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Earthquake in Gujarat

Sir,

It is frightening to know that more than seventeen thousand people have died in an earthquake in Gujarat on Jan 26th. Calamities of this kind do take place sometimes, somewhere but there is no provision in law to declare it as a National Calamity. We all keep our TV sets turned to know about the latest in Gujarat, enjoying three times meal, attending to our routine official & domestic chores but we hardly have any time to think as to how we could be useful to our compatriots in Gujarat who have not been spared by nature. Calamities of this kind and magnitude are very rare but they do happen.

Instead of having declared it as a moment of national morning, we have allowed the TV channels, operating in our country, to continue with their planned serials and programmes when thousands of our dear ones have lost their lives and many more thousands have been rendered homeless. We had Kargil war, Indians as well as Non-Resident Indians showed their might and contributed, in whatever way they could, to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the welfare of the soldiers who were defending the border. Though there is no comparison between Kargil and Gujarat situation and, infact, Gujarat needs to be reconstructed with substantial help from wherever we could arrange or generate.

I call upon the teaching community and other government' employees & non-governmental organisations to contribute at least a weeks salary for the month of January and February 2001 to Prime Minister's relief fund for the rehabilitation of those who have lost everything, including their dear ones. I also call up the fellow (non-resident) Indians to provide generous help to the relief fund so that some material assistance is extended to all those who really need it in the present moment of crisis.

Yours etc...
Dr. Rajnikant
Reader in Physics
University of Jammu

Collective efforts

Sir,

This refers to the editorial "Collective Efforts" in the D E dated Jan. 17. 2001. The suggestion put forth therein is worth considering by all the MPs of the State. They owe moral responsibility to get the genuine grievances of the public redressed. They need to make sincere and persistent efforts to get additional power released by meeting the Power Minister and even the Prime Minister. You have rightly projected the collective feelings of all the inhabitants of the State by writing that it is mockery of the Democracy and the Popular Govt. both at the Centre & State in not being able to provide Power atleast at par with neighbouring States of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh specially in back drop of the injustice done to the State by signing the infamous 'Indus water Treaty'.

Growing day to day unrest among the students in particular and public in general due to unprecedented Power failure and untimely and un-scheduled Power cuts is resulting in 'bandhs, traffic blockades' and incenvenience to school going children and to the commuters. Govt. must look in depth all aspects of the Power Crisis, be that collection of power dues, leakage or perspective planning for next 15 years to generate power. At the same time we the consumers need to be fair in conserving Power by putting off un-necessary bulbs & other appliances. In a democratic setup voice of the masses can't be ignored for long. Sooner the power crisis and other grievances of the people are sorted out satisfactorily, the better it is.

Yours etc....
K K Kotwal
Vivek Nagar, Udhampur

Reclaimation of Homeland

Sir,

The observances of exodus day by Panun Kashmir on 19th January 2001 was a historic occasion, not only because the 11th anniversary of the blackest of day in the history of independent India was observed in great solements by a huge gathering in Jammu that packed the Abhinav theatre and overflowed into its lawns but also because a monumental resolution, next only in importance to the Homeland resolution in 1992 (Marghdarshan Resolution) was introduced by the chairman political affairs and passed unanimously by the spirited audience. Unfortunately this document captioned as the Homeland Reclaimation Resolution was not high lighted by the media who mainly focused their attention on the Bollywood personalities, Mahesh Bhatt, Ashok Pandit and Ms Deepti Naval who had graced the occasion as guests of honour. In the process, the political content of this resolution got a short shrift.

The resolution calls for a new thinking and hard decisions within the exiled community which reiterated its unqualified and unflinching support to Punun Kashmir setting at rest the off repeated question as to which is the accredited organisation of KP's and who are the popular leaders. The resolution is all encompassing in its perceptions about the current political trends in the State of J&K and in the country and the status of the Kashmiri Hindu minorities who have been extripated from the Valley for the last 11 years. It gives a clarion call to the community to prepare itself for the reclaimation of Homeland and not to wait for it to happen on its own nor to leave it entirely in the hands of the State and Central Governments.

Panun Kashmir will initiate to reclaim homeland which include going again to the people of India in different metropolises of the country, mainly the politicians of all hues, intellectuals, writers, mediamen and putting in proper perspective the Kashmir problem in general and the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Hindus in particular. It reiterates the demand for the setting up of judicious commission enquiring into the genesis of fundamentalism and armed subversion in J&K leading to exodus of KP's and warns the Govt. that the exiled community will be forced to seek avenues of justice at the international court of justice and the war tribunal if the State and Central Govts. fail to acceded to their demand. The whole exiled community is now waiting with bated breath the implementation of various clauses of the resolution.

Yours etc...
Rakesh Koul,
144/H/Sec.1,