Challenges Facing Women Entrepreneurs

Wajahat offers a short synopsis of challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, but glosses over a key hurdle - Kashmiri women are unable to secure credit without a male co-signer

 (Mr. Wajahat Hussain Mattoo is Coordinator at the Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), Pampore.)

Women Entrepreneurs

Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs as an enterprise owned and controlled by a women having a minimum financial interest of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of employment generated in the enterprise to women.

Economic globalization has encouraged the expansion of female business ownership. “The growing economic power and influence of women-owned businesses are changing the shape of the global economy,” remarked Sakiko Fukuda - Parr, director of the UN Development Program’s Human Development Report. The global impact of women entrepreneurs is just beginning to gain intensity. Worldwide, the number of female business owners continues to Women Entrepreneurs in the Global Economy increase steadily. For example, women produce more than 80 percent of the food for Sub-Saharan Africa, 50-60 percent for Asia, 26 percent for the Caribbean, 34 percent for North Africa and the Middle East, and more than 30 percent for Latin America. Female entrepreneurs are active at all levels domestically, regionally, and globally.

Characteristics of Women Entrepreneurs:

Woman entrepreneurs tend to be highly motivated and self-directed. They also exhibit a high internal locus of control and achievement. Researchers contend that women business owners possess certain specific characteristics that promote their creativity and generate new ideas and ways of doing things:

1) Autonomy: Entrepreneurs have a strong desire for autonomy. Women at midlife often lose patience playing by corporate rules and want to call their own shots and put their own values first.

2) Resilience: Entrepreneurs have the ability to bounce back from setbacks. It takes resilience to get through the roadblocks that will inevitably show up. At midlife and beyond, women have learned to be resilient, as they’ve weathered life’s ups and downs.

3) Initiatives: Entrepreneurs are self-starters. The most successful entrepreneurs also keep the momentum going after the initial burst of energy.

4) Confidences: Entrepreneurs believe in themselves and get others to believe in them too. They have the confidence to find the resources they need and the ability to ask for help and support.

5) Intuitive: Entrepreneurs have good business instincts. They use left-brain rational thinking to analyze problems, but they also trust their intuition, which is often correct. Women tend to trust their intuition in business more often than men.

6) Decisive: Entrepreneurs are action oriented. They make decisions and take the actions required to get them to their desired results. Midlife women have had a lifetime of experience to fine-tune their decisionmaking ability.

7) Connects: Entrepreneurs build relationships. They build networks and thrive on seeing opportunities for connections for mutual benefit. At midlife, women have well developed networks, which is an advantage in starting and sustaining a business. (Grossman Amy, 2009).

Overall, men's and women's motivations for business initiation are quite similar. As with male entrepreneurs, females seek independence, autonomy, higher income, and the opportunity to be their own boss.

One difference between men and women in their motivation to initiate a business is that men often cite economic reasons, whereas women often cite family needs. Whereas men generally see entrepreneurship as a business decision, many women view it as a life choice-a way of integrating family and career needs. 

Reasons Women Become Entrepreneurs:

Many studies indicate that women start businesses for fundamentally different reasons than their male counterparts. While men start businesses primarily for growth opportunities and profit potential, women most often found businesses in order to meet personal goals, such as gaining feelings of achievement and accomplishment. In many instances, women consider financial success as an external confirmation of their ability rather than as a primary goal or motivation to start a business, although millions of women entrepreneurs will grant that financial profitability is important in its own right.

Women also tend to start businesses about ten years later then men, on average. Motherhood, lack of management experience, and traditional socialization has all been cited as reasons for delayed entry into entrepreneurial careers. In fact, over 30 percent of women entrepreneurs reported that they started a business due to some traumatic event, such as divorce, discrimination due to pregnancy or the corporate glass ceiling, the health of a family member, or economic reasons such as a layoff. But a new talent pool of women entrepreneurs is forming today, as more women opt to leave corporate America to chart their own destinies.

Many of these women have developed financial expertise and bring experience in manufacturing or nontraditional fields. As a result, the concentration of women business owners in the retail and service sectors—and in traditional industries such as cosmetics, food, fashion, and personal care—is slowly changing.

The Importance of Women Entrepreneurs:

Women entrepreneurs encounters only one third of all entrepreneurs. And as half the population on this planet is women there is an unnatural gap between genders. There is thus potential to enhance the level of women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs have a massive potential which are yet to be unleashed. Not only due to the gender gap, but also because women bring in diversity to the innovation process. More women will provide per se entrepreneurs with a more diverse perspective. Solutions to market inequalities are not solved just by male entrepreneurs with male thinking innovation. Now women also brings in solutions to market inequalities and their innovations may not be alike those of the man. Thus women entrepreneurship is to be seen as part of the diversity question.

Education Without Learning

Ishfaq wonders if enough is being done to bring about improvement in the quality of education

(Syed Ishfaq Noor is a teacher at the Government Middle School in Mir Mohalla Hygam Zone, Sopore.) 

Towards Quality Education

Quality education is possible when academic support in terms of quality resource persons at zonal, District and state levels is made available. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (universal education programme) helped bring 20 million children into school. It also plans to quadruple the number of universities to 1,500 in 10 years. In the last ten years, there have been tremendous strides in the field of education in Jammu & Kashmir despite its abysmal educational sector. But the question is, ‘have we fulfilled the fundamental goal of education i.e. Quality education’?

The population of children in a country makes up its human resource for the future. The social, economic and cultural growth and development of any society hinges upon the quality of its human resource. Three and a half decades after the adoption of the National Policy for Children, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram allocated the seemingly huge amount of Rs. 34,400 crores exclusively to the education sector in his Annual Budget last fiscal year. The much-hyped Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was granted a handsome Rs. 13,100 crore in the year 2008-2009 Policy makers have devised good schemes under the banner of widening access to quality education at pre-primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Now the question is `are these schemes really implemented at grass root level or are they thrown into dustbins by our much hyped CEOs and ZEOs. Quality education is missing in our education system. This calls for a paradigm shift in our perception of the goals of education.

In District Baramulla about 60 ReT teachers, with teaching experience between 2-6 years, work as ZRPs and CRPs for SSA. If the government circular requires teaching experience of more than 15 years for fulfilling of the said vacancy, then why is it so? Can they impart quality education? Do they really provide academic support to the schools? These deputations and unnecessarily deployments and amalgamation of schools have deteriorated the foundations of our education system. On the other side deputation or deployment of ReT teachers is in complete violation of SSA norms.

An education that fails to inculcate basic values in the people is worse than ignorance and illiteracy. It is time we change our attitude to achieve wonders in revamping our education system. All of us should join hands and focus on one cause so that there will be a perceptible change in the quality of education.

The resource person should be a person with an iron will. Apart from knowledge of his subject, he should have a thorough knowledge of approach to life, national goals, history, geography, basic sciences, current affairs, and he should be well equipped with modern scientific techniques and national and international policies. He should stand before the child like a learned saint and be able to satisfy all queries of the child.

Where the Savior is the Criminal

Pandits are saying that under the guise of "public good", J&K Government is grabbing ancestral land of Pandits and provide token or no compensation in return

Govt Itself Involved in Grabbing Land Belonging to Community: KPs

Jammu: Ridiculing the Government claims on return of Kashmiri migrants and submission of plan to Union Government for enhancement of financial package from Rs 7.5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh per family for construction of houses on their return to Valley, Kashmiri Pandits term it a great drama to befool them.

The State Government's claim seem to be totally hollow in this regard said Vir Saraf, convener, Roots in Kashmir (RIK) J&K. He said how the Government is claiming to take Pandits back when its own agencies have encroached hundreds of kanals of land belonging to KPs for construction of Government offices, dispensaries, pump sheds, water reservoirs, bus stands, transport yards etc in length and breadth of the Valley.

Saraf said there is hardly any village in Kashmir valley where the Government agencies have not grabbed the land of Hindus including their religious places for public purposes without prior information to its owners or the members of the community leading an exiled life for over last 23 years in Jammu and other parts of the country.

He said while the members of the community are demanding removal of encroachments already made by Government agencies in different parts of Valley from KP land and religious places, another land grabbing case of KPs religious place by Government agencies have surfaced in village Areh, Kulgam district of South Kashmir.

Saraf said entire cremation ground and its adjacent land belonging to Ahal Hindoo totaling 28 kanals has been grabbed by the Government agencies in this village for bus stand despite the objections raised by the Hindu population of the village leading an exiled life for last 23 years like their other brethren. This shows half hearted approach of the Government towards the return formula and PM's package in this regard, he added.

The Pandits from the village are running from pillar to post for restoration of land to them but to no avail, he said adding when the cremation ground which exists for hundreds of years in the village and the people belonging to Hindu minorities were cremating their dead there prior to mass migration where the Government will settle the community on its return when it has itself grabbed their ancestral land.

Saraf said every one including non Government organizations, land mafia and Government agencies are out to capture the left out Pandits land in Valley. The historical Abhinav Gupt's Cave at Beerwah, Budgam is also facing the threat as the entire hill lock housing the cave is being excavated for stone quarry purposes by some vested interests.

This cave has a great significance as it is linked to the great Shivachariya and world famous scholar of millennium, Abhinav Gupt on whose works researches are being conducted in various universities all over the world. Saraf said this great Shivachariya is believed to have entered the cave along with his 1200 devotees for meditation over one thousand years ago. This has been mentioned in Shiv Sutras of Kashmir and the cave has an aesthetic value as well and even the Muslim scholars of Valley have expressed their resentment over the encroachment of hill lock on which the cave is situated, he added.

Supporting Saraf, Kundan Kashmiri KPC chief said that already KPs land in almost all villages which were inhibited by KPs prior to 1989-90 has been encroached by Government agencies or land mafia. The cremation ground at Sagam, Wanpooh in South Kashmir district of Anantnag have already been encroached by Rural Development and Health departments respectively. In addition to it the land of Hindus in Tikker Kupwara and Sopore cremation ground has also been encroached by Government agencies. Besides in Shopian, Batpora the residential area of Pandits was converted into a Bus Stand and that too without the approval of the owners of the land, he added.

Kashmiri said that recently Vaital Bhairav at Motiyar Rainawari is fresh case of encroachment which has generated a lot of resentment among the community. He, while questioning the Government's sincerity on return said on the one hand it is talking of PM's return package and on the other hand it has launched a sinister campaign to grab the remaining land of the Pandits in Valley to its agencies

(Early Times Report)

Development or Defacement of the City?

A Kashmiri architect/planner based in the USA, offers his perspective on infrastructure development plans for Srinagar as proposed by the Government, and requests readers to provide inputs to the funding agency and the project organization

Defacing the City

Rafique A. Khan

Construction of the overhead bridge on the Srinagar Airport Road, at its intersection with the Srinagar Byepass road, is a familiar commuting heart ache and an ugly site to behold. The “flyover”, a crossing over the airport road, is only a few thousand feet in length; However, its construction took almost ten years. Now the Kashmir Government’s Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) is proposing to construct another “flyover” on the airport road. This time it is to be within the existing road way. This proposed flyover will be an elevated structure about two and half kilometers in length, starting from Jahangir Chowk all the way to Rambagh. The Rambagh Bridge is to be also made into a double decker bridge. As proposed, the flyover project will be an ugly intrusion in the area. It does not fit with the heritage design character of Srinagar city; nor is it appropriate given that Srinagar is an earthquake prone area. Moreover, the project will severely damage business activity on the street during and after construction of the flyover. And the worst part is that flyover will not improve the existing horrible traffic conditions. This project is part of a gigantic $400,000,000 boondoggle being bank rolled by the Asia Development Bank. The stated objectives of the project, namely, decongestion of traffic on the road; improved long term traffic management in Srinagar; reducing the number of vehicles passing through the area etc., are laudable. But you do not need the brain power of a rocket scientist to figure out that the project is a boondoggle. To get an idea of what this flyover will look like imagine the existing flyovers at Jahangir Chowk and Byepass Road like structure, in the middle of the airport road, all the way from Jahangir Chowk to Rambagh. As per the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the project, prepared by the ERAgency of the J&K Government, the proposed project will be built in three years and it will have no significant adverse impacts on the environment.

The report is posted on the Asia Development Bank (Site: www.ADB.org).  Sorry, but this conclusion is wrong.

It is obvious that the traffic congestion on the airport road is unacceptable. It is also important that smooth traffic flow is essential to the economic well being of Srinagar. But as proposed the project will not solve the traffic congestion problem, except for the few “lal-baati” cars who will use the upper level of the flyover. But please consider what will happen at the existing street level. Can you imagine the night mare of traffic gridlock and economic devastation to the existing shops along both sides of the street during the construction period of this monstrous structure? And just think of the conditions at the street level after the construction is done. Imagine the shops, overshadowed by the elevated structure. Imagine the lives of all the poor people who live and work on the floors above the shops. The traffic will be whizzing by their windows less than 20 feet away. Think of all the vibrations, the dust and the noise on the surrounding communities. The ERAgency report states “immediate positive impact on the area by significantly reducing the number of vehicles passing through the area by approximately 58% . . .” (Exective summary). I do not get this calculation: The flyover will add four lanes of traffic on top of the existing street, how will that “reduce the number of vehicles passing through the area.” A study of the project report makes it obvious that as proposed the flyover will cause severe negative environmental affects that are not being mitigated. And yet, the ERA report concludes that, “As per Indian laws, the proposed subproject does not require an environmental clearance.” (Exective summary).

And here is the irony, the stated objective of the flyover project: to relieve traffic congestion along the Airport route in Srinagar, could be possible by alternatives that will be cheaper to build, can be completed in a shorter time and will have a positive affects the environment and economy of Srinagar. But who cares? 

Requests to reevaluate the proposed project, with written recommendations for alternatives, have been given to Kashmir Government authorities a number of times. These requests were done over a period of three years, and even included a petition with 150-signatures addressed to the Chief Minister of Kashmir. Six letters, several phone calls and one petition got zero response. The Asia Development Bank did acknowledge receiving the requests and appropriately responded that the project was a Kashmir government undertaking. The ADB also asked the Kashmir government to respond. That too has been ignored.

So what is the problem. Why won’t the flyover project fly?

Here is the problem: The existing Airport Road from Jahangir Chowk to Rambagh Bridge has three lanes of traffic in each direction. Encroachments and ineffective street geometrics have reduced the street to two moving lanes in each direction. But the real problem is that at the Rambagh Bridge six lanes of traffic (Hyderpora, Rawalpora and Sanatnager) meet. In a similar manner at Jahangir Chowk, multiple traffic lanes merge into two lanes of the Airport Road. For solving traffic related problems, you need to divert the traffic away from the area. Besides, in traffic engineering parleys improving the traffic flow at the intersections is necessary, first and foremost.

The proposed flyover project will do none of that. As stated earlier the proposed project will

(a) At best improve traffic movement for a limited number of vehicles for a limited portion of the traffic corridor.

(b) The pylons and elevated structure will, by restricting access and natural light result in permanent damage to the economic viability of the existing businesses along the Airport Road, from Hazuri Bagh to Rambagh Bridge.

(c) The increased noise, vibrations and air pollution, will cause environmental degradation of Srinager in particular the Hazuribagh, Magarmal, Rambagh and Natipora communities.

(d) The flyover structure as proposed is out of scale and character with the existing building pattern and landscape of the area. The project as proposed will have a four lane elevated road less than 20 feet from the windows of an estimated 1,000 habitable units in the Silk Factory Bazaar area; thus effecting the privacy of the property.

(e) The flyover will increase congestion in Natipora and beyond.

(f) Given the complex nature of the project the completion time may will be in decades. The traffic congestion in the area during the construction period will be most severe.

Well that is all well said and done. Traffic is a big problem, what is the alternative to solve the present traffic problem?

Fair question: The answer is to divert the traffic by building a new road away from and parallel to the Jahangir Chowk Rambagh road. A new bridge parallel to the existing Rambagh bridge on the flood channel opposite the old Reshim Khanna can be a mid-point for a new road joining the Batmaloo area with the airport area. It could be a new alignment along the old Reshim Khanan property, as a combination of new and widened streets built parallel to the airport road. The new street would add “traffic carrying capacity”, divert the traffic and thus reduce the traffic volume on the existing airport road also; unlike the proposed flyover that adds traffic volume and does nothing for improving the intersections.

An alternative in the lines of above was in fact proposed by the Kashmir Public Works Department back in 2008 in a report titled: Project Report for Widening /Upgradation of Road from Batmaloo Bridge to Barzalla Bridge . The proposed PWD project’s estimated cost was considerably less and could have been completed in a much shorter time than the ERA Flyover. The PWD proposed new road was along the Doodganaga Channel from Rambagh to Batmaloo. The Doodganga Channel has since had encroachment. Removing some of the encroachments will be challenging. However, with modifications, the PWD proposal or others like it can be effective alternatives. These alternatives can open up new areas for development, help conserve and improve traffic movement in the Silk Factory Corridor (the corridor has historic structures and mature landscaping). In addition it will cause minimal disruption to the business and traffic flow during and after the roadway construction period.

Srinagar is a designated UNESCO Heritage City. In a book published by UNESCO Professor Randolph Langenbach Srinagar’s unique historic character is characterized as a “cultural landscape.’” Srinager is a city made up of series of islands, once known as the Venice of the East. Long ago River Jehlum served as the main transport corridor for the city with its joining canals for secondary transport around the islands of the city. The existing roads in Srinagar, for the most part are of “medieval” era. Srinagar city population was 4.57 lakhs in 1971, and is estimated to have a population of 23.50 lakhs by 2121. Widening old roads, building bye pass and flyovers are no solution to Srinagar’s traffic congestion. The traffic movement needs to be addressed to accommodate the growth that is projected. In short, Srinagar City needs a plan for new street (and transport) system to accommodate the projected growth. New roads that meet the demand of increased fast moving traffic and at the same time help conserve existing areas. This new road building must be part of a Kashmir Valley wide regional land use and infrastructure development plan that addresses transportation needs, including segregation of fast and slow moving traffic and balanced development of various traffic modes, including river transport.

As noted above all this has been communicated to the Kashmir Government. But as also noted the official arrogance and ignorance of the government is mind boggling. Forget studying alternatives and comprehensive planning, the 400,000,000 million ERAgency project is done on the fly. The project is not part of the City’s Master Plan; it is not even supported by a credible traffic study.

And here is an interesting side bar. As part of the relocation plan, the project builds two new shopping areas. Both are proposed at the two most congested intersections: Jahangir Chowk and Rambagh Bridge. Thus adding to the congestion problem. And the published report says that the flyover will “reduce “ traffic.

Bottom line: The JCRB Flyover project as proposed does not serve public good. The flyover will create permanent damage to the physical and economic environment of Srinagar.

My appeal: Please do not sit on the side lines and watch Srinagar getting destroyed. The Economic Reconstruction Agency seems to be on an auto pilot to destroy the heritage and economy of Srinagar. This proposed flyover boondoggle will not solve but will worsen the existing traffic congestion and destroy the urban design character of Srinagar. It is recognized that there is traffic congestion along the Srinagar Airport route. And that smooth traffic flow is essential to the economic well being of the city. As noted, there are a number of alternatives that will be better effective, will cost less and take less time to build. Demand that the Flyover project be reevaluated.

Express your concerns to Asia Development Bank (www.adp.org), and the J&K Government (plan-jk@nic.in).

(Greater Kashmir)

Sops for the Elites

Ashraf feels that excessive investment in tourism is misplaced and the J&K Government needs to put its money in activities that enhance state's GDP. He should know

(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 68, 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.) 

Kashmir’s Tourism Mania

One of the most common fallacies used by one and all in Kashmir is that the Tourism is the back bone of Kashmir’s economy. There are no two opinions that Kashmir is one of the best year round tourism destinations. The potential for the development of all types of tourism activities is immense. However, at the present moment it is merely an additional income generating resource and gives temporary seasonal employment to people in tourist areas. It does not constitute even 10% of the state GDP. One has to remember that the very basic essential criterion for development of any leisure activity is peace. Once peace prevails in Kashmir, tourism could be the most important sector of the economy provided other inputs to develop the industry are also freely available. There are three main criteria for development of tourism to a particular area. Potential, accessibility, and infrastructure. Firstly, an area has to have the requisite potential such as environment, heritage, pilgrimage, and so on. Next, the area has to be accessible both physically and politically. Finally, it has to possess requisite infrastructure to be promoted as a tourist destination.

The potential of Kashmir for development of all varieties of tourism, such as leisure tourism, adventure tourism, heritage tourism and even the health tourism are unmatched. Every part of the valley is a potential tourist destination. However, the catch is the accessibility. Both the physical and the political accessibility. Some of our best potential tourist areas are politically inaccessible being near the line of control. These include Bangus, parts of Lolab, Gurez, Tulail and so on. Physical accessibility of the valley itself is limited to a single exit and entry point through the national highway. All other routes which were used for trade and tourism before 1947 are closed. The easiest traditional route of Jhelum Valley Road too is closed for tourism even though it has been partially opened for travel of blood relations and barter trade. These days one cannot think of real tourism without an international air connection. We do have an international airport but without any international flights! Finally, comes the question of infrastructure. We are terribly lacking in international standard infrastructure in accommodation, food, and transport. We have enough facilities available for budgeted and middle level tourists but are absolutely low on high end tourism. In spite of being in the tourism business for over half a century, we are now framing a tourism policy and a vision document with a 15 year perspective plan!

Tourism is a double mixed blessing. It can bring prosperity to an area but can at the same time destroy it by irretrievably damaging the environment. Tourism and environment are everywhere in conflict unless one is careful to go for sustainable tourism only. Many tourist destinations in the world have faced damage to the environment because of the excessive tourist arrivals. One has to assess the carrying capacity of a potential area and then take measures to restrict the arrivals to ensure preservation of the main attraction which in our case is the environment. After having failed to control the mushroom growth in existing resorts which are getting virtually urbanised, we are destroying new potential areas by following the same procedure. It is time for the Government to get out of the commercial side of tourism and act strictly as a promoter and a regulator of the industry. Somehow, the vested interests have created an impression that the tourism is a queen with a magical wand wherever she goes the area gets economic boost. It may be temporarily true but in the long run the area gets tremendous environmental damage. We end up killing the golden goose! One of the prime examples is the Amarnath Pilgrimage. The uncontrolled rush has caused tremendous damage to the fragile ecology of the area both from Pahalgam and Sonamarg side. If one can limit the numbers to Rishikesh, why not to Amarnath? Again politics comes in. The pilgrimage is espoused as the ancient Kashmir’s religious link to India!

Apart from the vested interests bent upon destroying our ecology for some easy quick bucks, the tourism refrain has political connotations. It suits politicians both in the state and the centre to use tourism as a barometer of political normalcy. Both claim Kashmir is normal because hundreds of thousands of tourists are flocking to it. Tourism is not the real indicator of the ground situation especially the extreme alienation of the people which bursts out from time to time. This all round out of proportion espousal of Tourism to the level of a mania is also responsible for neglecting other important sectors of the economy. In fact, even in tourism the amount of noise made is not in proportion to the attention actually given to its planned development. One is not against tourism development. The state department of tourism has been taking many major initiatives to develop adventure and heritage tourism. Again they are handicapped by non-availability of funds where actually needed. In fact, more focused attention needs to be paid to certain critical aspects such as physical accessibility and infrastructure. Political accessibility will have to wait the return of peace.

While espousing the cause of tourism, it must be remembered that certain critical areas need urgent attention not only because these are tourist attractions but because these represent the very life of the valley. For instance Dal Lake is to be saved not only because it is a tourist destination but because it is the very heart of Kashmir. If Dal stops living, the whole Kashmir is dead! Similarly, we need to protect our heritage and our history not for tourists but for our own future generations. It is a pity that the departments meant to protect our heritage and preserve our culture are in a mess and the tourism department has to step in to save the both! It is time to give up the obsessive attachment to the word tourism for mostly political lip service and take practical steps to give due and focused attention not only to this industry but all other sectors like agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, and fisheries. If we desire a sustainable economy then we have to rise above the political gimmickry and be realistic and practical in our approach. Mere slogans for media coverage will not do!

As Rabid as Dog Menace on Our Streets

Ashraf is talking about corruption in Kashmir, and he calls political corruption as the mother of all corruptions

(Dr. Mirza Ashraf Beg, 71, was born in Sarnal, Anantnag. He did his primary schooling at the Primary Hanfia School in Anantnag and completed his F. Sc. from the Government Degree College in Anantnag. He completed his medical degree (MBBS) from the Government Medical College Srinagar, University of Kashmir, in 1967, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Pathology from the Government Medical College Jammu, University of Jammu, in 1981. He served as the Medical Director of the Civil Hospital, Pahalgam, until 1983 and subsequently held senior administrative positions in the health service system of Saudi Arabia, including participation in a joint program with the Johns Hopkins University and the University of South Florida for a United Nations project related to environmental and ecological impact of the 1991 Gulf War. He is an Executive Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Red Cross (nominated by the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir), Member of General Medical Council, Jammu and Kashmir, Medical Council of India, Saudi Medical Council, and General Medical Council, London. He is proficient in Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, English, Arabic.)

 Corruption and Kashmir

These days there is lot of hue and cry about corruption in Kashmir so much so even the accused also cries foul. ‘The pot calls the kettle black.’ It is said a thief once entered a house with the intention of committing burglary. Somehow he felt the owner was awake thus tried to run away. The master of the house gathered his guts chased the thief shouting loud, ‘here goes the thief-please catch him.’ The thief stopped-had a deep breath and shouted back, ‘Hay-anybody around, please save me the genie is attacking me!’ Since the thief was a respectable personality from the neighborhood people had to believe him. They caught hold of the poor house owner taking him for a genie and beat him blue and black. Seeing him in a pool of blood the thief laughed at the house owner saying, ‘thus far and no further. How dare you challenge my credibility?

No doubt corruption is a pandemic phenomena but corruption in Kashmir seems as rabid as the dog menace on our streets. So much so the rare ‘honest breed’ has become such a rare commodity that one doesn’t get even the feel of it. Thus the community needs to rise up in an organized manner to address both the dog menace and the corruption. Every day dogs on our streets are mauling our kids and women. The irony is instead of finding ways and means to get rid of ever increasing dog population the government increased the supply of ARV (anti rabies) injections to our hospitals thereby giving a free license to the stray dogs to do the job. On the contrary during my morning walks on KP road in Islamabad I advise my fellow joggers to carry a stick for their defense lest they are butchered by a platoon of dogs raised and patronized by the CRP jawans for their self defense occupying the animal husbandry hospital at Sarnal Anantnag. I know we can’t apply the same yard stick for corruption and rabid dogs but something like ARV and my ‘cane’ needs to be researched. I am sure carrying a cane and a joggers dress adds to your respectability besides scaring the dogs and their godfathers.

Sometimes I ponder if the solution lies in creating or activating the agencies like anti-corruption etc; then I am reminded of the story of the thief and the house owner! Surprisingly I am told to believe that anti-corruption itself is the greatest source of corruption in the country. So where do we go from here? Have we come to the dead end of the road! I am not a pessimist and by nature I am a great optimist. I always see the light on the other end of the tunnel. I strongly believe in the old saying, ‘where there is a will there is a way’ and have always welcomed the challenges of life. Having said that let me remind my readers that I hail from a rural agricultural background. When the land becomes barren or ceases to give good results we concentrate more on the better seeds rather than on the land itself. We change the seeds and plough the land deeper.

Coming back to ‘corruption and Kashmir’ we know Kashmir is the paradise on earth. There can be no two opinions about the fertility of the land. It has also been the abode for Rishis and Munies hence corruption here seems an alien phenomena. Unfortunately the ground situation is very grim. Hence we need to close the ‘chapter of present generation’ and concentrate seriously on our future generation in our kindergarten schools colleges and universities.

From my kindergarten days in Hanfiya primary school at Sarnal to my matriculation in state government school in Lal chowk Islamabad I remember we used to have morning meetings beginning with prayers like, ‘Lab pe aati hay dua bun kay tamana meri—Zendagi shama ki soorat ho khudaya meri.’

Thinking retrospectively I don’t find anything wrong in that type of moral building right from the childhood. While analyzing the graph of corruption morning prayers seem to have had positive effect on that generation of people. The graph of Corruption has definitely had a steep rise in quality and quantity in the last couple of decades when we stopped to think about moral building. I wonder what was wrong in our morning meetings and why did we stop the procedure. When I say quality of corruption I mean other shades of corruption like moral social and spiritual corruption. When I say social corruption I mean corruption through socialization and spiritual corruption is when the corruption takes the refuge under a religious ploy.

As we know every coin has two facets similarly we need to find other facets of corruption where a salaried government employee accused of corruption is at the receiving end. I don’t want to defend or justify the corruption in bureaucracy on the pretext of sky high prices in the market and the cost of living for a salaried babu. And then his electric bills grocery and education of his children. But even if the babu strictly follows the family planning of, ‘Hum doo and Humaray doo,’ in our joint family system he will at least have to support his ailing and aged parents where only his medical bills shall be bone breaking for the family. Subsidizing the education and ensuring the health care services through health insurance would lessen the burden on the salaried babu to a great extent and work as an incentive against the corruption in government sector. So we need to look on the problem of corruption in totality rather than through a narrow prism. Definitely we will be able to curtail the menace to a great extent if we stop buying ‘what we don’t need today with the conception lest we have to sell what we need tomorrow’. By saying so I am hinting at cultivating the thought of contentment in our society. That is possible by adapting to simple living and high thinking.

I know my readers are eager to know my views on political corruption. My honest opinion stands that corruption in political hierarchy is the mother of all the corruptions. It definitely trickles down from the top. There are accusations that currency printing machines and all sorts of contraband business work under the patronage of our political activists irrespective of their political thoughts or propensity. I also know we are all sick of the system but there is no way out except to follow the system and resort to the ballot. Thus the ball is in our court. No doubt the field of politics has become muddy and the role of politicians murky yet the nation has hope in the younger generation and they have to prove their worth.

Town Planner's Perspective on Resolving the Traffic Mess

Shafat offers his ideas

(Mr. Shafat Ahmed Reshi, 46, was born in Brane, Nishat, Srinagar. He completed his basic schooling from Shaheen Public School, Srinagar, and his advanced schooling from MPML Higher Secondary School, Srinagar. He completed his diploma in civil engineering from the J&K Government Polytechnic, Srinagar, and a planning diploma in Town and Country Planning from the Central Institute of Tecchnology, Chennai. He is employed in the State Roads & Buildings Department in town planning organization. He works on traffic management issues. Highly conscious about preserving Kashmir's environment, Mr. Reshi is a member of the "Tree Talk Campaign" and "Green Kasheer.")

 SOLUTION TO TRAFFIC MESS IN KASHMIR

The Kashmir valley has seen unprecedented increase in the number of vehicles within a short span of time. With the result, the traffic mess that we all encounter each day, has become somewhat like a daily experience and a routine causing serious inconvenience to the people from all walks of life. People are stuck in traffic jams and fail to reach to offices, institutions, appointments and even hospitals in time. A way-out is what we all would appreciate at this juncture of time.

The state Chief Minister who, with all due respect to him, knows very little about traffic management and is not a qualified traffic engineer, must not forget that the various limbs of his government concerned with this issue need a little exercise now. The problem arises when the concerned authorities are not held responsible for Traffic management. People including Chief Town Planner, Chief Engineer R&B, Transport Commissioner, Srinagar Municipality, R.T.O and at last Traffic Police wing of J&K Police must buckle up and take up the challenge of sorting this mess on our roads.

Just because we have had very less information drives or campaigning with regard to the nuances of traffic and transportations, people generally tend to take liberty with the rules and regulations set forth by the law and hence add pepper to injury. We have not understood the meaning of Roads, Road Engineering, Traffic Engineering, Road signs and Markings, Traffic Signs and signals, importance of Transportation and value of emergencies and regencies and this, unfortunately, is the main reason of Traffic mess in Kashmir. Secondly the traffic wing of J&K Police (Traffic Department) alone is, quite bizarrely, held responsible for traffic management or the mismanagement while as the other units of the management are simply not included when it comes to blaming. It is infact the lack of coordination among the above mentioned departments which has set the scene for traffic mess in our state. The tremendous increase in the number of vehicles in the urban areas have given rise to numerous added challenges which and hence regulation of traffic and maintenance of transportation routes is to be essentially attended with better co-ordination for smooth traffic regulation with less number of accidents.

A comprehensive traffic management policy is required which will be achieved only after engaging a qualified town planner with a specialization of traffic management or Engineering and not a police man or a bureaucrat. The cops deployed for Traffic Management are not qualified for the job as there is no subject taught regarding Traffic Engineering and its regulation etc. The fact that the cops vested with the duty of traffic management lack necessary training is evident when we see them stopping vehicles for checking essential documents at a crossing or a four-way. they do not know that their action is actually causing serious inconvenience by halting traffic. They could easily do the document checking thing at a specific point keeping in mind that such an action was not hindering traffic.

Bus stops and passenger sheds are being constructed without any proper planning while drivers are not trained to stop their vehicle at Bus Stops. Hence Traffic engineering is required before informing and training the driver community to respect the laws. Hence proper infrastructure is required for better Traffic Management which will be at an approximate cost of a few corers only. There is no need of flyovers at every nook and corner in Srinagar which cost in hundreds of corers. Bus stands are to be renovated otherwise drivers use the main road for the same purpose and cause traffic jams. Take a simple example of Batmaloo and see how you can not differentiate between the bus stand of Batmaloo and the main road, you will find all the buses on the main highway from Fire-station Batmaloo up to RTO office at Totu Ground. Is this the Traffic Management our law makers and their functionaries in administration have achieved so far?

Constructing Flyovers, widening of roads alone will not solve any problem. Huge amount is spent on the purpose but unfortunately without application of proper engineering designs. Different Traffic Surveys, studies and inventories or required for better Traffic Management, such as Number of vehicle and volume of Traffic, inventory on road network available with their capacities, Travel time and delay study, origin-Destination study, parking inventory, Accident data inventory of public Transport, Inventory of good Transport, Trip Generation, Trip Distribution, Trip assignment etc and analysis of all the above inventories and surveys. The proper Goal of Traffic Management can be achieved only by adopting the below mentions schemes or policies.

Organization (Traffic Management Team)
Inventories Surveys and Studies
Analysis
Forecast, Planning and evaluation
Operation and Implementation
Performance assessment and Review

The Hon’ble Chief Minster must appoint a traffic management team among the above mentioned professions to have short term and long term planning and solutions for a smooth and safe Transport Policy and for better traffic management in the State. There is no such issue or a problem that can’t be handled and solved. It only takes a strong decision to put the right person at the right place. Otherwise things will gone wrong and in Kashur, we have a proverb ‘Kari- Najar Ba Dast Gilkar ’ which sums up the scenario.

Srinagar Enters the 20th Century

So what if it is only a century behind? A bigger question is will it really happen? Lead story followed by an editorial in the Rising Kashmir 

Srinagar to Get 4 Traffic Signals by First Week of May

Rising Kashmir News

 Srinagar: The summer capital is all set to get modern traffic signals as decks for the much needed service have been cleared by the State Level Contract Committee. Talking to Rising Kashmir over phone, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Dr G N Qasba said, “To overcome frequent traffic snarls in Srinagar city, 32 traffic signals will be installed at all busy junctions by the end of June this year.”

 Dr Qasba, said that on trail basis four traffic signals will be installed at vulnerable places like Tourist Reception Centre, Jahangir Chowk, Sangarmal junction and at Badyari-Chowk in the first week of May. He said by the end of June, 2012, SMC will be installing traffic signals in two major areas where jams are frequent. “By the end of June, we will install signals from Airport to Raj Bhawan and from Pantha Chowk to Batamaloo to control frequent traffic jams on these two essential routes,” Dr Qasba said. He said the initiative will be taken in collaboration with City Traffic Police, Power Development Department and Roads and Buildings Department.

According to Dr Qasba, the project would cost around Rs 2 crore to cover all the 32 junctions in these two crucial corridors. “The installation of signals was the demand of time and we are sure people will cooperate and make this experiment successful,” he said. He said after the trial of four traffic signals, the work on remaining signals will also be completed in due time.

Following the public outcry about the uncontrolled traffic jams in city, Deputy Chief Minster who also holds the portfolio of Urban Development Ministry informed the Legislative Assembly in March this year that installation of traffic signals in Srinagar and Jammu was under active consideration of the government and bids in this regard have been finalized by the State Level Contract Committee (SLCC).

Srinagar Traffic

Traffic jams have become common in Srinagar city owing to various contributing factors including exponential increase in the number of vehicles, narrow roads, dearth of traffic policemen manning the streets and violation of traffic rules. Infact, long and frequent traffic jams have become part of our daily life. There are many factors marring the prospects of streamlined traffic system.

Some people blame Regional Transport Office for issuing driving licenses without conducting proper tests increasing the risk of road accidents involving the untrained drivers. In fact the prevalence of fake driving licences is common in the valley. Barring some instances where fake license rackets have been busted, there has been no sustained crackdown on the fake licence holders. India overtook China to top the world in road fatalities in 2006 and has continued to pull steadily ahead, despite a heavily agrarian population, fewer people than China and far fewer cars than many Western countries.

The way road accidents have increased in the state over the years, J&K may also compete for the top spot in the traffic accidents chart of India in coming times. According to statistics, whereas in 1982 a traffic cop had to handle 36 vehicles, he is now overwhelmed with the burden of managing 500 vehicles. This imbalance severely hampers the traffic management efforts. There is huge concentration of vehicles with, as per some official accounts, about 79 per cent registered for a meager 28 per cent population in the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu. Although the government is undertaking road-widening projects, it is unlikely to address the problem of traffic jams any time soon unless the number of vehicles does not continue to swell at current rate. With Darbar Move just round the corner, the summer capital is likely to witness surge in vehicular movement. With tourist arrivals also increasing, one can find long tourist buses and VIP motorcades adding to the traffic chaos.

Besides being a common cause for public inconvenience, traffic jams can often prove life threatening in cases like medical emergencies and fire incidents. It is anybody’s guess as to how worse the traffic scenario will get unless some comprehensive plan is formulated and is implemented on war-footing basis. The successive governments have been sleeping over the issue for long. Though one cannot expect the problem to be addressed overnight, the need for urgent redressal measures cannot be ruled out. It is high time that the incumbent government gives serious thought to the issue.

J&K Has No Fire Safety Act

The Kashmir Monitor makes a frightening revelation - hospitals and other public building may have inoperable fire-fighting equipment. Report followed by an editorial

 JK has no Fire Safety Act

 Firdous Hassan

 Srinagar: While the fire service week is being observed all over the country with much fanfare but the ground reality in Kashmir is far from comforting. Despite the Government claiming to have enough fire stations laden with modern and highly sophisticated equipment yet it seems to have forgotten to implement Fire Safety Act.

In a shocking revelation a senior official at the fire service headquarter Batamallo told The Kashmir Monitor that the Act is not being implemented in the state through which the people could be forced to adopt fire safety measures. Mohammad Rafiq Khan who is working as divisional fire officer at Fire service Headquarters Batamaloo told the Kashmir Monitor, “Here we have enough fire stations and all the modern fire fighting equipment but the problem which lies here is the non-implementation of the fire safety act as it is being observed in other states of country. This act is under process and the matter should be brought into public domain. Here the hospitals, petrol stations, schools don’t have the fire extinguishers and we often advise them about its usage but we can’t force them as this act is not being given preference here.” He said that the non-implementation of the fire safety act is the prime reason for the growing number of fire accidents in the valley. “The locals are selling highly inflammable objects like petrol, LPG openly which should be not done and due to the ignorance of people we often witness many fire related incidents in our state,” Khan added.

Furthermore Khan blamed the Government for not making it mandatory to construct water reservoirs in the newly constructed colonies. These water reservoirs are used as water –refilling stations for the fire fighting vehicles. “Government has set up different colonies in the city but none of them is having any water reservoir. Whenever we face any of such incidents we have to move kilometres to fill our water tanks,” said Khan.

 Playing with Fire

 Making a lot of noise over the fire safety week makes no sense when the situation on the ground across the state is worrisome. While there has been almost negligible implementation of fire safety measures in most of the private as well as public sectors, the major hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir according to a fire safety audit lack proper fire protection putting thousands of lives at risk.

According to the preliminary report prepared by Jammu and Kashmir Fire and Emergency Services last year, the safety measures are “almost negligible” in 157 hospitals, nursing homes and health centres of the state. Among the hospitals reviewed included Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Soura, Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital, Bone and Joint hospital and SKIMS (Bemina). Besides, nursing homes across the valley have also been found wanting in this regard. Although some of the hospitals are equipped with some fire fighting equipment, it is not enough. Moreover, the electric line makes the hospital vulnerable to accidental fires and more importantly makes fire tendering more difficult.

Last year, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah had issued instructions to the home department for the fire safety audit of all major hospitals in the state following the fire at Kolkata's AMRI hospital on December 9 that left at least 90 people dead. However, mere audits and fire week celebrations are not going to help. Action needs to be taken as any incident of fire wreaks havoc.

If one visits the prime government hospitals it is common to see the fire extinguishers covered with dusts and not at an operable ready state, no water hydrant points, no sand buckets placed at vantage points, above all one doubts whether the staff of the hospitals are even trained to handle any catastrophe if struck. Even the private hospitals are no behind government hospitals in the safety management regime. And according to report carried by The Kashmir Monitor on Friday, most of the city-based business establishment, hotels and malls do not have the required fire extinguishers. On top of that, most of the people are unaware about the proper usage of the fire extinguishers or fire safety measures.

Besides hospitals and shops, most of the hotels too tell the same story even though there have been a number of fire incidents in the hotels in the recent past. Yet many of the hoteliers in the city have not bothered to install proper fire fighting equipment, while as some do not even have a fire extinguisher. Some of the hotels which happen to have those, few were expired or empty. Even inside the high profile government owned shopping centre, Sangarmal, the lack of fire safety regulations is clearly visible. Even though the complex has an inbuilt fire safety mechanism in the form of sprinkler and fire indicators, according to the shopkeepers at Sangarmal the government is yet to make them operational. Fire accidents have always created havoc in congested areas where even the fire tenders can’t reach. Such kind of problem usually happens in the most congested localities of the old city.

All this calls for extra vigilance and proper care on the part of authorities in the state ensuring that they are well equipped and prepared to cope up with any unfortunate incidents. The people need to be educated about fire safety too. In fact, the awareness should begin from the school level so that incidents of fire are prevented or the damages minimized in case of fires. However, any sort of education would make no sense if there are no fire fighting equipment in place at homes and public places.

An Annual (Meaningless) Ritual

The World Hemophilia Day has come and gone, and Kashmir's civil society, after doing its once-a-year ritual, will ignore the topic until the next anniversary day. Two reports marking this year's ritual (er .... anniversary) 

Govt Criticized Over Ignoring Hemophilia Patients

 Mukhtar Ahmed (Kashmir Images)

 Srinagar: Experts on Monday criticized the state government for making the lives of Haemophilia patients miserable. They alleged that instead of working on their specifications and recommendations, government is backing some charlatans and unscrupulous elements.

 As a result of this grave injustice with the patient’s lives, the experts further alleged that such a lackadaisical approach on government part has led to the thinning of pure and quality medicines from the market and thriving of “substandard” medications. These accusations came to the fore during a seminar-cum awareness camp and an interactive session for the patients on the occasion of World Hemophilia Day (April 17), organized by Society for Hemophilia Care in a local hotel here.

The experts lamented that how the state government’s pathetic attitude towards the Hemophilia (children) is ruining the chances of their recovery on time. “Substandard drugs facilitated by government into the markets are threatening a huge disaster for the patients,” the experts rued.

Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Kaul, Executive Director, Society for Haemophilia (SHC) , New Delhi stressed that drugs meant to cure Haemophilia (Anti-haemophilia factors) are first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services) world over. “

But, J&K government has prioritized charlatans over professionals. By giving a slip to our specifications and recommendations, it has empowered charlatans to play with the lives of the patients. After following our recommendations for a certain period of time, government not only sidelined our views,” Kaul said. With an aim to safeguard the afflicted children’s lives, Kaul said, “I even filed a PIL in the J&K High Court to provide free and safe treatment to the patients. Subsequently, the court ordered the government in my favour and rupees two crores were provided for the same.”

Criticizing the hospital administration in J&K for failing to address the grievances of the haemphilia patients properly, Kaul accused, “The hospital administration has compromised on the lives of hundreds of children, besides the substandard drugs provided to them is taking a heavy toll on their lives.” Urging the state government to take the preventive measures forthwith, Kaul said, “We urge the J&K government to make available the safe and quality factors as per the specifications accepted by various hospitals in the country.”

Underscoring the need to create maximum awareness among the suffering children, Dr. Ruby Reshi, HOD, Dept of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, SMHS hospital, Srinagar underscored said, “The awareness levels on Hemophilia are remarkably low. We have to create more awareness to enable people to identify the symptoms and come forward for diagnosis. Also, it is very important to provide the existing list of patients in Jammu & Kashmir with highly purified factors so that the threat of blood borne disease like HIV & Hepatitis is eliminated completely.” “We have so far registered close to 138 patients. We know there are more that is why organizing this seminar is a step forward to create awareness about Hemophilia care through continuous supervision of all the medical and psychosocial aspects of bleeding disorders,” added Dr. Ruby, who was the chief guest on the occasion.

Talking to ‘Kashmir Images’ Syed Majid, a patient alleged the government of being insensitive to them.“We need FDA approved drugs to overcome the disease. Government’s support for some unscrupulous elements has thrived the trade of substandard drugs in the market. Besides, we demand that Haemophilia Society of Kashmir should be recongnized by Haemophilia Federation of India,” says Majid, who hails from Ganderbal.

Many pateints who highlighted their grievances accused that the Superintendent of one of the valleys leading hospital disgraces them with invectives. “Describing us lames will only worsen our condition. It is the people’s love which is of utmost importance for us. But, the treatment from top notch doctor only rubs salt to our wounds,” scores of patients complained on the occasion. “We also demand that all the patients suffering from the life-threatening disease should be immediately registered for treatment on time,” they added.

Notably, the event kicked off with discussions on hemophilia management followed by an interactive session with patients with hemophilia (PWH). On the same platform the scholarship program for Hemophilia patients called “I Believe I can fly” was also launched. The program will provide an education scholarship for three years for 20 students across India. This directly ties to this year’s theme for World Hemophilia Day, “Close the Gap,” which focuses on supporting positive change for people with hemophilia.

Hemophiliacs Living Under Persistent Threat

Sana Altaf (Kashmir Times)

Srinagar: The condition of 35 year old Firdous Ahmad, battling for life at SKIMS for the past one week, gives a clear picture of the health care facilities for Hemophilia patients in Kashmir. A week back, Firdous, resident of Hazratbal, underwent Hemphilia attack which resulted in severe headache. He consulted doctors at Srinagar’s leading hospital, who instead of giving him life saving Anti-Hemophilic Factor (AHF), referred him to SKIMS. “At SKIMS he was asked to do a CT scan first. For four days, he was under attack without AHF,” said Syed Majid, member of Hemophilia Society of Kashmir.

By the time the medical reports revealed hematoma in head, Firdous was partially under coma. “For Hemphilia patients AHF is a life savior. He should have been given AHF at first instance, whether he needed it at that time or not. AHF would not have caused any harm even if he was not under hematoma,” Majid, who pays regular visits to Firdous, says he has been put on ventilator. “He is in a very bad condition. Now the hospital authorities have ordered safe AHF for him but it is already late,” adds Majid.

While Firdous battles life, hundreds of other hemophiliacs live in constant fear of facing a fate like Firdous. In absence of required health care and medication, they live under persistent dread.

Manzoor Ahmad, father of 11 year old Hemophiliac, says the corruption in the health sector has adversely affected the health care.“The funds which are allocated for improving the healthcare, land into the pockets of corrupt officers. They are completely insensitive towards public health,” he said.

He criticized the non-availability of safe medication across the Valley. According to the Hemophiliacs, the AHF available here is unpurified and thus unsafe. Most patients are forced to use Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP).

Syed Majid added that the establishment of a hemophilia care center is imperative from the proper treatment. Hemophilia patients demand reservation of seats at various education levels and employment.