vehicles need also to be regulated properly so that their convoys do not pass through the city at peak hours.
These and other steps will not only end traffic jams and congestions, but will save time, money and energy of people and will make them have a sigh of relief. These will also minimize the levels of pollution in the air, and above all will improve the health and general well being of the people. Public transport system should be improved.
The practice of receiving Hafta by traffic people from mini bus drivers and others should get stopped forthwith. The traffic squared should be scrupulously honest and fair in implementing traffic rules not by coercive methods but by persuasive methods, and punitive actions should become a rarity and not a rule.
Unabashed use of government cars etc. by government officers should be checked and stopped forthwith. Only those officers should be allowed to use government cars for whom it is extremely necessary. There should be proper record of traveling by such officers, irrespective of their ranks, while using government vehicles.
These and other steps will not only end traffic jams and congestions, but will save time, money and energy of people. These will also minimize the levels of pollution in the air, and above all will improve the health and general wellbeing of the people, especially by walking and cycling.
(Mr. Abdul Gani Bhat, 65, was born in Srinagar. He attended Government Primary School in Natipora and S. P. School in Srinagar. He earned his college degree in B. Comm from the University of Jammu and Kashmir, studying in colleges both in Jammu and Srinagar, and standing first in both colleges in the first as well as in the final year. He received his B.Ed. degree from the YMCA College, Madras/Chennai, and M.Ed. degree from the Government College of Physical Education, Patiala, where he was a gold medalist for securing the first position. He subsequently received degrees from Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education, Gwalior, for M.Phil. Degree, Kashmir University for Master of Commerce Degree, National Institute of Sports, Banglore, for NIS Diploma, and National institute for Environment Education, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, for Environment Education. Mr. Bhat is a retired professor, and President of the People's Union for Justice with passion for fostering democratic values and seeking justice for hapless and down trodden. His leisure activities are listening to soft music, gardening, and outing.)
Stuck in a jam
For the last several months the scene of traffic jams on the roads of Srinagar City has become a common sight. Bottle necks on roads remain so much packed and filled with vehicles that it is difficult even for the pedestrians to worm their way through, not to talk of the problems of cyclists. The root cause is the mad and wholesale purchasing of cars by people, whether they need it or not, simply as a status symbol. The problem has been aggravated by the banks who offer consumer loans on easy terms for purchasing cars. And the race is going on. On top of all this is the ever increasing eagerness shown by the Registering Authority for registering private cars etc. Without considering the menace it is creating on the city roads, they unhesitatingly go ahead with the process Traffic mismanaged is an added factor in the phenomenon.
I suppose there are standing orders from Traffic Department that public transport vehicles should not carry over loads. But overloading has become the order of the day and there is no check to it.
People have also become lazy. They would like to wait for hours together for a bus than to walk the distance of a mile or two, or would like to be in traffic jam in their cars for hours together instead of walking, cycling or using public transport. Pollution has increased and the people's health, fitness and wellbeing have got greatly affected.
The authorities have never pondered over the healthy and pollution free cycle transport, and the problems being faced by cyclists on roads. There is no separate lane for them and at occasions they have to carry their cycles on shoulders for lack of space, which is often occupied by automobiles.
What is the solution?
1. The wholesale and unbridled registration of private cars, wagons etc should be stopped forthwith. Rather registration of all such private transport vehicles in the City of Srinagar should be banned for some time.
2. Plying bicycles should be encouraged by providing incentives, subsidies and encouragements and special treatment from the traffic police personnel. Dealers should be encouraged and offered incentives by way of subsidies etc. for procuring best quality and light paddle bicycles from country and foreign markets. Cycle repairing shops should be set up at shorter distances, and they should be encouraged to render prompt and cheap service to the bicycle paddlers. Cycles should be allowed entry to all Government office premises, and there should be parking facilities provided at important stations at nominal rates. Cycle dealers should also be encouraged to introduce used exchange schemes for used cycles. There should be separate cycle tracks earmarked on both side of the road, which should be allowed to be used exclusively by cycle paddlers
3. Public transport system should be improved. The practice of receiving Hafta by traffic people from mini bus drivers and others should get stopped forthwith. The traffic squad should be scrupulously honest and fair in implementing traffic rules not by coercive methods but by persuasive methods. Traffic law should prevail and punitive actions should become a rarity and not a rule.
4. Unabashed use of government cars etc. by government officials should be checked and stopped forthwith. Only those officers should be allowed to use government cars for whom it is extremely necessary. There should be proper record of traveling by such officers, irrespective of their ranks, while using government vehicles.
5. Amy and other para-military transport vehicles need also to be regulated properly so that their convoys do not pass through the city at peak hours.
These and other steps will not only end traffic jams and congestions, but will save time, money and energy of people and will make them have a sigh of relief. These will also minimize the levels of pollution in the air, and above all will improve the health and general well being of the people. Public transport system should be improved.
The practice of receiving Hafta by traffic people from mini bus drivers and others should get stopped forthwith. The traffic squared should be scrupulously honest and fair in implementing traffic rules not by coercive methods but by persuasive methods, and punitive actions should become a rarity and not a rule.
Unabashed use of government cars etc. by government officers should be checked and stopped forthwith. Only those officers should be allowed to use government cars for whom it is extremely necessary. There should be proper record of traveling by such officers, irrespective of their ranks, while using government vehicles.
These and other steps will not only end traffic jams and congestions, but will save time, money and energy of people. These will also minimize the levels of pollution in the air, and above all will improve the health and general wellbeing of the people, especially by walking and cycling.
A Road to Nowhere
Musavirr narrates a tale of official apathy and bad engineering
(Mr. Musavirr Wani, 27, was born in Srinagar and attened the Burn Hall School. He graduated from the Meerut University and joined the Kashmir Times as a reporter. Loves driving his car and surfing internet to seek out workshops and fellowships so that he can travel and present the true picture of Kashmir.)
Budgam-Humhama road
OMPORA BUDGAM: It took Roads and Buildings (R&B) department officials no time to pack up their machinery from a six-kilometer road from Budgam to Humhama, where they were carrying out repairs for the last five months. A small patch of dilapidated road, work having been left mid way, tells a tale about the work culture of our government officials. The machinery has been removed from the site and the road left in its previous position. Several pot-holes have not been filled, so are the banks on this road.
After a quite long delay the state government had come up with some proposal of road maintenance of Budgam-Humhamma road but road widening as promised was no way seen on the ground. It was long negligence of the successive state governments to implement the assurance of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to make Budgam-Humhamma road four lane.
No doubt the work started on this important road five months ago but several areas on this six kilometer patch remain even untouched. At some places road maintenance team had put three layers of macadam but at several places not a single layer of macadam has been used.
Earlier, the road was given a new look when Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, the then union minister, had personally intervened. The new look could not last long as the condition of the road deteriorated later with every passing day.
The Budgam-Humhamma road should have been in its best conditions as the same road connects a district headquarter with the summer capital. The road is not only meant for the residents of Budgam but for those hundreds and thousands of employees who have to move daily from various districts to this headquarter.
The diversion road is also in the worst condition. People feel very uneasy to travel via that place. Mohammed Shaban a resident of Ompora said, "This is most unfortunate that after several years, work was started on this road and without maintaining or repairing it completely they have wound up their machinery. Authorities knew that in Kashmir due to winters, roads can not be macadamized; still they wasted several months and at the end left the road in same condition".
Abu Maahin another resident of Ompora added, "I fail to understand that to whom the district administration have provided the contract. Most of the time the workers were sitting idle. Due to their slow pace they were not able to complete six kilometers in long span of five months".
Most of the residents of the area claim that the main cause of damage to the road is due to the CRPF headquarter and armed police colony which are just few meters apart from each other.
A senior engineer of the same area added, "The road engineering is totally wrong. Usually the road should be above in height than its surroundings but in Budgam-Humhama road condition is totally opposite. The sediments from the two sides of the road worsen the condition of the road".
He further added that the drainage system made on this road also seems of no importance as it is so weak and narrow that it will be blocked within no span of time. "I think government has handed over the contract of the road to wrong and inexperienced people". A contractor who was working on this road on anonymity said, "On October 25 we were asked by authorities to wind up the work. It was all due to hartals and curfews which delayed the work and at the end everything remained incomplete. We will definitely start work on this road next April".
He said, "The areas which were not maintained during the last months will be definitely macadamised so that the people do not face any trouble. In addition the workers who were with us initially left the valley and then we faced shortage of workers also".
(Mr. Musavirr Wani, 27, was born in Srinagar and attened the Burn Hall School. He graduated from the Meerut University and joined the Kashmir Times as a reporter. Loves driving his car and surfing internet to seek out workshops and fellowships so that he can travel and present the true picture of Kashmir.)
Budgam-Humhama road
OMPORA BUDGAM: It took Roads and Buildings (R&B) department officials no time to pack up their machinery from a six-kilometer road from Budgam to Humhama, where they were carrying out repairs for the last five months. A small patch of dilapidated road, work having been left mid way, tells a tale about the work culture of our government officials. The machinery has been removed from the site and the road left in its previous position. Several pot-holes have not been filled, so are the banks on this road.
After a quite long delay the state government had come up with some proposal of road maintenance of Budgam-Humhamma road but road widening as promised was no way seen on the ground. It was long negligence of the successive state governments to implement the assurance of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to make Budgam-Humhamma road four lane.
No doubt the work started on this important road five months ago but several areas on this six kilometer patch remain even untouched. At some places road maintenance team had put three layers of macadam but at several places not a single layer of macadam has been used.
Earlier, the road was given a new look when Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, the then union minister, had personally intervened. The new look could not last long as the condition of the road deteriorated later with every passing day.
The Budgam-Humhamma road should have been in its best conditions as the same road connects a district headquarter with the summer capital. The road is not only meant for the residents of Budgam but for those hundreds and thousands of employees who have to move daily from various districts to this headquarter.
The diversion road is also in the worst condition. People feel very uneasy to travel via that place. Mohammed Shaban a resident of Ompora said, "This is most unfortunate that after several years, work was started on this road and without maintaining or repairing it completely they have wound up their machinery. Authorities knew that in Kashmir due to winters, roads can not be macadamized; still they wasted several months and at the end left the road in same condition".
Abu Maahin another resident of Ompora added, "I fail to understand that to whom the district administration have provided the contract. Most of the time the workers were sitting idle. Due to their slow pace they were not able to complete six kilometers in long span of five months".
Most of the residents of the area claim that the main cause of damage to the road is due to the CRPF headquarter and armed police colony which are just few meters apart from each other.
A senior engineer of the same area added, "The road engineering is totally wrong. Usually the road should be above in height than its surroundings but in Budgam-Humhama road condition is totally opposite. The sediments from the two sides of the road worsen the condition of the road".
He further added that the drainage system made on this road also seems of no importance as it is so weak and narrow that it will be blocked within no span of time. "I think government has handed over the contract of the road to wrong and inexperienced people". A contractor who was working on this road on anonymity said, "On October 25 we were asked by authorities to wind up the work. It was all due to hartals and curfews which delayed the work and at the end everything remained incomplete. We will definitely start work on this road next April".
He said, "The areas which were not maintained during the last months will be definitely macadamised so that the people do not face any trouble. In addition the workers who were with us initially left the valley and then we faced shortage of workers also".
Amazing How the Satan has Suddenly Become a Darling
Riyaz hopes that President-elect Obama will focus on Kashmir, when in fact Kashmir is not even #300 on Obama's priority list
(Mr. Riyaz Masroor, 36, was born and raised in Srinagar. He is a Srinagar based journalist who writes in English, Urdu and kashmiri. Besides working in the local press, his articles have appeared on BBC Radio online, Himal Southasia and the Journal of International Federation of Journalists.)
Kashmir awaits Obama touch
The remark on Kashmir dispute by America's first-ever mixed-race President has spurred hopes of CHANGE in the Himalayan region
The Kashmir's out-of-touch elitist urban class may insist that common man in Kashmir doesn't bother what happens to the outer world. But the Wednesday morning marked an intriguing contrast when the commoners as well as the connoisseurs discussed Barack Hussain Obama, who became the first ever mixed-race President of America.
The Town kept abuzz with this remarkable development, which, many believe, will certainly have bearing on Indo-Pak relations and Kashmir's future polity. In a city salon the same morning, I heard habitual gossipers share funny yet interesting observations. A gritty small-scale trader pitched in thus: "I was not sure that they (Americans) would allow Obama a win because of his Muslim background, but he got it. Perhaps democracy works in America."
I don't know what stopped me from putting the record straight and telling him that Obama was a professed Christian not a Muslim, perhaps his conclusion about democracy. After all it was certainly a democratic triumph because a country born with the stigmatic birthmark of slavery had the first African-American, black man as the forty-fourth President. In fact the public talk, which kept going on in Srinagar throughout Wednesday at bus stops, community squares, University campuses, offices and garment showrooms had a common theme: Democracy. Contrary to the perceived notions of a pan-Islamic surge, this shows an intense craving for democracy among Kashmiris.
One could make out the intensity of this craving from the facial expressions of Kashmiri youth watching on TV those frenetic American audiences, greeting their new leader. Mused a young bright colleague: "I wish we could do all this. Elect a leader of our choice, then gather in open and wave flags." I chose to comfort him by a positive response and told him that we can enjoy similarly if we accept the ensuing elections as a political reality. To my utter amazement this 20-something journalist said he had always longed to cast his vote ever since he turned 18 but, he added, "the elections in Kashmir don't enjoy the same sanctity as they enjoy in any other state of India or for that matter in America."
Whenever an unusual democratic verdict comes through in New Delhi or Washington (Pakistan is not in reckoning) Kashmir gasps with hope and anxiety. When in 2004 the Indian electorate voted a foreigner lady, Sonia Gandhi, to power it was an unusual verdict, Kashmiris envied and wished if they could enjoy such voting power. But that was not to be. Now that the Americans, despite their latent racial prejudices, have rallied behind a black man, Kahsmiris again look at this global development with an increased urge for democratic rights. This urge makes even greater sense because the man to enter White House in January is a Democrat.
Whether or not Kashmir has once again become part of international agenda for big powers, the challenge for New Delhi and its protagonists in J&K would be how to make the elections in Kashmir as a legitimate exercise. But the bitter truth is that efforts to galvanize elections in Kashmir as an alternative to the loudly promised right of self-determination have repeatedly failed despite visible popular participation.
Now both National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party are trying to appropriate their political stakes in the given situation. Backroom boys of both parties have worked overtime to paraphrase the elections in Kashmir. While the PDP insists that Kashmir dispute has internal and external dimensions and the election falls in the internal dimension, the NC has of late chosen to de-link elections from the process of Kashmir dispute. But at the same time NC's and PDP's interpretation of polls is widely viewed at best a mask against their separatist rivals and at worst a couched assistance to New Delhi's actual policy about Kashmir polls. Both parties may have had a belated 'afterthought' about their support for J&K's accession with Union of India but current stances of both appear too sterile to address the modern Kashmiri aspiration for democracy. More importantly, the people view their claims with suspicion because they have not been able to influence let alone change the core Kashmir policy of either India or Pakistan.
This was remarkably evident during a recent debate over Kashmir between India and Pakistan in the UN general assembly. Indian delegate Mr Rajiv Shukla termed J&K a part of India and equated the elections in the state with the plebiscite. "The people of Jammu and Kashmir exercised their right to self-determination at the time of India's independence and have since then repeatedly participated in free, fair and open elections at all levels," Mr Shukla said in UN assembly on Monday. Rejecting Indian claims, Pakistani voice in UN Mr Abdullah Hussain Haroon said, "Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory according to several UN resolutions. The Security Council's demand for free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices still remains to be implemented."
It was in this tense backdrop that the President-elect Obama stressed the need to resolve Kashmir in order to give enough leverage to Pakistan for a decisive battle against Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Obama has already made it known that he considers Afghanistan a "good war" as compared to Iraq's "bad war". So, Kashmir has crept into America's new foreign policy agenda with India and Pakistan holding on to their respective bargain. Obama's foreign policy team, which may include South Asia experts like Bruce Riedel, will have to devise a method how to address the modern democratic aspiration of Kashmir. Pakistan's answer to it is an UN-monitored plebiscite to which India will feel jittery and India insists elections since 1956 have rendered the plebiscite obsolete but the ground situation starkly contradicts this assertion. Big brains have failed to find out a grey area between these two positions. But, some sections believe, times were never so tense in Asia as well as in the West to unleash an 'automatic solution' for Kashmir. Obama may have arrived at a right moment. He has struck victory on the slogan of change. Will the change trickle down to a far removed corner of Kashmir?
(Mr. Riyaz Masroor, 36, was born and raised in Srinagar. He is a Srinagar based journalist who writes in English, Urdu and kashmiri. Besides working in the local press, his articles have appeared on BBC Radio online, Himal Southasia and the Journal of International Federation of Journalists.)
Kashmir awaits Obama touch
The remark on Kashmir dispute by America's first-ever mixed-race President has spurred hopes of CHANGE in the Himalayan region
The Kashmir's out-of-touch elitist urban class may insist that common man in Kashmir doesn't bother what happens to the outer world. But the Wednesday morning marked an intriguing contrast when the commoners as well as the connoisseurs discussed Barack Hussain Obama, who became the first ever mixed-race President of America.
The Town kept abuzz with this remarkable development, which, many believe, will certainly have bearing on Indo-Pak relations and Kashmir's future polity. In a city salon the same morning, I heard habitual gossipers share funny yet interesting observations. A gritty small-scale trader pitched in thus: "I was not sure that they (Americans) would allow Obama a win because of his Muslim background, but he got it. Perhaps democracy works in America."
I don't know what stopped me from putting the record straight and telling him that Obama was a professed Christian not a Muslim, perhaps his conclusion about democracy. After all it was certainly a democratic triumph because a country born with the stigmatic birthmark of slavery had the first African-American, black man as the forty-fourth President. In fact the public talk, which kept going on in Srinagar throughout Wednesday at bus stops, community squares, University campuses, offices and garment showrooms had a common theme: Democracy. Contrary to the perceived notions of a pan-Islamic surge, this shows an intense craving for democracy among Kashmiris.
One could make out the intensity of this craving from the facial expressions of Kashmiri youth watching on TV those frenetic American audiences, greeting their new leader. Mused a young bright colleague: "I wish we could do all this. Elect a leader of our choice, then gather in open and wave flags." I chose to comfort him by a positive response and told him that we can enjoy similarly if we accept the ensuing elections as a political reality. To my utter amazement this 20-something journalist said he had always longed to cast his vote ever since he turned 18 but, he added, "the elections in Kashmir don't enjoy the same sanctity as they enjoy in any other state of India or for that matter in America."
Whenever an unusual democratic verdict comes through in New Delhi or Washington (Pakistan is not in reckoning) Kashmir gasps with hope and anxiety. When in 2004 the Indian electorate voted a foreigner lady, Sonia Gandhi, to power it was an unusual verdict, Kashmiris envied and wished if they could enjoy such voting power. But that was not to be. Now that the Americans, despite their latent racial prejudices, have rallied behind a black man, Kahsmiris again look at this global development with an increased urge for democratic rights. This urge makes even greater sense because the man to enter White House in January is a Democrat.
Whether or not Kashmir has once again become part of international agenda for big powers, the challenge for New Delhi and its protagonists in J&K would be how to make the elections in Kashmir as a legitimate exercise. But the bitter truth is that efforts to galvanize elections in Kashmir as an alternative to the loudly promised right of self-determination have repeatedly failed despite visible popular participation.
Now both National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party are trying to appropriate their political stakes in the given situation. Backroom boys of both parties have worked overtime to paraphrase the elections in Kashmir. While the PDP insists that Kashmir dispute has internal and external dimensions and the election falls in the internal dimension, the NC has of late chosen to de-link elections from the process of Kashmir dispute. But at the same time NC's and PDP's interpretation of polls is widely viewed at best a mask against their separatist rivals and at worst a couched assistance to New Delhi's actual policy about Kashmir polls. Both parties may have had a belated 'afterthought' about their support for J&K's accession with Union of India but current stances of both appear too sterile to address the modern Kashmiri aspiration for democracy. More importantly, the people view their claims with suspicion because they have not been able to influence let alone change the core Kashmir policy of either India or Pakistan.
This was remarkably evident during a recent debate over Kashmir between India and Pakistan in the UN general assembly. Indian delegate Mr Rajiv Shukla termed J&K a part of India and equated the elections in the state with the plebiscite. "The people of Jammu and Kashmir exercised their right to self-determination at the time of India's independence and have since then repeatedly participated in free, fair and open elections at all levels," Mr Shukla said in UN assembly on Monday. Rejecting Indian claims, Pakistani voice in UN Mr Abdullah Hussain Haroon said, "Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory according to several UN resolutions. The Security Council's demand for free and fair plebiscite under the UN auspices still remains to be implemented."
It was in this tense backdrop that the President-elect Obama stressed the need to resolve Kashmir in order to give enough leverage to Pakistan for a decisive battle against Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Obama has already made it known that he considers Afghanistan a "good war" as compared to Iraq's "bad war". So, Kashmir has crept into America's new foreign policy agenda with India and Pakistan holding on to their respective bargain. Obama's foreign policy team, which may include South Asia experts like Bruce Riedel, will have to devise a method how to address the modern democratic aspiration of Kashmir. Pakistan's answer to it is an UN-monitored plebiscite to which India will feel jittery and India insists elections since 1956 have rendered the plebiscite obsolete but the ground situation starkly contradicts this assertion. Big brains have failed to find out a grey area between these two positions. But, some sections believe, times were never so tense in Asia as well as in the West to unleash an 'automatic solution' for Kashmir. Obama may have arrived at a right moment. He has struck victory on the slogan of change. Will the change trickle down to a far removed corner of Kashmir?
Death of a Lake
Ahansar Lake goes Dal way, LAWDA sleeping
Tanveen Kawoosa (Kashmir Monitor)
Srinagar: Like all major Lakes in the valley, the famous Ahansar Lake is reeling under severe water pollution thereby hastening its journey towards death, warn ecologists. Despite being equally scenic as Manasbal and Wullar, the Lake does not seem to be the concern of any government agency. The Lake is situated in the flood plains of river Jhelum about 26km north – west of Srinagar in Safapora, Sumbal.
This shallow lake with maximum depth of 5.5m derives water mainly from springs spread over its basin. Over the last few decades the Lake has been losing its glory, yet it has not invited the attention of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) or any other government agency. According to sources, there is no conservation plan for the preservation of this Lake.
While presenting worrisome picture of the Lake, a research study conducted by Centre for Research Studies, University of Kashmir, states that the lake is fast turning into environmental nuisance owing to immense eutrophication(ageing of water body with high Biological Oxygen demand (BOD). The lake is likely to meet the same fate as that of Manasbal and Wullar. Tons of sewage from human habitations spews in to the Lake thereby affecting its aquatic life. Run-offs from agricultural fields, untreated domestic sewage are another major source of plant nutrients in the Lake thus disturbing its ecological balance. The nutrient pollution remains the most serious problem in aquatic bodies' worldwide. The excessive growth of algae leads to oxygen depletion and kills fish species.
In absence of proper sewerage system, solid waste is directly flushed into the Lake. Peripheral springs contributing to the Lake are being used by locals for washing utensils and clothes, the report adds. The study further points out that there is gradual decrease in the water depth which is attributed to silt and garbage deposits in the Lake. The present limnological (study of organisms living in water) study reveals that the Lake is showing persistent rise in pollution level as shown by the higher concentration of nitrogen and phosphorous in it.
Tanveen Kawoosa (Kashmir Monitor)
Srinagar: Like all major Lakes in the valley, the famous Ahansar Lake is reeling under severe water pollution thereby hastening its journey towards death, warn ecologists. Despite being equally scenic as Manasbal and Wullar, the Lake does not seem to be the concern of any government agency. The Lake is situated in the flood plains of river Jhelum about 26km north – west of Srinagar in Safapora, Sumbal.
This shallow lake with maximum depth of 5.5m derives water mainly from springs spread over its basin. Over the last few decades the Lake has been losing its glory, yet it has not invited the attention of the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA) or any other government agency. According to sources, there is no conservation plan for the preservation of this Lake.
While presenting worrisome picture of the Lake, a research study conducted by Centre for Research Studies, University of Kashmir, states that the lake is fast turning into environmental nuisance owing to immense eutrophication(ageing of water body with high Biological Oxygen demand (BOD). The lake is likely to meet the same fate as that of Manasbal and Wullar. Tons of sewage from human habitations spews in to the Lake thereby affecting its aquatic life. Run-offs from agricultural fields, untreated domestic sewage are another major source of plant nutrients in the Lake thus disturbing its ecological balance. The nutrient pollution remains the most serious problem in aquatic bodies' worldwide. The excessive growth of algae leads to oxygen depletion and kills fish species.
In absence of proper sewerage system, solid waste is directly flushed into the Lake. Peripheral springs contributing to the Lake are being used by locals for washing utensils and clothes, the report adds. The study further points out that there is gradual decrease in the water depth which is attributed to silt and garbage deposits in the Lake. The present limnological (study of organisms living in water) study reveals that the Lake is showing persistent rise in pollution level as shown by the higher concentration of nitrogen and phosphorous in it.
Societal Indifference Towards Heritage Promotes Public Indifference Towards Future
Neglected Ruins
Shakeel-ur-Rehman (Kashmir Images)
Although heritage is endless in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, year after year even the best is disappearing. Take the Maharaja Palace of Gulmarg. Built by the Dogra's in the 1920s the palace is in ruins. Many reasons can be attributed to it; lack of maintenance is chief among them.
Gulmarg's Maharaja Palace is not the only historic rich that is at risk, other monuments of historic importance too are under threat. Take the historic Hariparbat fort. Originally built by the Mughals, the palace was given its present shape by the Afghans. Like other monuments of Kashmir, the fort is at risk. The tragedy of the monument is that it remained under forces' occupation for nearly 17 years. And it was only in 2006 that the fort was vacated by the forces and was subsequently handed over to the state authorities for promotion of tourism who subsequently threw it open for general public. The fort which till the 90s was in a comparatively good condition had been defaced drastically. Such was the condition of the fort that it had to be renovated by the state tourism authorities before it was thrown up for the general public.
Hariparbat fort is not the only historic asset that suffered because of neglect; a sizeable chunk of other historic riches are also at risk due to official carelessness. Going by the condition of the Hariparbat fort, it is safe to say that almost all historic riches of Kashmir are either under threat or have disappeared. The tragedy of Kashmir is that though it is rich in terms of historic riches, heritage is seldom taken seriously. That is why though history in Kashmir is endless; year by year even the best is disappearing. It's a crisis, a scandal.
Kashmir is a great heritage site, a wonder of ancient temples, royal tombs and colonial mansions, but many of them are at risk. And if we don't act in time, we would lose them completely. At history's crossroads for more than 2,000 years, Kashmir is the place where great rulers arrived with empires that ruled the valley for centuries. All left their monumental marks from temples to palaces. Irony is that Kashmir's main heritage body, the department of archives, archaeology and museums is ill equipped and financially constrained.
Currently it looks after a small number of monuments and, even for these, worries remain. From Hariparbat to Pari Mahal to Gulmarg's Maharaja Palace our history is in ruins. The reason for the pathetic condition of historic relics is that we have forgotten that this is our history. And this is who we are. What in fact has led to the present state of our history is lack of resources; manpower and financial, both of which are crucial for the management of historic riches. It is an open fact that the state archives department employs no qualified architects or conservationists, and monument care is split between a confusing cluster of local and national authorities like the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Concentration of authority in two different bodies with different set ups has led to confusion.
But history being who we are we have got to protect it. And the best way to do so would be to invest the state archives department with the needed resources and authority so that state's history could be protected.
Shakeel-ur-Rehman (Kashmir Images)
Although heritage is endless in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, year after year even the best is disappearing. Take the Maharaja Palace of Gulmarg. Built by the Dogra's in the 1920s the palace is in ruins. Many reasons can be attributed to it; lack of maintenance is chief among them.
Gulmarg's Maharaja Palace is not the only historic rich that is at risk, other monuments of historic importance too are under threat. Take the historic Hariparbat fort. Originally built by the Mughals, the palace was given its present shape by the Afghans. Like other monuments of Kashmir, the fort is at risk. The tragedy of the monument is that it remained under forces' occupation for nearly 17 years. And it was only in 2006 that the fort was vacated by the forces and was subsequently handed over to the state authorities for promotion of tourism who subsequently threw it open for general public. The fort which till the 90s was in a comparatively good condition had been defaced drastically. Such was the condition of the fort that it had to be renovated by the state tourism authorities before it was thrown up for the general public.
Hariparbat fort is not the only historic asset that suffered because of neglect; a sizeable chunk of other historic riches are also at risk due to official carelessness. Going by the condition of the Hariparbat fort, it is safe to say that almost all historic riches of Kashmir are either under threat or have disappeared. The tragedy of Kashmir is that though it is rich in terms of historic riches, heritage is seldom taken seriously. That is why though history in Kashmir is endless; year by year even the best is disappearing. It's a crisis, a scandal.
Kashmir is a great heritage site, a wonder of ancient temples, royal tombs and colonial mansions, but many of them are at risk. And if we don't act in time, we would lose them completely. At history's crossroads for more than 2,000 years, Kashmir is the place where great rulers arrived with empires that ruled the valley for centuries. All left their monumental marks from temples to palaces. Irony is that Kashmir's main heritage body, the department of archives, archaeology and museums is ill equipped and financially constrained.
Currently it looks after a small number of monuments and, even for these, worries remain. From Hariparbat to Pari Mahal to Gulmarg's Maharaja Palace our history is in ruins. The reason for the pathetic condition of historic relics is that we have forgotten that this is our history. And this is who we are. What in fact has led to the present state of our history is lack of resources; manpower and financial, both of which are crucial for the management of historic riches. It is an open fact that the state archives department employs no qualified architects or conservationists, and monument care is split between a confusing cluster of local and national authorities like the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Concentration of authority in two different bodies with different set ups has led to confusion.
But history being who we are we have got to protect it. And the best way to do so would be to invest the state archives department with the needed resources and authority so that state's history could be protected.
Need of the Hour: A Think Tank to Strategize for Peace and Prosperity
Sajjad covers a wide canvass of economic ills in the valley and hopes for a miracle
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
J&K Development: There are impediments in the way
J&K State is full of challenges on all fronts. Be it political or physical environment or its vulnerable economy. The state has been witnessing conflict and civil strife in one way or the other after tremendous fall out of events since 1947. Dented governance, weakened management systems, low growth, unemployment menace, poverty etc. have been order of the day. This all has pushed the state in grip of a low economic activity, low employment and low-income generation.
During the past six decades the state’s connectivity has always remained weak. In fact, the state suffers on two counts as far as connectivity is concerned. Firstly, the State faces tremendous road connectivity problem with rest of India. We have just one highway which has been operational most of the time due to ad hoc measures. Secondly, the problems also persist within the State with huge disparity in the road density across districts.
After opening up of Muzaffarbad Road, the road connectivity has assumed more significance and needs a strong road infrastructure in our State, particularly in rural areas. As on date it is inadequate in comparison to number of vehicles plying in the State, which was recorded almost 6 lakhs as on March 2007. If figures are to be believed, on an average the number of vehicles per 100 kms of all roads in J&K is over 1500. The number of vehicles per lakh of population is stated to be almost 5000 vehicles.
There is a huge disparity in the road density across districts in the State and is particularly in rural roads sectors. There is need to develop a strong network of rural roads for an integrated development of physical infrastructure within tehsils or districts so that strong forward and backward linkages are established.
Developed rural infrastructure has far-reaching implications for poverty reduction by improving income-generating opportunities. It also raises agricultural production.
Let’s take industries sector. Despite huge potential for this sector, the state is today known as one of the weakest states on this front. Its contribution to the state’s economy is just 6%. Heavy and large scale industries segment does nowhere exist in the State. Whatever little we have on this front is precisely small scale and cottage industries. Even in these segments we don’t have much success story. Whatever we own today in industries sector is a large chunk of sick units.
Sickness has been rampant in such units in the state and lack of proper finance has been observed as one of the major impediments in running these units successfully. In other words finance is a critical requirement for development of this sector. Even as banks and financial institutions have been ensuring availability of finance to this sector, the growth has been dismal.
Today, almost all of the financial institutions in the state are burdened with bad loans, technically known as non-performing assets, which have marred their ability to extend fresh loans to new ventures. Not only this, the blockade of money has prevented these institutions to think about the rehabilitate of the existing units.
There is a notion that most of the financial institutions in the state were working well till 1989, which means that there were no bad loans. But the fact is different. Technically speaking the classification of assets (loans) was not prudent during that period. Bad loans were very much there, but the system of reporting the bad was not efficient. But after financial sector reforms in 90s, the number of bad loans involving huge amount of money surfaced and financial intuitions were forced to report bad loans in their balance sheets.
A case in point is the J&K State Financial Corporation (JKFSC) which was one of the leading financial institutions for term lending to industries sector. According to the report of the Task Force on Development of J&K, JKFSC was earning cash profits till 1989. “However, the viability of JKFSC was severely dented by militancy in the valley. Most small scale units, particularly in the valley, were closed down. As tourist flow dried up, hotels and houseboats as well as transport operators became sick ventures. These units defaulted on their loan repayments which in turn eroded the financial viability of JKFSC,” says the report, which is also known as Rangarajan Report.
The Report attributing failure of JKSFC to militancy is not wholly true. Even as we cannot deny that 18-year-old turmoil has caused tremendous damage to the state’s economy, it is also a fact that failure of financial institutions like JKSFC, having hundreds of crores of rupees blocked in bad assets, is due to bad loaning in pre-militancy era where norms were thrown to wind. What happened is that the borrowers took cover of the turmoil and most of them falsely reported their business failure.
Between 1990 and 1997 the non performing assets portfolio of JKFSC increased by a whopping 645%.
The state is confronted with another most complex development challenge of creating employment opportunities. We have to consider the fact that the bulk of new employment opportunities will have to come from industry. Even as improvement on agricultural productivity is also needed, but its promise on the employment front has been limited due to adverse ratio of agricultural land to the total geographical area. However, services sector too can provide a support in creating job opportunities in the state.
However, the systems and processes that work for the rest of the country are not necessarily optimal for J&K. The content and process of development of J&K has to be designed keeping in view the state’s unique position as far as its historical, institutional and political factors are concerned.
Above all, we must not forget the fact that J&K possesses most vulnerable political environment. Before any developmental programme is set in motion, it is of utmost importance that its vulnerability on political front is taken into account. Ideas of having Special Industrial Zones, luring private sector investment in reshaping the state’s economy etc. sound good, but what this geographically remote location desperately needs a think tank which can carve out a track where there is peace, prosperity and profits for all.
(Mr. Sajjad Bazaz, 44, was born in Srinagar. He attended the Khalsa high school and the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar. He received his bachelor's degree in Media and his master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the University of Kashmir. Mr. Bazaz has over two decades of experience in journalism (both print & electronic), and he is author of the book "Bankwatch" which is about a financial scenario with particular reference to the J&K state. He is currently incharge of corporate communications department in a leaduing financial instution in J&K. Mr. Bazaz likes to spend leisure time watching movies and enjoying company of his friends.)
J&K Development: There are impediments in the way
J&K State is full of challenges on all fronts. Be it political or physical environment or its vulnerable economy. The state has been witnessing conflict and civil strife in one way or the other after tremendous fall out of events since 1947. Dented governance, weakened management systems, low growth, unemployment menace, poverty etc. have been order of the day. This all has pushed the state in grip of a low economic activity, low employment and low-income generation.
During the past six decades the state’s connectivity has always remained weak. In fact, the state suffers on two counts as far as connectivity is concerned. Firstly, the State faces tremendous road connectivity problem with rest of India. We have just one highway which has been operational most of the time due to ad hoc measures. Secondly, the problems also persist within the State with huge disparity in the road density across districts.
After opening up of Muzaffarbad Road, the road connectivity has assumed more significance and needs a strong road infrastructure in our State, particularly in rural areas. As on date it is inadequate in comparison to number of vehicles plying in the State, which was recorded almost 6 lakhs as on March 2007. If figures are to be believed, on an average the number of vehicles per 100 kms of all roads in J&K is over 1500. The number of vehicles per lakh of population is stated to be almost 5000 vehicles.
There is a huge disparity in the road density across districts in the State and is particularly in rural roads sectors. There is need to develop a strong network of rural roads for an integrated development of physical infrastructure within tehsils or districts so that strong forward and backward linkages are established.
Developed rural infrastructure has far-reaching implications for poverty reduction by improving income-generating opportunities. It also raises agricultural production.
Let’s take industries sector. Despite huge potential for this sector, the state is today known as one of the weakest states on this front. Its contribution to the state’s economy is just 6%. Heavy and large scale industries segment does nowhere exist in the State. Whatever little we have on this front is precisely small scale and cottage industries. Even in these segments we don’t have much success story. Whatever we own today in industries sector is a large chunk of sick units.
Sickness has been rampant in such units in the state and lack of proper finance has been observed as one of the major impediments in running these units successfully. In other words finance is a critical requirement for development of this sector. Even as banks and financial institutions have been ensuring availability of finance to this sector, the growth has been dismal.
Today, almost all of the financial institutions in the state are burdened with bad loans, technically known as non-performing assets, which have marred their ability to extend fresh loans to new ventures. Not only this, the blockade of money has prevented these institutions to think about the rehabilitate of the existing units.
There is a notion that most of the financial institutions in the state were working well till 1989, which means that there were no bad loans. But the fact is different. Technically speaking the classification of assets (loans) was not prudent during that period. Bad loans were very much there, but the system of reporting the bad was not efficient. But after financial sector reforms in 90s, the number of bad loans involving huge amount of money surfaced and financial intuitions were forced to report bad loans in their balance sheets.
A case in point is the J&K State Financial Corporation (JKFSC) which was one of the leading financial institutions for term lending to industries sector. According to the report of the Task Force on Development of J&K, JKFSC was earning cash profits till 1989. “However, the viability of JKFSC was severely dented by militancy in the valley. Most small scale units, particularly in the valley, were closed down. As tourist flow dried up, hotels and houseboats as well as transport operators became sick ventures. These units defaulted on their loan repayments which in turn eroded the financial viability of JKFSC,” says the report, which is also known as Rangarajan Report.
The Report attributing failure of JKSFC to militancy is not wholly true. Even as we cannot deny that 18-year-old turmoil has caused tremendous damage to the state’s economy, it is also a fact that failure of financial institutions like JKSFC, having hundreds of crores of rupees blocked in bad assets, is due to bad loaning in pre-militancy era where norms were thrown to wind. What happened is that the borrowers took cover of the turmoil and most of them falsely reported their business failure.
Between 1990 and 1997 the non performing assets portfolio of JKFSC increased by a whopping 645%.
The state is confronted with another most complex development challenge of creating employment opportunities. We have to consider the fact that the bulk of new employment opportunities will have to come from industry. Even as improvement on agricultural productivity is also needed, but its promise on the employment front has been limited due to adverse ratio of agricultural land to the total geographical area. However, services sector too can provide a support in creating job opportunities in the state.
However, the systems and processes that work for the rest of the country are not necessarily optimal for J&K. The content and process of development of J&K has to be designed keeping in view the state’s unique position as far as its historical, institutional and political factors are concerned.
Above all, we must not forget the fact that J&K possesses most vulnerable political environment. Before any developmental programme is set in motion, it is of utmost importance that its vulnerability on political front is taken into account. Ideas of having Special Industrial Zones, luring private sector investment in reshaping the state’s economy etc. sound good, but what this geographically remote location desperately needs a think tank which can carve out a track where there is peace, prosperity and profits for all.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Wither Saffron
An editorial in the Rising Kashmir raises some pertinent concerns and suggests remedies
Urgent steps need to be taken to increase the production of saffron and revolutionize its marketing.
The threat to cash crops, in Kashmir is now real. If trends that we are witnessing in agriculture, including the production and development of cash crops are not reversed, Kashmir is bound to face shortage in food and dwindling revenue from cash crops. Despite good crop of walnuts, saffron, almonds this season the government is not paying the deserved attention to these cash crops. The stagnation in the yield of saffron is a reflection of where the prized unique cash crop is heading to. Various factors are underlined for the decline in production over the years.
The fields of saffron are in full bloom these days but looking at its production over the last five years it emanates that the crop has suffered in recent years due to inadequate irrigation facilities, persistent drought, absence of modern farming techniques, under-marketing of the product, absence of quality checks and most important of all the apathy of the government towards this prized crop. According to the data available, an acre yielded 2.5 kgs of saffron compared to 900gms today. Second, the land under saffron plantation has decreased from 5000 acres in mid eighties to less than 3000 acres presently with an average holding by farmers being 0.56 hectares. In this modern age operations for saffron cultivation are being carried out manually using indigenous tools mainly Ramba for weeding and around 600-625 man days/hectare are consumed from seedbed to drying of saffron.
These facts lead to three things: One, land available for saffron cultivation is declining .Two, yield per acre is falling and three, the crop is not fetching the desired revenue for farmers. These factors are interlinked. In some areas the farmers are switching to other crops for niche markets. Does it call for some effective measures that can be the starting point for improving the productive capacity of this crop? First and foremost is the change in the plantation techniques through adoption of wheel hoes, power weeders and power tillers for weeding and hoeing saffron, use of solar dryers and electrically heated saffron and other modern techniques for improved production. Next are the initiatives from the government that might include grading standard for saffron and marketing it according to its quality, applying for listing of saffron in commodity exchanges of India. Long time back the government had mooted an idea of setting up laboratory for certifying the quality of saffron which still has not taken root. The third factor is the marketing and packaging of the product; here the growers with the support of the government can market their produce in Kashmir branded packs and market it to retail chains across markets in India. The aspect of irrigation needs immediate attention as the crop has suffered a lot due to lack of irrigation facilities.
The state government should make a beginning by extending the irrigation facilities to areas that need it the most. A new cadre of farm scientists has to be created to enable the transfer of technology from labs to farms, it is here that SKUAST can play a positive role in developing cutting edge farming techniques and disease resistant varieties in saffron like they have developed for Walnut, to revolutionize the cultivation of saffron. After all a good harvest can result after the corns are well nurtured.
Urgent steps need to be taken to increase the production of saffron and revolutionize its marketing.
The threat to cash crops, in Kashmir is now real. If trends that we are witnessing in agriculture, including the production and development of cash crops are not reversed, Kashmir is bound to face shortage in food and dwindling revenue from cash crops. Despite good crop of walnuts, saffron, almonds this season the government is not paying the deserved attention to these cash crops. The stagnation in the yield of saffron is a reflection of where the prized unique cash crop is heading to. Various factors are underlined for the decline in production over the years.
The fields of saffron are in full bloom these days but looking at its production over the last five years it emanates that the crop has suffered in recent years due to inadequate irrigation facilities, persistent drought, absence of modern farming techniques, under-marketing of the product, absence of quality checks and most important of all the apathy of the government towards this prized crop. According to the data available, an acre yielded 2.5 kgs of saffron compared to 900gms today. Second, the land under saffron plantation has decreased from 5000 acres in mid eighties to less than 3000 acres presently with an average holding by farmers being 0.56 hectares. In this modern age operations for saffron cultivation are being carried out manually using indigenous tools mainly Ramba for weeding and around 600-625 man days/hectare are consumed from seedbed to drying of saffron.
These facts lead to three things: One, land available for saffron cultivation is declining .Two, yield per acre is falling and three, the crop is not fetching the desired revenue for farmers. These factors are interlinked. In some areas the farmers are switching to other crops for niche markets. Does it call for some effective measures that can be the starting point for improving the productive capacity of this crop? First and foremost is the change in the plantation techniques through adoption of wheel hoes, power weeders and power tillers for weeding and hoeing saffron, use of solar dryers and electrically heated saffron and other modern techniques for improved production. Next are the initiatives from the government that might include grading standard for saffron and marketing it according to its quality, applying for listing of saffron in commodity exchanges of India. Long time back the government had mooted an idea of setting up laboratory for certifying the quality of saffron which still has not taken root. The third factor is the marketing and packaging of the product; here the growers with the support of the government can market their produce in Kashmir branded packs and market it to retail chains across markets in India. The aspect of irrigation needs immediate attention as the crop has suffered a lot due to lack of irrigation facilities.
The state government should make a beginning by extending the irrigation facilities to areas that need it the most. A new cadre of farm scientists has to be created to enable the transfer of technology from labs to farms, it is here that SKUAST can play a positive role in developing cutting edge farming techniques and disease resistant varieties in saffron like they have developed for Walnut, to revolutionize the cultivation of saffron. After all a good harvest can result after the corns are well nurtured.
Yesterday's Life Line is Today's Sewage Line
Ather sees a tragedy unfolding right in front of people and makes some good suggestions
(Syed Ather Qayoom Rufia, 26, was born in Srinagar, and received his initial schooling from the Tyndale Biscoe Memorial School, Srinagar, and Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi. He graduated as an Architect from the Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai. He is currently a partner in an architect and real estate development company in Srinagar. His personal interests are reading, writing and surfing the internet.)
NEGLECTED WATERS
Throughout the history of humankind, rivers have always played an essential part in its development. Almost all the early human settlements have been on riverbanks. Humans settled along the river Nile, Sabarmati River in India supported human settlement. History’s one of the greatest civilization, Indus valley civilization settled around the river Indus. River played many roles. For some it was a source of irrigation, for some it was used for navigation and for others it became so important that it achieved the status of holiness.
River Jehlum in Kashmir, which is known as Veath in Kashmiri, Vitasta in Sanskrit and Hydapass in Greek achieved such an importance that it became the lifeline for Kashmiri people and was rightly known as the highway of Kashmir. It meant more than a river for Kashmiris. It was the major source of transportation until the frequent use of tongas and motor vehicles through roads. Its regular ghats were generally crowded. Almost all the important buildings in Srinagar are facing rivers, be it Shah Hamdan mosque, Budshah’s tomb, SPS museum, J&K arts emporium building, which was the resident’s residence during the Dogra period; Shergarhi palace, which at present is the assembly; old secretariat; Church Missionary School, popularly known as Tyndale Biscoe school.
All of the above mentioned buildings have their front side facing the river Jehlum with graceful flight of steps which would lead towards the main building. As a result of these important buildings along the river, the river bank would always be maintained for royal visits. In fact in 1921, when British viceroy had to visit this summer capital of Kashmir, he made his visit via river Jehlum. That seemed to be the usual route for the royal visits. In the same year, the arrival of the royal barge of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir at the Church Mission School in Srinagar was made through this famous river of Kashmir, i.e. the river Veath.
Today the same lifeline of Kashmir is in total disarray. The same river banks have lost their glamour and sheen, and the main reason is the way they have been abandoned because they do not serve the same function anymore. Today this great river is fast becoming as the great sewage line of Kashmir instead of the lifeline. It is facing the same fate what other water bodies have met with in this part of the world, which was once known as the Venice of the East. The only difference between Jehlum and other water bodies is that money is not being spent on it lavishly in the name of conservation.
For the development of riverbanks, there needs to be a comprehensive conservation plan with both short term and long term goals. Today, public access to the waterfronts has achieved a great importance all around the world. A renewed waterfront offers investors a promising return on capital. Cities enjoy increased tourism, employment and growth. Residents gain new recreation opportunities and an expanded awareness of the natural aspects of river life. A riverfront conservation plan needs to have a holistic approach towards the development of the riverbank. By just making pathways and fencing will not do the job. Apart from engineering solutions, which seems to be the only way in Kashmir when dealing with the conservation of water bodies, there needs to be ecological as well as environmental approach. The Rivers conservation plan should assess the ecological status of the riverfront and determine how best to preserve and enhance an environmentally diverse habitat. Based upon this assessment, recommendations should be developed on how to best maintain the current ecosystem. The findings will influence future development projects. One more very important aspect is the social aspect which would deal with the participation of the local community in conserving the riverfront. A riverfront that supports and connects all aspects of urban life (housing, recreation, commerce, industry, transportation) requires both public and private effort. Before a community can achieve such cooperation and investment, all the players involved must first articulate a shared vision. This can best be achieved through an open process: to invite discussion between neighborhood and environmental groups, the development and design community, and various government agencies and departments. Each organization and individual contributes level of technical expertise that informs the discussion and ultimately influences development decisions. Ultimately it is the local community which has to look after the riverfront if the conservation plan has to become a successful one in the long term. If there is a proper participation of the local people, that would prevent, wherever possible, inappropriate uses and practices from the rivers’ edge. This is something which is lacking at present in the riverfront development of Jehlum.
Authorities need to have a long term plan for this great river of Kashmir. As a way to create some continuity for policy and for riverfront character, the riverfront can be divided into a series of zones. These would be areas that share common elements of topography, character, use and relationship to the river. Each of the Riverfront zones will have a series of land use and design policies, and access and recreation goals. Uses may change over time, but the policies laid out can remain consistent guides to the relationship between buildings, streets and riverfronts. This great waterfront can become a desired address for new communities, cultural venues, commercial development and outdoor recreation. River Jehlum can become a great tourist attraction if its great potential can be tapped. One idea would be to arrange a motorboat ride under the banner of “river taxi” for the tourists to different traditional and cultural important places and buildings such as Shah Hamdan mosque, Budshah’s tomb and SPS museum.
A heritage walkway can be planned from Budshah’s tomb till Shah Hamdan mosque, which would pass through our traditional gale koche. Same policy is being used in other parts of the world with great success. Many tourism related shops and showrooms can be opened along its banks, which would be one more attraction for the tourists and that can open new avenues for people related to this profession. For this purpose, many old shops along the river banks in different zones, especially in downtown area such as Zaina Kadal, which are closed since many years, can be revived with the same policy. Because the early settlement was all along the river Jehlum, one could find one of the oldest buildings along its banks which are at present in bad shape because they have been abandoned by their owners. These old buildings if acquired by the tourism department can be remodeled with the traditional Kashmiri architecture and can be used as art galleries, arts and craft workshops which would not only help in conserving these old structures with traditional architecture that depict our past, but would in turn help in preserving the riverfront too. Not only tourism related businesses but commercial transport via this great river can also be revived as was done in the past which can come under the banner of green or sustainable tourism.
This great river Veath of Kashmir has tremendous potential but only if properly planned, and more importantly, properly executed. It needs both short term and long term plans and goals for its proper development and usage. Let’s hope that this great river’s conservation plan does not end up with the same fate as the other water bodies of Kashmir did.
(Syed Ather Qayoom Rufia, 26, was born in Srinagar, and received his initial schooling from the Tyndale Biscoe Memorial School, Srinagar, and Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi. He graduated as an Architect from the Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai. He is currently a partner in an architect and real estate development company in Srinagar. His personal interests are reading, writing and surfing the internet.)
NEGLECTED WATERS
Throughout the history of humankind, rivers have always played an essential part in its development. Almost all the early human settlements have been on riverbanks. Humans settled along the river Nile, Sabarmati River in India supported human settlement. History’s one of the greatest civilization, Indus valley civilization settled around the river Indus. River played many roles. For some it was a source of irrigation, for some it was used for navigation and for others it became so important that it achieved the status of holiness.
River Jehlum in Kashmir, which is known as Veath in Kashmiri, Vitasta in Sanskrit and Hydapass in Greek achieved such an importance that it became the lifeline for Kashmiri people and was rightly known as the highway of Kashmir. It meant more than a river for Kashmiris. It was the major source of transportation until the frequent use of tongas and motor vehicles through roads. Its regular ghats were generally crowded. Almost all the important buildings in Srinagar are facing rivers, be it Shah Hamdan mosque, Budshah’s tomb, SPS museum, J&K arts emporium building, which was the resident’s residence during the Dogra period; Shergarhi palace, which at present is the assembly; old secretariat; Church Missionary School, popularly known as Tyndale Biscoe school.
All of the above mentioned buildings have their front side facing the river Jehlum with graceful flight of steps which would lead towards the main building. As a result of these important buildings along the river, the river bank would always be maintained for royal visits. In fact in 1921, when British viceroy had to visit this summer capital of Kashmir, he made his visit via river Jehlum. That seemed to be the usual route for the royal visits. In the same year, the arrival of the royal barge of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir at the Church Mission School in Srinagar was made through this famous river of Kashmir, i.e. the river Veath.
Today the same lifeline of Kashmir is in total disarray. The same river banks have lost their glamour and sheen, and the main reason is the way they have been abandoned because they do not serve the same function anymore. Today this great river is fast becoming as the great sewage line of Kashmir instead of the lifeline. It is facing the same fate what other water bodies have met with in this part of the world, which was once known as the Venice of the East. The only difference between Jehlum and other water bodies is that money is not being spent on it lavishly in the name of conservation.
For the development of riverbanks, there needs to be a comprehensive conservation plan with both short term and long term goals. Today, public access to the waterfronts has achieved a great importance all around the world. A renewed waterfront offers investors a promising return on capital. Cities enjoy increased tourism, employment and growth. Residents gain new recreation opportunities and an expanded awareness of the natural aspects of river life. A riverfront conservation plan needs to have a holistic approach towards the development of the riverbank. By just making pathways and fencing will not do the job. Apart from engineering solutions, which seems to be the only way in Kashmir when dealing with the conservation of water bodies, there needs to be ecological as well as environmental approach. The Rivers conservation plan should assess the ecological status of the riverfront and determine how best to preserve and enhance an environmentally diverse habitat. Based upon this assessment, recommendations should be developed on how to best maintain the current ecosystem. The findings will influence future development projects. One more very important aspect is the social aspect which would deal with the participation of the local community in conserving the riverfront. A riverfront that supports and connects all aspects of urban life (housing, recreation, commerce, industry, transportation) requires both public and private effort. Before a community can achieve such cooperation and investment, all the players involved must first articulate a shared vision. This can best be achieved through an open process: to invite discussion between neighborhood and environmental groups, the development and design community, and various government agencies and departments. Each organization and individual contributes level of technical expertise that informs the discussion and ultimately influences development decisions. Ultimately it is the local community which has to look after the riverfront if the conservation plan has to become a successful one in the long term. If there is a proper participation of the local people, that would prevent, wherever possible, inappropriate uses and practices from the rivers’ edge. This is something which is lacking at present in the riverfront development of Jehlum.
Authorities need to have a long term plan for this great river of Kashmir. As a way to create some continuity for policy and for riverfront character, the riverfront can be divided into a series of zones. These would be areas that share common elements of topography, character, use and relationship to the river. Each of the Riverfront zones will have a series of land use and design policies, and access and recreation goals. Uses may change over time, but the policies laid out can remain consistent guides to the relationship between buildings, streets and riverfronts. This great waterfront can become a desired address for new communities, cultural venues, commercial development and outdoor recreation. River Jehlum can become a great tourist attraction if its great potential can be tapped. One idea would be to arrange a motorboat ride under the banner of “river taxi” for the tourists to different traditional and cultural important places and buildings such as Shah Hamdan mosque, Budshah’s tomb and SPS museum.
A heritage walkway can be planned from Budshah’s tomb till Shah Hamdan mosque, which would pass through our traditional gale koche. Same policy is being used in other parts of the world with great success. Many tourism related shops and showrooms can be opened along its banks, which would be one more attraction for the tourists and that can open new avenues for people related to this profession. For this purpose, many old shops along the river banks in different zones, especially in downtown area such as Zaina Kadal, which are closed since many years, can be revived with the same policy. Because the early settlement was all along the river Jehlum, one could find one of the oldest buildings along its banks which are at present in bad shape because they have been abandoned by their owners. These old buildings if acquired by the tourism department can be remodeled with the traditional Kashmiri architecture and can be used as art galleries, arts and craft workshops which would not only help in conserving these old structures with traditional architecture that depict our past, but would in turn help in preserving the riverfront too. Not only tourism related businesses but commercial transport via this great river can also be revived as was done in the past which can come under the banner of green or sustainable tourism.
This great river Veath of Kashmir has tremendous potential but only if properly planned, and more importantly, properly executed. It needs both short term and long term plans and goals for its proper development and usage. Let’s hope that this great river’s conservation plan does not end up with the same fate as the other water bodies of Kashmir did.
Misplaced Priorities, but who is to Blame?
Ashraf says that in the case of Kashmir, the environment should be the first priority. So far so good. But should not the accusing finger point to the society that willingly ignores environmental damage to make way for greed?
(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 65, was born and raised in Srinagar. He attended the S.P. High School and the S.P College before joining the Regional Engineering College at Naseem Bagh in Civil Engineering. However, he changed his career to adventure sports like mountaineering and skiing, completing his training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and Gulmarg. He also completed a diploma in French language from the Alliance Française in New Delhi. He joined the J&K Tourism Department in 1973, rose to become its Director-General in 1996, and retired in 2003 after 30 years of service. He has been associated with the Adventure Sports at the national level and was recently re-elected as the Vice-President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the apex body of adventure sports in India, for two years. To commend his efforts in introducing rescue measures in Kashmir Mountains, he was awarded “Merite-Alpin” by Swiss in a special function in Les Diablerets in 1993. He continues to be a member of the Governing Council of IMF and is also the President of Jammu & Kashmir Mountaineering & Hiking Club.)
Both the State Government and the Central Government seem to have misplaced their priorities in relation to the developmental projects in Kashmir. Day in and day out we hear sermons from national leaders, government functionaries, and politicians of all hues and shades about umpteen development projects being undertaken by different agencies in various parts of the state especially in Kashmir valley for the benefit of common masses. They keep on counting thousands of crores being spent on these projects. But unfortunately the selection of priorities is generally governed by vote bank politics and short term gains. The long term aims and overall betterment of the state is given a go by. The Environment of the valley is facing the gravest ever threat at present. There must have already been numerous editorials, dozens upon dozens of articles by experts of all regions, and even official technical reports about the urgency for the restoration of Dal Lake.
Almost every child must be by now fully aware of the fact that the Dal Lake, the heart of Srinagar, and a natural heritage of centuries is threatened with total extinction. The lush green forests, the green gold of Kashmir are being butchered mercilessly by greedy local timber smugglers with the connivance of authorities throughout the valley. Kashmir has been promoted as an enchanting tourist destination and the main slogan has been, “Kashmir, the Paradise on Earth!” But see what has happened to paradise. Srinagar is probably the dirtiest city in the world. The city roads are in shambles. There is no proper drainage. Garbage is lying all over. There is no systematic and scientific way of garbage disposal in this capital city of a million and a half people.
There is a tussle going on between the people living in the localities near the city’s garbage dump and Municipal authorities. More than 4,000 metric tonnes of garbage is lying all over the city and 300 tonnes are added every day. The authorities had to dump the garbage after imposing curfew in the dump area. A project costing Rs 22 crores sanctioned by Asian Development Bank has been gathering dust in the Economic Re-construction Agency for last one year. In the meantime, some members of a land mafia including some politicians are holding the Municipal Corporation hostage. Traffic is in a mess. There are no traffic lights nor are there sufficient parking places. We have a perennial power famine which becomes acute during winter as our rivers have been mortgaged without local people ever been asked about it! In spite of the fact that a 450 megawatt power project has been recently commissioned, the power curtailment has become worse than the previous years. The National Hydro-electric Power Corporation has the cheek to stop power transmission to the State for not clearing the outstanding dues. They have robbed the state of all its power resources and are planning further loot in future. The local engineer calls all Kashmiris power thieves. What about NHPC? Isn’t it the biggest power thief of the state? The power distribution system can itself be part of Kashmir’s heritage. In many places the power connections emanating from an electric pole are in such a jumble that only the local electrician can identify these. Some years back the Communist Russia’s electric engineers on a visit here after seeing the distribution jumble started believing in God! The health sector too is in shambles. The hospitals have deteriorated instead of getting modernised. The stark example is the maternity hospital and the children hospital.
Additionally, the people still have to go outside state for specialised treatment. Government has failed on one hand has failed to bring the hospitals to some international standard and on the other hand they do not allow non-resident Kashmiris to set up such facilities. In every sector there is no accountability at all. The laws, rules, bye laws, and enforcement of the same is totally missing. There is no control over building construction. Shopping complexes come up in every nook and corner regardless of the fact whether the area is commercial or residential. The height of buildings is the choice of the builders. They can go up, up, and up! The architecture is also the choice of the owners of the houses. The law enforcement authorities do not bother about these rules and construct even their own establishments without giving a damn to environment, building permissions, and relevant bye laws. The first duty of a government is to ensure the well being of its citizens. For this the primary requirement is a conducive and healthy environment.
Unfortunately, not only the government is totally negligent of this primary requirement but the people themselves have become totally insensitive. We can do without a number of things related to comfortable living but we cannot live without a liveable environment. The first priority of the government should be to some how protect our environment. Dal Lake cannot wait. It is dying and dying fast. After environment, the basic health care needs to be upgraded. The hospitals need to be improved by way of hygiene, equipment and its maintenance, and above all the standard of nursing care. Roads and drainage has to be attended to in most of the areas. Power distribution system should have been the first priority of the Power Development Department. We may generate thousands of megawatts of power but unless we have good transmission and distribution system, we will lose more than half of it. Clean drinking water is another priority. There are still a number of areas without clean and cured water supply. Unfortunately, the government gives priority to a toy train to nowhere. No doubt, a train in the valley is an engineering marvel but it is not the top priority. We would be happy to see it in the movies or on the TV. Similar is the case with many recreational projects like the Asia’s largest Tulip garden. What is important right now is the provision of basic amenities to the common people. Thousands of crores claimed to be spent in Kashmir relate mostly to central projects the major benefits of which go to people outside the state. It is typical exploitation of resources of a place in the colonial way as the British used to do with undivided India.
Those days all the raw materials would be exported to England and the finished products would be sold back to Indians. Slowly people of Kashmir are waking up to these hard realities and have started questioning the colonial policies of the Indian government. It would be advisable for both the State and the Central Government to reset their priorities. People urgently need better infrastructure like roads, clean water, sufficient power, health care, and above all a clean and liveable environment! After this comes the gainful employment for the hundreds of thousands of educated unemployed youth. Government is planning dozens of projects but unless these provide jobs to local youth these become meaningless and amount to unproductive expenditure. Apart from the government even the so called popular leaders seem to be totally unmindful of these basic problems being faced by the common people. Their struggle would become more meaningful and substantive if they would include all that ails Kashmir and Kashmiris. They could raise their voices to highlight these basic issues without compromising or losing sight of the goal of ultimate emancipation.
One does not have to compromise to speak out the truth. When more and more people fearlessly speak out the truth, it becomes stronger and forces the falsehood to retreat. The “Misplaced Priorities” will get corrected only when the people speak out the truth in the strongest possible way! No one can deny the fact that the “Peoples’ Power” is the strongest power anywhere in the world. If only the people know it and exercise it in the rightful and constructive way to bring the urgently needed change! Any violence and destructive behaviour dissipates the “Peoples’ Power”. Sincere and dedicated leaders are expected to make people aware about these basic facts and lead them on the right path. In the absence of such leaders people have no option but to lead themselves!
(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 65, was born and raised in Srinagar. He attended the S.P. High School and the S.P College before joining the Regional Engineering College at Naseem Bagh in Civil Engineering. However, he changed his career to adventure sports like mountaineering and skiing, completing his training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and Gulmarg. He also completed a diploma in French language from the Alliance Française in New Delhi. He joined the J&K Tourism Department in 1973, rose to become its Director-General in 1996, and retired in 2003 after 30 years of service. He has been associated with the Adventure Sports at the national level and was recently re-elected as the Vice-President of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, the apex body of adventure sports in India, for two years. To commend his efforts in introducing rescue measures in Kashmir Mountains, he was awarded “Merite-Alpin” by Swiss in a special function in Les Diablerets in 1993. He continues to be a member of the Governing Council of IMF and is also the President of Jammu & Kashmir Mountaineering & Hiking Club.)
Both the State Government and the Central Government seem to have misplaced their priorities in relation to the developmental projects in Kashmir. Day in and day out we hear sermons from national leaders, government functionaries, and politicians of all hues and shades about umpteen development projects being undertaken by different agencies in various parts of the state especially in Kashmir valley for the benefit of common masses. They keep on counting thousands of crores being spent on these projects. But unfortunately the selection of priorities is generally governed by vote bank politics and short term gains. The long term aims and overall betterment of the state is given a go by. The Environment of the valley is facing the gravest ever threat at present. There must have already been numerous editorials, dozens upon dozens of articles by experts of all regions, and even official technical reports about the urgency for the restoration of Dal Lake.
Almost every child must be by now fully aware of the fact that the Dal Lake, the heart of Srinagar, and a natural heritage of centuries is threatened with total extinction. The lush green forests, the green gold of Kashmir are being butchered mercilessly by greedy local timber smugglers with the connivance of authorities throughout the valley. Kashmir has been promoted as an enchanting tourist destination and the main slogan has been, “Kashmir, the Paradise on Earth!” But see what has happened to paradise. Srinagar is probably the dirtiest city in the world. The city roads are in shambles. There is no proper drainage. Garbage is lying all over. There is no systematic and scientific way of garbage disposal in this capital city of a million and a half people.
There is a tussle going on between the people living in the localities near the city’s garbage dump and Municipal authorities. More than 4,000 metric tonnes of garbage is lying all over the city and 300 tonnes are added every day. The authorities had to dump the garbage after imposing curfew in the dump area. A project costing Rs 22 crores sanctioned by Asian Development Bank has been gathering dust in the Economic Re-construction Agency for last one year. In the meantime, some members of a land mafia including some politicians are holding the Municipal Corporation hostage. Traffic is in a mess. There are no traffic lights nor are there sufficient parking places. We have a perennial power famine which becomes acute during winter as our rivers have been mortgaged without local people ever been asked about it! In spite of the fact that a 450 megawatt power project has been recently commissioned, the power curtailment has become worse than the previous years. The National Hydro-electric Power Corporation has the cheek to stop power transmission to the State for not clearing the outstanding dues. They have robbed the state of all its power resources and are planning further loot in future. The local engineer calls all Kashmiris power thieves. What about NHPC? Isn’t it the biggest power thief of the state? The power distribution system can itself be part of Kashmir’s heritage. In many places the power connections emanating from an electric pole are in such a jumble that only the local electrician can identify these. Some years back the Communist Russia’s electric engineers on a visit here after seeing the distribution jumble started believing in God! The health sector too is in shambles. The hospitals have deteriorated instead of getting modernised. The stark example is the maternity hospital and the children hospital.
Additionally, the people still have to go outside state for specialised treatment. Government has failed on one hand has failed to bring the hospitals to some international standard and on the other hand they do not allow non-resident Kashmiris to set up such facilities. In every sector there is no accountability at all. The laws, rules, bye laws, and enforcement of the same is totally missing. There is no control over building construction. Shopping complexes come up in every nook and corner regardless of the fact whether the area is commercial or residential. The height of buildings is the choice of the builders. They can go up, up, and up! The architecture is also the choice of the owners of the houses. The law enforcement authorities do not bother about these rules and construct even their own establishments without giving a damn to environment, building permissions, and relevant bye laws. The first duty of a government is to ensure the well being of its citizens. For this the primary requirement is a conducive and healthy environment.
Unfortunately, not only the government is totally negligent of this primary requirement but the people themselves have become totally insensitive. We can do without a number of things related to comfortable living but we cannot live without a liveable environment. The first priority of the government should be to some how protect our environment. Dal Lake cannot wait. It is dying and dying fast. After environment, the basic health care needs to be upgraded. The hospitals need to be improved by way of hygiene, equipment and its maintenance, and above all the standard of nursing care. Roads and drainage has to be attended to in most of the areas. Power distribution system should have been the first priority of the Power Development Department. We may generate thousands of megawatts of power but unless we have good transmission and distribution system, we will lose more than half of it. Clean drinking water is another priority. There are still a number of areas without clean and cured water supply. Unfortunately, the government gives priority to a toy train to nowhere. No doubt, a train in the valley is an engineering marvel but it is not the top priority. We would be happy to see it in the movies or on the TV. Similar is the case with many recreational projects like the Asia’s largest Tulip garden. What is important right now is the provision of basic amenities to the common people. Thousands of crores claimed to be spent in Kashmir relate mostly to central projects the major benefits of which go to people outside the state. It is typical exploitation of resources of a place in the colonial way as the British used to do with undivided India.
Those days all the raw materials would be exported to England and the finished products would be sold back to Indians. Slowly people of Kashmir are waking up to these hard realities and have started questioning the colonial policies of the Indian government. It would be advisable for both the State and the Central Government to reset their priorities. People urgently need better infrastructure like roads, clean water, sufficient power, health care, and above all a clean and liveable environment! After this comes the gainful employment for the hundreds of thousands of educated unemployed youth. Government is planning dozens of projects but unless these provide jobs to local youth these become meaningless and amount to unproductive expenditure. Apart from the government even the so called popular leaders seem to be totally unmindful of these basic problems being faced by the common people. Their struggle would become more meaningful and substantive if they would include all that ails Kashmir and Kashmiris. They could raise their voices to highlight these basic issues without compromising or losing sight of the goal of ultimate emancipation.
One does not have to compromise to speak out the truth. When more and more people fearlessly speak out the truth, it becomes stronger and forces the falsehood to retreat. The “Misplaced Priorities” will get corrected only when the people speak out the truth in the strongest possible way! No one can deny the fact that the “Peoples’ Power” is the strongest power anywhere in the world. If only the people know it and exercise it in the rightful and constructive way to bring the urgently needed change! Any violence and destructive behaviour dissipates the “Peoples’ Power”. Sincere and dedicated leaders are expected to make people aware about these basic facts and lead them on the right path. In the absence of such leaders people have no option but to lead themselves!
Jehlum, Dal, Nageen and Wular
Disturbing reports on the historical river and three prime (and formerly pristine) lakes in Kashmir. Report on Jehlum is followed by a report on the Dal Lake and the Nageen Lake, and a report on the Wular lake
Jehlum beautification?
River Jehlum, the life-line of Kashmir Valley, has always been vital to the socio-economic life as well as culture of the people. Needless to mention that Srinagar city and other major towns thrive on the banks of this river to comprise a unique human geography here, the importance of Jehlum to the Valley's physical geography too has been very profound. Little wonder that this river finds a place of pride in history as well as the Kashmir's folklore, sometimes as Jehlum while at other places as 'Vyeth' or 'Vitasta'. Masjids, shrines and temples on its banks only add to the reverence this river has attracted from the local population since times immemorial.
However, today the situation is quite different as the river is no longer what it has been or what it should have been. Instead, both the people as well as the governmental agencies have, owing to their criminal carelessness, relegated this river to a massive drain to accommodate all kinds of filth and dirt. The sewerage from Srinagar city as well as other towns empties into this river; and a major portion of garbage too is dumped into it. As if this was not enough, the people who erected new shopping malls and other commercial complexes in place of the old decrepit residential houses in parts of city along it banks used the river bosom as a landfill site to dump old construction material in it. And the irony has been that all this happened and is happening even today not only under the nose of, but also with the active connivance of the civic authorities.
Complicating the problems for the already ailing river has been the accumulation of silt in its bed. While until 1986, dredging the river to take out sand and silt was a regular feature from Khadanyar onwards in Baramulla district, the practice was stopped for some unknown reasons. Even though there is a full-fledged Flood Mechanical Division in Baramulla for the purpose, but both the men and machinery of the said division has been lying idle since. What sounds really intriguing is the fact that the dredging of river, despite being a self-financing venture in the sense that the sand and silt taken out not only met the cost of dredging but also earned some profits for the government, was stopped all of a sudden. No wonder the floods in the river have become almost a yearly feature now. Each time there are incessant rains, the water overflows river banks to inundate huge inhabited areas besides damaging crops and other physical infrastructure.
In such a situation, talking about the Jehlum beautification project fails to amuse anyone. Not only the experts, but the common people with a fair quantum of common sense too are hard at understanding how the cosmetic measures like beautifying Jehlum banks is going to help the river unless the basic ailments are taken care of.
A simple question seeking answer is: Will Jehlum beautification prevent floods in future? If yes, how? But the common sense has it that if such a project is not going to prevents floods, then obviously the government's priority should be countering and neutralizing the flood threats. If the floods are not prevented, any cosmetic treatment given to the river will simply not serve any purpose. And certainly the huge sums of money that are being pumped in for Jehlum beautification are going down the drain – the drain that's Jehlum!
Dal, Nageen infested with red algae
Srinagar: A recent survey conducted by the Pollution Control Board (PCB) on the condition of water bodies in Kashmir has revealed that world famous Dal and Nigeen lakes are infested with red algae.
The survey further reveals that waste is being dumped untreated in the Lake while constructions are going unnoticed.
The PCB’s survey has reported a wide-spread red algal bloom in Nishat-Hazratbal basin of the Lake. “A high concentration of the free carbon dioxide is present in the lake and it accelerates the red algal bloom. The availability for iron and phosphate further accelerates the growth of red algal,” the survey revealed.
PCB survey has disclosed that the lakes are facing large-scale invasion of obnoxious Azolla, the red water fern. “The weed has extensively encroached upon the lake waters, proliferating inlet and outlet water channels. Its thick layer has lead to decaying of underwater plants and death of animals below,” the survey reveals.
Regarding biotic interference, the PCB’s survey report states that the human settlements within and along the periphery of the Dal lake is one of the main contributing factors for the deterioration of its water quality. “It has affected the overall environment of the water body as well”.
PCB officials, pleading anonymity told Rising Kashmir that some encroachments have been witnessed in the Nageen lake. “The Tourism Department has constructed a hut on the shore of the lake adjacent to the Nigeen club”, they said.
The PCB report mentions that drains are being emptied into the Nageen Lake at Sadrabal. “The physical appearance of the lake water has changed as the organic and in-organic pollutants in the water are on higher side. The buffering capacity of the lake water has been lost,” it said, adding, “Construction material sneaks into the restricted areas through Ganderbal, New Theed and other areas”.
The report claimed that solid waste management in both the lakes is poor especially in and around Dal Lake. “The ban on the use of polythene bags has not been enforced by the LAWDA or the SMC. The waste is drained directly into Dal and Nageen without treating it,” the survey further reveals.
It further reveals that weeds have grown profusely at the Grand Palace ghat site and near Centaur hotel area. The phenomenon has been witnessed at Nishat Water supply area, making the water highly polluted.
“The dying business on the banks of Dal lake at Dhobi ghat continues unabated. The poisonous chemicals are being drained into the lake and it proves harmful for aquatic flora and fauna,” the survey reveals.
The PCB’s survey further discloses that a large drain from the Sadarbal area is being emptied into the lake. “Chunt kul, the vital link between the Dal lake and river Jehlum is littered with filth, garbage and polythene bags. The embankments are having a large number of open lavatories”, the report stated.
Castigating the UEED department, the survey report states that performance of the UEED administered sewerage treatment plant (STP) at Brari Nambal is below satisfaction. “The STP has become obsolete as it is too small to cater to the sewage load”, added the survey report.
Saving Dal is good but forgetting Wular is equally bad
Almost all the news papers of valley have tried their best to highlight the plight of Dal Lake but at the same time one fails to understand the treatment extended toward the world famous lake- Wular.
There is no doubt that Dal Lake has been important to Kashmir in more than one way. Indeed it has been very useful to the people of Kashmir, be it the economy of Kashmir, Eco-Tourism or water sports Dal Lake has remained at the heart of such activities. Whenever we think of fresh and green vegetables, and lots stem (Nadroo) we are reminded of Dal Lake. Vegetables that grow in Dal are preferred and are sold like hot cakes. The rates hardly matters for the customer, only the word Dal is enough for him to buy them. But intriguingly Dal dwellers have pollute it, destroyed it and have encroached it from all sides. However, other sections of the society are trying their level best to save Dal. Government is spending crores of rupees for its restoration, numerous NGOs and hundreds of the school children until now have done their bit to contribute towards saving this water body. But at the same time one fails to understand the insensitiveness of these sections towards one of the Asia’s largest lake -Wular.
The Wular lake is one of the finest aviary which exhibits its manifestation of biodiversity par excellence and merits due consideration. Rapid urbanization and contamination of this lake time and again results in further destruction and government hardily cares for its restoration. Just like Dal Lake, the Wular Lake is also fast squeezing. Ecologically Wular Lake is as important as the Dal. If it is developed and managed in a proper way it can boost the economy in many ways. It can take the ecotourism to new heights. But one is totally clueless as to why both government and people have completely forgotten this lake.
Nowadays, the entire attention is on Dal. The Dal dwellers, despite their wrongdoings are being convinced and compensated to leave their places in and around Dal that they have occupied illegally. For their rehabilitation funds are secured from the Central government and other agencies. No doubt thyat all this is being is being done to restore the pristine glory of Dal Lake. But even after doing all this one finds that they are still reluctant to leave the Dal because Dal has proved a gold mine for them.
LAWDA, Lakes and Waterways Development Authority has procured sophisticated drudging machines but ironically the organization remains in news for its mismanagement and embezzlement only. But at least much is being done in the name of saving Dal lake. Unfortunately there is no such concern getting exhibited in case of Wular lake.
There are several things common in these two Lakes; probably the only glaring digfference is that one gets too much of attention and the other has been forgotten completely. A journey from Bandipora to Srinagar via Garoora Sangri and Sadurkoot on one side and from Bandipora to Sopore traversing the areas of Watlab, Magnipora and other places make a conscious person shrivel to see the moors present everywhere while witnessing the Wular Lake. Eutraphication (converting of water bodies into marshy land) is already complete at many places and is going on at fast pace at other areas in Wular.
In the name of preservation the various government agencies are playing hide and seek with each other. The Forest Department shakes off its responsibilities by giving the statements which are hardily acceptable to common sense. Ecology and Remote Sensing Department has fixed a few hoardings but are absolutely non-existent at ground level. Though few years back government, after realizing its responsibility instituted Wular and Mansbal Development Authority but since its inception it remains in news only. They are yet to set foot on ground to procure the drudging machines; even they have failed to start the manual drudging at large scale, instead they are busy in constructing unproductive structures like bus stand and parks and that also far away from the Wular catchment area. For the last few decades our mindless actions have seriously affected the Wular lake which have exposed people to high risks. A time may come when such an approach will result in irreparable damage because the Wular is dying its silent death and in future the people of Kashmir may wake up with morning newspapers splashing advertisement on their pages like this: ‘Wular land on sale. Book your plots immediately’. Are we tehn waiting for the same day! That day we will hammer the last nail in the coffin of fragile ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir.
There is urgent need to ecologically monitor this aquatic reserve which not only harbours rich flora and fauna but also supports some largest congregations of aquatic birds and migratory water fowls arriving from Himalayas, remote parts of Russia and elsewhere. Constant effluent input in the waters of Wular is the key contributory factor to the present mess that the lake is in. There is a correlation between the nutrient enrichment and algal biodiversity which now has enveloped the whole Wular lake. The presence of a number of algal species like Ephedra which has luxuriant growth in those water bodies where there is pollution is enough to tell its story.
There is a role for every one of us for the conservation, protection and restoration of water bodies of Kashmir in general and Dal and the Wular Lake in particular. Students can revolutionize the conserving efforts but the need is to aware of the amount of threat and for that the print media can play vital role. In fact our print is doing its bit, but seeing the enormity of the task more needs to be done.
We must set out on a missionary path to create a society of motivated citizens committed to conservation, preservation and protection of the water bodies of Kashmir and to strive towards a life perfectly in harmony with nature. To achieve this mission the young brigade of our society has to be made aware of their responsibilities towards nature. They need to unformed of problems and their immediate consequences. It is the need of hour to use the services of these young ones for the restoration and rejuvenation of water bodies for which many writers have been floating their ideas in the local media. We the people of Kashmir in general and those who live in the vicinity of this great water body must take it to themselves that this great gift of God is genuinely looked after. We will be extremely ungrateful to our Lord if we don’t do that; and being ungrateful deserves severe punishments from Almighty Allah.
Jehlum beautification?
River Jehlum, the life-line of Kashmir Valley, has always been vital to the socio-economic life as well as culture of the people. Needless to mention that Srinagar city and other major towns thrive on the banks of this river to comprise a unique human geography here, the importance of Jehlum to the Valley's physical geography too has been very profound. Little wonder that this river finds a place of pride in history as well as the Kashmir's folklore, sometimes as Jehlum while at other places as 'Vyeth' or 'Vitasta'. Masjids, shrines and temples on its banks only add to the reverence this river has attracted from the local population since times immemorial.
However, today the situation is quite different as the river is no longer what it has been or what it should have been. Instead, both the people as well as the governmental agencies have, owing to their criminal carelessness, relegated this river to a massive drain to accommodate all kinds of filth and dirt. The sewerage from Srinagar city as well as other towns empties into this river; and a major portion of garbage too is dumped into it. As if this was not enough, the people who erected new shopping malls and other commercial complexes in place of the old decrepit residential houses in parts of city along it banks used the river bosom as a landfill site to dump old construction material in it. And the irony has been that all this happened and is happening even today not only under the nose of, but also with the active connivance of the civic authorities.
Complicating the problems for the already ailing river has been the accumulation of silt in its bed. While until 1986, dredging the river to take out sand and silt was a regular feature from Khadanyar onwards in Baramulla district, the practice was stopped for some unknown reasons. Even though there is a full-fledged Flood Mechanical Division in Baramulla for the purpose, but both the men and machinery of the said division has been lying idle since. What sounds really intriguing is the fact that the dredging of river, despite being a self-financing venture in the sense that the sand and silt taken out not only met the cost of dredging but also earned some profits for the government, was stopped all of a sudden. No wonder the floods in the river have become almost a yearly feature now. Each time there are incessant rains, the water overflows river banks to inundate huge inhabited areas besides damaging crops and other physical infrastructure.
In such a situation, talking about the Jehlum beautification project fails to amuse anyone. Not only the experts, but the common people with a fair quantum of common sense too are hard at understanding how the cosmetic measures like beautifying Jehlum banks is going to help the river unless the basic ailments are taken care of.
A simple question seeking answer is: Will Jehlum beautification prevent floods in future? If yes, how? But the common sense has it that if such a project is not going to prevents floods, then obviously the government's priority should be countering and neutralizing the flood threats. If the floods are not prevented, any cosmetic treatment given to the river will simply not serve any purpose. And certainly the huge sums of money that are being pumped in for Jehlum beautification are going down the drain – the drain that's Jehlum!
Dal, Nageen infested with red algae
Srinagar: A recent survey conducted by the Pollution Control Board (PCB) on the condition of water bodies in Kashmir has revealed that world famous Dal and Nigeen lakes are infested with red algae.
The survey further reveals that waste is being dumped untreated in the Lake while constructions are going unnoticed.
The PCB’s survey has reported a wide-spread red algal bloom in Nishat-Hazratbal basin of the Lake. “A high concentration of the free carbon dioxide is present in the lake and it accelerates the red algal bloom. The availability for iron and phosphate further accelerates the growth of red algal,” the survey revealed.
PCB survey has disclosed that the lakes are facing large-scale invasion of obnoxious Azolla, the red water fern. “The weed has extensively encroached upon the lake waters, proliferating inlet and outlet water channels. Its thick layer has lead to decaying of underwater plants and death of animals below,” the survey reveals.
Regarding biotic interference, the PCB’s survey report states that the human settlements within and along the periphery of the Dal lake is one of the main contributing factors for the deterioration of its water quality. “It has affected the overall environment of the water body as well”.
PCB officials, pleading anonymity told Rising Kashmir that some encroachments have been witnessed in the Nageen lake. “The Tourism Department has constructed a hut on the shore of the lake adjacent to the Nigeen club”, they said.
The PCB report mentions that drains are being emptied into the Nageen Lake at Sadrabal. “The physical appearance of the lake water has changed as the organic and in-organic pollutants in the water are on higher side. The buffering capacity of the lake water has been lost,” it said, adding, “Construction material sneaks into the restricted areas through Ganderbal, New Theed and other areas”.
The report claimed that solid waste management in both the lakes is poor especially in and around Dal Lake. “The ban on the use of polythene bags has not been enforced by the LAWDA or the SMC. The waste is drained directly into Dal and Nageen without treating it,” the survey further reveals.
It further reveals that weeds have grown profusely at the Grand Palace ghat site and near Centaur hotel area. The phenomenon has been witnessed at Nishat Water supply area, making the water highly polluted.
“The dying business on the banks of Dal lake at Dhobi ghat continues unabated. The poisonous chemicals are being drained into the lake and it proves harmful for aquatic flora and fauna,” the survey reveals.
The PCB’s survey further discloses that a large drain from the Sadarbal area is being emptied into the lake. “Chunt kul, the vital link between the Dal lake and river Jehlum is littered with filth, garbage and polythene bags. The embankments are having a large number of open lavatories”, the report stated.
Castigating the UEED department, the survey report states that performance of the UEED administered sewerage treatment plant (STP) at Brari Nambal is below satisfaction. “The STP has become obsolete as it is too small to cater to the sewage load”, added the survey report.
Saving Dal is good but forgetting Wular is equally bad
Almost all the news papers of valley have tried their best to highlight the plight of Dal Lake but at the same time one fails to understand the treatment extended toward the world famous lake- Wular.
There is no doubt that Dal Lake has been important to Kashmir in more than one way. Indeed it has been very useful to the people of Kashmir, be it the economy of Kashmir, Eco-Tourism or water sports Dal Lake has remained at the heart of such activities. Whenever we think of fresh and green vegetables, and lots stem (Nadroo) we are reminded of Dal Lake. Vegetables that grow in Dal are preferred and are sold like hot cakes. The rates hardly matters for the customer, only the word Dal is enough for him to buy them. But intriguingly Dal dwellers have pollute it, destroyed it and have encroached it from all sides. However, other sections of the society are trying their level best to save Dal. Government is spending crores of rupees for its restoration, numerous NGOs and hundreds of the school children until now have done their bit to contribute towards saving this water body. But at the same time one fails to understand the insensitiveness of these sections towards one of the Asia’s largest lake -Wular.
The Wular lake is one of the finest aviary which exhibits its manifestation of biodiversity par excellence and merits due consideration. Rapid urbanization and contamination of this lake time and again results in further destruction and government hardily cares for its restoration. Just like Dal Lake, the Wular Lake is also fast squeezing. Ecologically Wular Lake is as important as the Dal. If it is developed and managed in a proper way it can boost the economy in many ways. It can take the ecotourism to new heights. But one is totally clueless as to why both government and people have completely forgotten this lake.
Nowadays, the entire attention is on Dal. The Dal dwellers, despite their wrongdoings are being convinced and compensated to leave their places in and around Dal that they have occupied illegally. For their rehabilitation funds are secured from the Central government and other agencies. No doubt thyat all this is being is being done to restore the pristine glory of Dal Lake. But even after doing all this one finds that they are still reluctant to leave the Dal because Dal has proved a gold mine for them.
LAWDA, Lakes and Waterways Development Authority has procured sophisticated drudging machines but ironically the organization remains in news for its mismanagement and embezzlement only. But at least much is being done in the name of saving Dal lake. Unfortunately there is no such concern getting exhibited in case of Wular lake.
There are several things common in these two Lakes; probably the only glaring digfference is that one gets too much of attention and the other has been forgotten completely. A journey from Bandipora to Srinagar via Garoora Sangri and Sadurkoot on one side and from Bandipora to Sopore traversing the areas of Watlab, Magnipora and other places make a conscious person shrivel to see the moors present everywhere while witnessing the Wular Lake. Eutraphication (converting of water bodies into marshy land) is already complete at many places and is going on at fast pace at other areas in Wular.
In the name of preservation the various government agencies are playing hide and seek with each other. The Forest Department shakes off its responsibilities by giving the statements which are hardily acceptable to common sense. Ecology and Remote Sensing Department has fixed a few hoardings but are absolutely non-existent at ground level. Though few years back government, after realizing its responsibility instituted Wular and Mansbal Development Authority but since its inception it remains in news only. They are yet to set foot on ground to procure the drudging machines; even they have failed to start the manual drudging at large scale, instead they are busy in constructing unproductive structures like bus stand and parks and that also far away from the Wular catchment area. For the last few decades our mindless actions have seriously affected the Wular lake which have exposed people to high risks. A time may come when such an approach will result in irreparable damage because the Wular is dying its silent death and in future the people of Kashmir may wake up with morning newspapers splashing advertisement on their pages like this: ‘Wular land on sale. Book your plots immediately’. Are we tehn waiting for the same day! That day we will hammer the last nail in the coffin of fragile ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir.
There is urgent need to ecologically monitor this aquatic reserve which not only harbours rich flora and fauna but also supports some largest congregations of aquatic birds and migratory water fowls arriving from Himalayas, remote parts of Russia and elsewhere. Constant effluent input in the waters of Wular is the key contributory factor to the present mess that the lake is in. There is a correlation between the nutrient enrichment and algal biodiversity which now has enveloped the whole Wular lake. The presence of a number of algal species like Ephedra which has luxuriant growth in those water bodies where there is pollution is enough to tell its story.
There is a role for every one of us for the conservation, protection and restoration of water bodies of Kashmir in general and Dal and the Wular Lake in particular. Students can revolutionize the conserving efforts but the need is to aware of the amount of threat and for that the print media can play vital role. In fact our print is doing its bit, but seeing the enormity of the task more needs to be done.
We must set out on a missionary path to create a society of motivated citizens committed to conservation, preservation and protection of the water bodies of Kashmir and to strive towards a life perfectly in harmony with nature. To achieve this mission the young brigade of our society has to be made aware of their responsibilities towards nature. They need to unformed of problems and their immediate consequences. It is the need of hour to use the services of these young ones for the restoration and rejuvenation of water bodies for which many writers have been floating their ideas in the local media. We the people of Kashmir in general and those who live in the vicinity of this great water body must take it to themselves that this great gift of God is genuinely looked after. We will be extremely ungrateful to our Lord if we don’t do that; and being ungrateful deserves severe punishments from Almighty Allah.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Kashmir's Sufi Heritage
Iqbal resurrects the time when Kashmir was the center of divine light
(Mr. Iqbal Ahmad, 47, was born in Parigam Chek, Kulgam. He is a graduate with Diploma in Numastics, Archaeology and Heritage. He is an archaeologist, writer, and a cultural historian. Mr. Iqbal Ahmad has published 12 reference books on Kashmir archaeology and heritage.)
Kashmiri Sufis called Rishis followed this tradition of Buddhist monks to search for divine light in the green forests of their land. Nund Reshi, the founder of Reshi movement meditated first in an underground cave at Gufbal-Qaimoh. It was a forest land during his times. Whether this cave existed earlier or was it specially made for the saint is not known.
The valley of the blue forests would become an abode for the meditating Bhikshus.
It has been already said in ancient Sanskrit records. The similar happened, Buddhist monks this silent and peaceful land suitable for meditations. These monks spread in its green forests in search for the divine-light. Archeologists have been able to found several of those tile pavement in these green forests where these monks went for meditation few experts have been identifying them as the remains of Buddhist monasteries.
I have myself also investigated such finds I could say that these have been laid in a planned manner in these green forests, by some advanced civilization, but I was unable to understand the purpose of such tile pavement. These are basically paid in a well drawn circle there are formed of large bricks called tiles of terracotta material on the faces of these terracotta’s are stamped series of motifs pertaining to living things, like human, animal and floral figures. These are geometrical designs and lotus leaves found stamped over them. Traces of some classical script identified as kharoshti numerals have also been stamped on their faces but they made no sense to me.
These pavements as interpreted by many archeologists have been recovered at dozens of places, mostly in forest areas. The first discovery of this type was made at Harwan in 1921 AD, in the lap of its hill. Later on another pavement was found at Uddro Pahalgam forests in 1979. In year 1986, one more settlement was exposed at Daradkote-Hutmur forests. Ishratnar (Gurveith) also revealed these tiles in its forests on the banks of Shaliganga. More recently one more terracotta pavement was discovered at the forests hill of Kutbal. There may be many more such meditation sites that would get revealed in future. But one thing is clear this is the first phase of architecture associated with Buddhist monks.
Kashmiri Sufis called Rishis followed this tradition of Buddhist monks to search for divine light in the green forests of their land. Nund Reshi, the founder of Reshi movement meditated first in a underground cave at Gufbal-Qaimoh. It was a forest land during his times. Whether this cave existed earlier or was it specially made for the saint is not known. Nundreshi is said was twenty when he took refuse in this cave and spent twelve years inside the cave in search of the divine light. He also planted elm tree near the cave. Theholy tree and cave is still found at the site people usually visit this site, during urs days peole from neighbouringvillages gather here and would recite the holy lyrics of the saint.
After living this cave, he searched for more silent and claim places which he could found in dense forests of pirpanchal and reached Tismur below Honhing mountain in northern range of the pirpanchal forests. He is learnt to had spent one more year here in meditation. The miniature stone mortar and pestle are seen outside the sufic shrine of Tismur. The saint used them in preparing of his diets which exclusively consisted of Vopal hak and qaslin hand ( A forest vegetation). Timer is situated on the right bank of river vishow to the nests-west of Kulgam. A common tradition says that if any body needs the saint aids in solution of worldly requirements the patron sufi has madeit clear and told his devotees to visit then timur, if your require aid for the next world, then visit charar-i-Sharief, I also visited this site severed times.
Fortunately my elder sister named Haseena Akhter lived at Ahmedabad, few kilometers below Tismer, so whenever I visited my sister I used to go this shrine to pay my respects to the shrine.
Kheejogepora is another important site associated with Nundreshi, There is a holy spring attributed to this patron saint. It is called Alamdar-Nag Alamdar, is a little for the saint which means flag holder, Nundreshi is always called by this name by local Kashmiris. It means that he is the chief of all saints of this land. Nag as earlier said stands for spring, so alamdarnag means, spring of the flag holder.
Many traditions are related with this spring, the most curians one status, that agree their grew a bunch of jasmine flowers in this holy spring sudermuji, the holy mother of the saint, smelled it. After smelling of this bunch, Nundreshi was born.
This is very interesting legend related with the birth of this great saint. This spring is also situated in District Kulgam, till late seventees, its waters were were highly respected by Kashmiries; they used to take its waters into bottles and were used as tubrukh. People also believed over its hailing powers, they used to bring their ills here and making them to bath in its holy waters. I myself remember one of the traditions associated with the waters of this spring, once in Kulgam area paddy fields got effected by some unidentified disease, Zamindars and farmers of the area held several prayer meetings, besides they brought the holy waters from this spring and made its sprays to their fields. I still remembers, the disease got controlled to a large existent. Though things have changed very much and sufic beliefs have also declined to a certain amount, in whole of this area there is a majority of people still consider it as a sacred spring and would often offer patch at this site.
Mukhtamul site is also associated with this partron saint. It is near Vacharnag in Srinagar (old city). Nundreshi is said to had spent about six months here on a stone slab for further meditations. Yavanmachi, was a Hafiza, a dancer and Tawahif. She came to put obstractions in the prayers of the saint, but she failed instead the saint’s sight made him to give off her traditional profession and was enfolded in the sufic movment. She later on become the murid of the saint, Pattan, Darigam, Huncha Pora, Sheek Kani, Akhal, and Rupwan are few fanons sufic sites associated associated with this saint. At Rupwan saint left for –heavenly abroad and was buried at Charar-i-Sharief. Many sufic shrines symbolishing the reshi order of architecture blonzed to this saint. Most of the sufic sites of this saint are found in forest areas. His dispel, Zain-ul-Din Reshi meditated at pondulin in the forests of Ashmuqam. The site is very up in the mountain. He also searched for the truth in the cave of Ashmuqam which is also located at high altitude and was once surrounded by green forests.
The shrine of Baba Reshi is also located in dense forests of tangmarg area, about 8 km from the main Tangmarg. If you go to visit the shrine of Sat Reshi in Akangam forests, in South Kashmir you would find the way to the shine passing through Zig Zag paths forests, the shine is located inside the forests of Akingam. There are such dozens of sufic shrines and of Kashmir which you would found still exist in forest areas. Although, at many sites deforestation has resulted in clearance of trees at these sites.
(Mr. Iqbal Ahmad, 47, was born in Parigam Chek, Kulgam. He is a graduate with Diploma in Numastics, Archaeology and Heritage. He is an archaeologist, writer, and a cultural historian. Mr. Iqbal Ahmad has published 12 reference books on Kashmir archaeology and heritage.)
Kashmiri Sufis called Rishis followed this tradition of Buddhist monks to search for divine light in the green forests of their land. Nund Reshi, the founder of Reshi movement meditated first in an underground cave at Gufbal-Qaimoh. It was a forest land during his times. Whether this cave existed earlier or was it specially made for the saint is not known.
The valley of the blue forests would become an abode for the meditating Bhikshus.
It has been already said in ancient Sanskrit records. The similar happened, Buddhist monks this silent and peaceful land suitable for meditations. These monks spread in its green forests in search for the divine-light. Archeologists have been able to found several of those tile pavement in these green forests where these monks went for meditation few experts have been identifying them as the remains of Buddhist monasteries.
I have myself also investigated such finds I could say that these have been laid in a planned manner in these green forests, by some advanced civilization, but I was unable to understand the purpose of such tile pavement. These are basically paid in a well drawn circle there are formed of large bricks called tiles of terracotta material on the faces of these terracotta’s are stamped series of motifs pertaining to living things, like human, animal and floral figures. These are geometrical designs and lotus leaves found stamped over them. Traces of some classical script identified as kharoshti numerals have also been stamped on their faces but they made no sense to me.
These pavements as interpreted by many archeologists have been recovered at dozens of places, mostly in forest areas. The first discovery of this type was made at Harwan in 1921 AD, in the lap of its hill. Later on another pavement was found at Uddro Pahalgam forests in 1979. In year 1986, one more settlement was exposed at Daradkote-Hutmur forests. Ishratnar (Gurveith) also revealed these tiles in its forests on the banks of Shaliganga. More recently one more terracotta pavement was discovered at the forests hill of Kutbal. There may be many more such meditation sites that would get revealed in future. But one thing is clear this is the first phase of architecture associated with Buddhist monks.
Kashmiri Sufis called Rishis followed this tradition of Buddhist monks to search for divine light in the green forests of their land. Nund Reshi, the founder of Reshi movement meditated first in a underground cave at Gufbal-Qaimoh. It was a forest land during his times. Whether this cave existed earlier or was it specially made for the saint is not known. Nundreshi is said was twenty when he took refuse in this cave and spent twelve years inside the cave in search of the divine light. He also planted elm tree near the cave. Theholy tree and cave is still found at the site people usually visit this site, during urs days peole from neighbouringvillages gather here and would recite the holy lyrics of the saint.
After living this cave, he searched for more silent and claim places which he could found in dense forests of pirpanchal and reached Tismur below Honhing mountain in northern range of the pirpanchal forests. He is learnt to had spent one more year here in meditation. The miniature stone mortar and pestle are seen outside the sufic shrine of Tismur. The saint used them in preparing of his diets which exclusively consisted of Vopal hak and qaslin hand ( A forest vegetation). Timer is situated on the right bank of river vishow to the nests-west of Kulgam. A common tradition says that if any body needs the saint aids in solution of worldly requirements the patron sufi has madeit clear and told his devotees to visit then timur, if your require aid for the next world, then visit charar-i-Sharief, I also visited this site severed times.
Fortunately my elder sister named Haseena Akhter lived at Ahmedabad, few kilometers below Tismer, so whenever I visited my sister I used to go this shrine to pay my respects to the shrine.
Kheejogepora is another important site associated with Nundreshi, There is a holy spring attributed to this patron saint. It is called Alamdar-Nag Alamdar, is a little for the saint which means flag holder, Nundreshi is always called by this name by local Kashmiris. It means that he is the chief of all saints of this land. Nag as earlier said stands for spring, so alamdarnag means, spring of the flag holder.
Many traditions are related with this spring, the most curians one status, that agree their grew a bunch of jasmine flowers in this holy spring sudermuji, the holy mother of the saint, smelled it. After smelling of this bunch, Nundreshi was born.
This is very interesting legend related with the birth of this great saint. This spring is also situated in District Kulgam, till late seventees, its waters were were highly respected by Kashmiries; they used to take its waters into bottles and were used as tubrukh. People also believed over its hailing powers, they used to bring their ills here and making them to bath in its holy waters. I myself remember one of the traditions associated with the waters of this spring, once in Kulgam area paddy fields got effected by some unidentified disease, Zamindars and farmers of the area held several prayer meetings, besides they brought the holy waters from this spring and made its sprays to their fields. I still remembers, the disease got controlled to a large existent. Though things have changed very much and sufic beliefs have also declined to a certain amount, in whole of this area there is a majority of people still consider it as a sacred spring and would often offer patch at this site.
Mukhtamul site is also associated with this partron saint. It is near Vacharnag in Srinagar (old city). Nundreshi is said to had spent about six months here on a stone slab for further meditations. Yavanmachi, was a Hafiza, a dancer and Tawahif. She came to put obstractions in the prayers of the saint, but she failed instead the saint’s sight made him to give off her traditional profession and was enfolded in the sufic movment. She later on become the murid of the saint, Pattan, Darigam, Huncha Pora, Sheek Kani, Akhal, and Rupwan are few fanons sufic sites associated associated with this saint. At Rupwan saint left for –heavenly abroad and was buried at Charar-i-Sharief. Many sufic shrines symbolishing the reshi order of architecture blonzed to this saint. Most of the sufic sites of this saint are found in forest areas. His dispel, Zain-ul-Din Reshi meditated at pondulin in the forests of Ashmuqam. The site is very up in the mountain. He also searched for the truth in the cave of Ashmuqam which is also located at high altitude and was once surrounded by green forests.
The shrine of Baba Reshi is also located in dense forests of tangmarg area, about 8 km from the main Tangmarg. If you go to visit the shrine of Sat Reshi in Akangam forests, in South Kashmir you would find the way to the shine passing through Zig Zag paths forests, the shine is located inside the forests of Akingam. There are such dozens of sufic shrines and of Kashmir which you would found still exist in forest areas. Although, at many sites deforestation has resulted in clearance of trees at these sites.
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