EDITORIAL

The Cup That cheers

Script written by the bookies apart, cricket happens to be the game of the uncertainties no less than the fate of governments that engulfs this country with repetitive hung verdicts. If one goes by the talent, by the cohesiveness of the team, by the powerful bat and those bouncers and googlies, then one can indeed script the winner and those down the order. Ladbrokes, the England's most famous batting house, gives South Africa the World Cup. The calculation is based on immaculate discipline, incisive strategies and single-minded pursuit par excellence. The bet in favour of South Africa is 5-2. Australia comes next with 10-3 while formidable Pakistan is close third with 7-2 rating. Although England, the host, is home-advantaged the bet is 5-1 while the erstwhile champions the Carribeans 9-1. ....more

Fallout of an act
of conviction
By : Special Correspondent

Soon after the defeat of the Vaj-payee government are fell on Saifuddin Soz. Not only that he was expelled....more

Burden of
illegal travellers
By: D. K. Arora
Whenever immigration authorities refuse entry..more

Global warming threat
to western ghats
By : Radhakrishna Rao
The curious phenomenon of glo-bal warming caused by the in-creasing emission of so called greenhouse gases, is, for many.....more

Save Education
By Prof S K Bhalla
Aconfusion worst confounded prevails in the world of education afflicted at present.....more

EDITORIAL

The Cup That cheers

Script written by the bookies apart, cricket happens to be the game of the uncertainties no less than the fate of governments that engulfs this country with repetitive hung verdicts. If one goes by the talent, by the cohesiveness of the team, by the powerful bat and those bouncers and googlies, then one can indeed script the winner and those down the order. Ladbrokes, the England's most famous batting house, gives South Africa the World Cup. The calculation is based on immaculate discipline, incisive strategies and single-minded pursuit par excellence. The bet in favour of South Africa is 5-2. Australia comes next with 10-3 while formidable Pakistan is close third with 7-2 rating. Although England, the host, is home-advantaged the bet is 5-1 while the erstwhile champions the Carribeans 9-1. The bookies put India and Sri Lanka side by side with 10-1 while New Zealand is way behind at 20-1.

It is strange that bookies have not taken congisance of the most crucial aspect - the Lady Luck. That exactly happens to the cricket. If that were not so India would not have surprised bookies in 1983 when Kapil Dev romped home with the World Cup, when New Zealand, the Kiwis, would not have got the laurels in 1992 and Sri Lanka's fortunes in the cricketing world would not have been re-written in 1996. Bookies have also failed to take into consideration the weather Gods which play significant role in England this time of the summer. Rain has already played spoil-sport with many League matches that were to be played by the aspirants to the World Cup. And who wins the toss also matters in the rain-soaked pitches that is bound to cause many a slip between the Cup and the Lip. Bookies cannot imagine how many catches would be missed by whom and there is that adage, "Catches win Matches’. A strong fielding side that must hold unto every catch could panick under stress conditions and let the ball slip from the grip. If nothing, the bright sun may break through the clouds exactly at a time and in the direction from which high rise ball is about to land, blinding the player momentarily.

The bookies also do not know the superstititous South Asia where cricket is a rage with the young and the old alike. There are millions of prayers and crores of good wishes written, perceived and conceived. That is how Pakistan clinches the winner if the match happens to be on Friday. Bookies are also unaware of the cassettes specially made for the summer carnival that would last for five weeks with many ups and downs. Just as in the horse race there are underdogs and black horses upsetting all calculations of the bookies, in the mad-mad-mad race for world supremacy in cricket, it could be any country. The most popular game in Australia is Lawn Tennis while Rugby grips South Africa. In England too football is more popular than cricket. Yet it would be the largest ever audience of 2 billion viewers watching every sequence of game through the hottest summer months. To be precise, election campaign in India has to play second fiddle to the cricket matches. That is why, perhaps, Elections Commission refused to have election in June.

It is the unpredictable game that ultimately belongs to the Third Umpire. First and Second one too holds the key for those lbws. To hell with bookies ! Our moody players and ageing captain can upset the applecart of every team, their own included !

Fallout of an act of conviction

By : Special Correspondent

Soon after the defeat of the Vaj-payee government are fell on Saifuddin Soz. Not only that he was expelled from his party, National Conference, for defying the whip, leaders like George Fernandes laid the blame squarely on him for voting against the motion of confidence.

Secular forces welcomed his "act of courage", but nobody cared to know the reaction in Kashmir. A shock it may have been for the non-secular parties in Delhi at the time, in Jammu-Kashmir it proved to be more than a tremor. For the first time since its inception, the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference issued a call to secular and India-committed parties like the Congress, CPI-M and even the rivals, National Conference to sit together and find a solution to the "Kashmir problem."

In the political parameters of the APHC, the mainstream Indian parties had no place so far. For its leadership they were all only stooges of India. The same APHC gave a statement saying if these parties were interested in finding a solution on Kashmir, "we should take advantage of this opportunity".

Speaking at a Srinagar meeting, the chief spokesman of the conference, Prof. Abdul Ghani invited "all sections of the society" to participate in this process. He said : We must prepare to kickstart a realistic political activity towards this end. For this purpose people have to be motivated and mobilised, because all sections need to be involved in it.

About the "solution" he has in mind, Prof. Ghani said any such proposal would not insist on things like accession to Pakistan or independence. The basis would be a "permanent solution" according to the "wishes of the people".

This change in APHC's viewpoint cannot be termed unprecendented. Neither they have diluted their stand nor become pro-India. Certain internal pressures have forced it today to adopt this course. The valley's environment is getting hot for APHC and its pro-Pakistan leaders.

APHC had drawn flak years ago from a separatist leader like Shabbir Shah over its agitational programme of strikes and bandhs. Shah warned about the economic ruin these frequent ‘hartals’ were causing in the valley. Another separatist leader said in disgust people were forced to stay at home doing nothing and children played cricket on the deserted streets.

In fact, with its birth in Srinagar in the late 1993, the APHC gave the hope that as a political forum it could play a positive role in putting down the cult of the gun and in finding a solution to the problems afflicting the State through dialogue and discussions. Not much has happened since then to justify the hopes. Its ability to assist the process of normalisation in the State has proved to be zero.

To start with, the Hurriyat Conference opened its doors to all political, religious, social professional and trade union groups. It has 36 groups as its members, and each one of them holds views different from the other, and the stands taken by them range from one end of the spectrum to the other.

The incubation process of the Hurriyat had lasted nearly nine months, from the first meeting held at the residence of Maulvi Omar Farooq on December 27, 1992. The prominent participants at the conclave included Syed Ali Shah Geelani of the JEI, Moulvi Abbas Ansari of the Kashmir Liberation Council, Abdul Gani Lone of the People's Conference, Prof. Abdul Gani of the Muslim Conference, S. Hamid of the People's League, Shabir Ahmed Siddiqui of the JKLF, Mufti Baha-ud-Din Farooqui, a former Chief Justice of the J&K High Court, and Mian Abdul Qayoom of the Srinagar Bar Association.

While all the participants agreed to adopt a separatist stand, they could not reach agreement on what should be the future status of Jammu and Kashmir. The immediate objective given to the Hurriyat by its sponsors was to make allout efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

They were prepared to overlook the preponderance of the pro-Pakistan outfits in its executive council. Moulvi Omar Farooq, Awami Action Committee ; A. G. Lone, People's Conference ; S.A.S. Gelani, JEI; Maulana Abbas Ansari, Kashmir Liberation Council; S. Hamid, People's League; Ghulam Rasool Dar, JKLF and Prof. Abdul Ghani of the Muslim Conference.

The first test for the Hurriyat Conference came during the Hazratbal crisis in October, 1993. When the Hazratbal shrine was cordoned off, following the report that someone had tried to break open the locks in which the Holy Relic was kept, a large group of militants and some devotees were inside the Shrine. The assistance of the Hurriyat was sought by the State government in defusing the crisis. The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir met representatives of the Hurriyat and later permitted them to meet the militants holed inside the Shrine. The Hurriyat leaders, instead of persuading the militants to come out and submit themselves to the law, only succeeded in hardening their attitude.

Even so, many liberal individuals in New Delhi did not write off the Hurriyat. They invited the leaders to the Capital for interaction. Some Hurriyat leaders also participated in the Neemrana dialogue to which scholars from abroad were invited. A four-member delegation of Hurriyat Conference - Moulvi Abbas Ansari, Prof. Abdul Ghani, G. M. Bhat and Mufti Baha-ud-Din Farooqui - met U.S. diplomats Carla Hills, Nancy Powell and Marcia Bernicat in New Delhi in April, 1994. They also held discussions with many influential Indian leaders with the ostensible purpose of seeking a broad-based settlement of the Kashmir issue.

The efforts of the four-member delegation was not looked on kindly back in Srinagar. They were criticised both by the JKLF and the Hizbul Mujahideen. The European Troika that visited the Valley in January in the same year returned with the impression that the Hurriyat Conference members held views which were irreconciliable. When their impression became public at the Human Rights Conference in Geneva later in March, it became difficult for other delegations to meet the APHC leaders.

The Hazratbal crisis as also other developments gave the distinct impresion that the pro-Pakistan groups like the Hizbul Mujahideen dominated the Hurriyat Conference. Following the release of the JKLF leader, Yasin Malik, the Hurriyat Conference came out openly against the "Gandhian methods" adopted by him in getting the BSF bunkers outside the Hazratbal removed.

The JKLF cadres, in fact, suspected that the Hurriyat Conference was helping the Hizbul Mujahideen take control of the Hazratbal shrine. In turn, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Hizbul Mujahideen gave credit for the withdrawal of the BSF bunkers to the Hurriyat Conference. The Hizbul Mujahideen, according to reports, allowed the Hurriyat Conference leaders to monopolise the proceedings at the Hazratbal shrine during the Milad-un-Nabi (Prophet Mohammad's birthday) congregation on August 21. The speakers described the Hurriyat Conference as the ‘sole arbitrator’ of Kashmir striving to achieve the Nizam-e-Mustafa (Islamic Rule).

The Hurriyat Conference has not, however, been able to fulfil the role of the sole arbitrator. All tasks entrusted to it have remained unfulfilled. The Hurriyat leaders were asked to identify the killers of Qazi Nissar. Even though the people of Anantnag know very well who the killers are, the Hurriyat leaders remained tongue tied.

It would be unwise to expect the Hurriyat Conference to come out boldly with its views and play a constructive role so long as the primacy of the gun is preponderant in the Kashmir valley. - CNF

Burden of illegal travellers

By: D. K. Arora

Whenever immigration authorities refuse entry to unauthorised passengers, they leave the air-lines burdened with hefty fines and associated costs, as well as the nuisance of having to return them to the country of origin -sometimes with a security escort. Although illegal migrants account only for a very small proportion of the airlines's total traffic, the problem is quite serious and needs constant vigilance on the part of the check-in staff.

Illegal immigration tends to swell during periods of economic turmoil, civil unrest, and war: those affected tend to move away from troubled areas to places that appear to offer better opportunities. Most of them travel by surface transport, but air carriers have to be on the lookout for passengers travelling with dubious document or incorrect visas. Such passengers can easily procure perfectly genuine looking forget documents from international syndicates and use departure gateways and/or airlines where document checking may be less efficient.

IATA's Assistant Director, Facilitation, claims that during the past decade international airlines have paid more than $100 million in fines to governments around the world bringing in inadmissible passengers. "This is a global throw-down figures. Unfortunately, there is no central respository for this kind of information, so we can only work from conjecture," he informs.

The United States and Britain are two countries which levy significant fines for bringing in inadmissible passengers. Most other developed nations also levy fines to varying degrees. Under the 1987 Airlines Liability Act, the UK Immigration Service imposes an 'administration charge' of $3,300 for each passenger arriving at Heathrow with inadequate documentation.

The US Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) imposes a fine of $3,000 for every person brought in without a visa, when a visa is required. "Fines are not a form of revenue collection. They are a punishment for airlines bringing in passengers without appropriate documentation. We do not fine in cases of sophisticated fraud, but we do impose fines for obvious fraud," an American fines officer explains.

Airlines pay widely differing amounts in fines. This partly depends on the airline's vigilance at check-in as well as the total number of passengers carried - and the type of routes flown. "Inadequately documented passengers still cost us dearly," says the Facilitation Manager with British Airways, noting that the airlines was fined $6.6 million last year, of which 45 per cent was subsequently successfully challenged. The officer reckons that British Airways is better than average at spotting incorrectly documented passengers at check-in, but also notes that the UK entry visa stamps "are often too complex for our staff to identify."

Indian Airlines, which flies to a few destinations in the Gulf Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Nepal, has never paid any fines for transporting passengers without proper documentations, says Mr R N Pathak, Director (Public Relation), Indian Airlines. "This has been possible because of our good record of vigilance," he added. Many passengers over the years have been boarding for carrying improper documents.

Air India, on the other hand, did not have ready figures for such fines. But the airline's Director (Public Relations), Mr Jitender Bhargava, said, "These fines are imposed on all airlines as ticketing is done by the agents who may not fully scrutinise the documents. Immigration authorities also have a role to play."

Cases that result in fines can be divided into several categories: (A) Passengers arriving without any documentation. These are mainly asylum-seekers who destroy their documents during the flight. The airlines are generally held responsible and are fined, even though this is almost impossible to control. Overall, this category accounts for less than 4 per cent of incidents. British Airways, however, reports that 35 per cent of its fines are due to documents destruction during the flight, reflecting the relatively large proportion of asylum-seekers attempting to enter Britain.

(B) Passengers with high quality forged documents. These are usually supplied by smuggling syndicates and the passengers may have paid considerable sums to acquire them. Most states will not impose fines on airlines in these cases, which represent less than 7 per cent of incidents.

(C) Passengers travelling on another person's documents: in other words, imposters. This category represents about 8 per cent of incidents, and the airline is generally held responsible. This can be guarded against by careful inspection of tickets and travel documents at the final departure gate.

Most illegal migrants (81 per cent) have inadequate documentation, for example, damaged or expired documents or they enter without the required visa. These are all items that properly trained airlines staff should pick up at the check-in.

Better training and vigilance on the part of the check-in staff coupled with more sophisticated technology will allow airlines to cut down on fines in this last category. "Carriers should be focusing on these simple problems, which are resulting in highest levels of fine," says IATA official. "Almost every international carrier has developed its own internal training packages, but there is a constant need to maintain basic and refresher training for check-in staff."

IATA, through its association with the IATA/CAWG (Control Authority Working Group), has assisted in more than 50 fraudulent document identification training exercises, held in various airports around the world during the past 10 years. These exercises have brought together airlines and border control authorities, to help the former identity altered or counterfeit documents used in attempts illegal migration. To date more than 14,000 people have participated in the IATA/CAWG programme.

Many governments also arrange airline training seminars, which have been developed to address specific concerns. Several embassies in India, including the American and the British, send notifications regularly to keep watch on certain groups of travellers.

In general, a higher percentage of passengers, using counterfeit and altered documents originate from developing countries or from countries facing internal problems. In many cases passengers do not travel on direct flights to their intended final destinations. Data from Canadian and US agencies, for example, shows that primary 'gateways' to the US include cities such as Tokyo, Seoul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and London.

"It has been our experience that illegal alien traffic flows through the path of least resistance," says the director of government and regulatory affairs at airport rather than another. In other instances, it may be one airlines rather than another via the same airport. No airlines is immune to the problem."

"Smuggling rings have become quite adept at identifying the week links' into developed nations," says American Airlines' director, industry affairs. Interline passengers connecting from a domestic flight are a particular source of problems. International airlines are required to check their documents thoroughly at the transit point.

If checking of an inadmissible passenger's documentation takes several days and there is no other departure for a few days, the airlines may also be responsible for detention costs, meals, security escort and other expenses. Furthermore, if the passenger does not depart voluntarily, the airlines usually has to supply and pay for a security escort. - CNF

Global warming threat to western ghats

By : Radhakrishna Rao

The curious phenomenon of glo-bal warming caused by the in-creasing emission of so called greenhouse gases, is, for many years now, a great cause for concern for its negative impact on the global environment.

According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from the Bangalore based Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the Western Ghats forest including those in Uttar Kannada districts of Karnataka state may be affected by global warming.

The study sponsored by the Swedish International Development Agency hints at the possibility of a shift in forest types within the ecosystem of Western Ghats.

The study conducted in Uttara Kannada and Nilgiri hills used climate change projections for the year 2020 to 2050. However, the researchers who conducted the study say that it should be considered more of an indicator of the direction of change.

Western Ghats running parallel to the Arabian Sea coast constitute the most important watershed of South India. Covering an area of 51,585 sq km, the thickly forested mountain ranges of Western Ghats form a significant geographical barrier for peninsular India.

It also acts as a triggering mechanism for generating rain averaging 250 cms every year. The deciduous rain forests of Western Ghats are rich in rosewood, teak and a variety of herbal species.

The biggest habitat of Asian elephant, the Western Ghats, also harbour many endangered fauna like Nilgiri Langur and lion tailed monkey.

The rain forests of Western Ghats - vast stretches of virgin land where plants fight for survival - have one of the highest concentration of flora and fauna ; nearly 50 varieties of fauna and 200 plant species can be found in one hectare of these forests.

Only three other regions in the world - Latin America, Africa and Peninsular Malaysia - can boast of similar kind of rain forests. And like all other rain forests of the world, ecological balance of Western Ghats forest has also been gravely threatened by human encroachment.

Observes British botanist Dr. P W Richards, "It appears likely that all the world's tropical forest with the exception of few considered relics will be destroyed in next two to three decades. This destruction will inevitably have an important consequence for life on earth, although the nature and magnitude of these consequences cannot be foreseen with precision."

Obviously, the hydroelectric projects have been the single largest contributor to the widespread eco disturbances in the finely tuned Western Ghats region. For nearly six decades now, the rivers and streams originating from Western Ghats have been attracting engineers and technocrats who have little regard for the overall ecological balance of the region.

And with the destruction of vegetation cover, there has been a tremendous increase in the soil erosion which has triggered off a process of siltation. In the face of an unchecked siltation, efficiency and useful life of hydroelectric projects have been considerably reduced.

The siltation has been attributed to the falling of more than 5,500 acres of moist deciduous forest. Even the agricultural activities in and around the project areas have come to a standstill on account of soil erosion.

Following widespread public protest and campaign by environmentalists, the Karnataka government has been forced to suspend the Bedthi hydroelectric project designed to generate 210 mw of power.

However, of late, the Karnataka government has been dropping hints that it may be forced to revive the Bedthi project to tide over the energy crisis facing the state. But in the face of public opposition the project has not moved beyond the drawing board stage.

In the neighbouring Kerala, the Silent valley project - which would have submerged a large tract of Western Ghats - was dropped after a heated and protracted controversy. The Kerala Science Academy has launched a sustained campaign to prevent the further destruction of rain forests in the Western Ghats.

The clearing off of natural forests in Western Ghats to make room for commercial plantations has caused incalculable damage to the wildlife and led to habitat changes coupled with changes in food chain. Further it has resulted in the elimintation of many animals in the forest stretches spread over Kerala and Karnataka.

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has warned that if immediate conservation measures are not initiated, the Western Ghats will be wiped out in fives decades as survey of Western Ghats has established that the rate of deforestation varies between 60 and 110 sq km per year. PTI Feature

Save Education

By Prof S K Bhalla

Aconfusion worst confounded prevails in the world of education afflicted at present with the disease of commercialisation and financial indiscipline. Right from the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers to high-ups in the education sector are carying themselves hoarse about quality education, infrastructure, computer and communication technologies, globalisation, moral element in curriculum, role model teachers and competitive secnario in the present state of affairs but tragically enough most of all these concepts are as old as history. The only difference is that they were put on the back burner for almost 4 decades and now when things appear to be beyond repairs and the going is getting tough we are once again only focussing our attention on these very important issues to keep ourselves in a good humour in the fond hope of selling old but apparently new ideas to the none too enlightened masses.

Friends, the borders of the world have now become perous and the sky is quite open these days. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Globalisation is not a new concept as we have been witness to great migrations of people across the great land masses, so is quality education which has always remained on the agenda of great educators of yore and present social milieu. It is a sad commentary on the educational health of this great nation of glib talkers that the right thinking people have been outnumbered by those who lack the nerve to face the bitter realities and close thier eyes to purifying situation obtaining in a majority of cases because grappling with the monster of monetary mess is a herculean task.

A "Khichree" like situation prevails while there is no dearth of a high decible noise about improvements. In the process many succeed in carving out a safe constituency for themselves while the general masses as usual at the end are left high and dry and nickname all this as the mischief of fate.

Let us try to be clear as to what quality education is. Is it related to pumping in more of money in the education sector resulting in raising the huge edifices of brick and mostar or does it represent the training and taming of our intellect on the well-conceived courses and churning out the semblance of an upright and law-abiding citizenry by our educators/ To me quality education means the right type of educational programme based on grass roots realities training our youth in nation building streams side by side ensuring a decent living which can only be ensured of there are properly thought out checks at all entry points and arigorous regimen during the training period resulting in the production of a crop of citizens who shall further lead the coming generations on a healthy voyage.

Quality education shall continue to remain a distant dream unless and until students go on spilling out of classrooms and land in the teaching shops while Government remains a mute spectator to the sorry State of affairs. Has someone ever thought of ensuring the availability of proper study material from those teaching shops what to talk of minimum facilities expected by our clients/ A student is also a consumer if we just widen the connotations of this world and his right to Quality Education cannot be bypassed. It is an irony of fate that students protest in the absence of proper water, electricity and other facilities at the behest of igniters at times but rarely do they mumble anything about the inhospitable environs of these teaching shops for fear of losing the favour of teacher concerned. Since the Government cannot afford to close down these centres of excellence operating in clear violation of its own lawn, at least a reasonable fee structure may be announced just as in the case of various categories of practising doctors so that parents are not fleeced. But funnily enough even parents are not worried much on this score. Their target is short-cut to success in which means don't matter. What matters is snatching a position or two and then smugly sleep over the issues and cry for a while in case of an artificial grouse.

An indifferent, disinterested and self-centred citizeny is the curse of God. All of us are suffering covertly and overtly. The solutions will continue to evade us because right thinking persons are the greatest danger to the practioners of status quo. "Sale education" and not "save education" it appears to me is the need of the hour when much water has flowed down river Tawi.
 



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