Mail

Construct 'check bunds' in Siot

Sir,

Kindly refer to the article of Subhashis Mittra, dated 14-12-2002 and letter of Mr. Surinder Singh Fauzi dated 20-12-2002. In this regard, it is submitted that whole of North India is going through another dry spell pushing the farming community to an uncertain future. The monsoon has been irregular and scanty is last one decade all over India resulting in scarcity of drinking & irrigation water needs. All this phenomenon is attributed to global warming due to release of green house gases in atmosphere by burning of hydrocarbons. As the problem is increasing day by day there is no hope of respite in near future.

But our Govt. is sleeping over this environmental tragedy and is lost in day dreaming over the implementation of non-practical schemes with the result that water woes of humans & animals are increasing day by day.

I alongwith a deputation of villagers of Siot,. Sunder Bani met former Rural Development Minister Chowdhary Mohd Ramzan on his visit to Sunder Bani on 28.04.2000 for construction of check bunds in seasonal nallah in our village for conservation of rain water; he directed Director Rural Development & Block Development Sunder Bani on the spot for immediate action on priority basis. But instead of constructing check bunds, harvesting tanks, two drainage channels were constructed in Ward No. 8 near my house in Village Siot resulting in drying up of existing natural sources of fresh water bowalies & dug well in area. The repeated request have yielded no favourable action from rural development department and this year plan has been formulated without calling the meeting of Gram Sabha of Panchayat Siot. I again appeal to the Rural Development Minister to quash the plan of Siot Panchyat and undertake rain water harvesting works as a major component of rural development in Block Sunder Bani in general and Siot Panchayat in particular.

Yours etc...
,Dr. Ram Chander Sharma
Siot (Sunderbani)

Poor result

Sir,

This is in the reference to the result of the higher secondary examination part II private Bi-annual 2002 published in the Daily Excelsior on December 17,2002. It is a mind boggling experience for all the educated people in general and people at the helm of affairs in the Education Department once we note that out of 609 students only 45 students were declared successful. I could not find even a single second class what to speak of first division or distinction. No doubt, this is result of the private students but they have risen from the present lot of the students who have at least studied upto 10+2 level in the education institutions run by Government or private schools. I would like to request the present authorities to look into this affair and see how far our education system has deteriorated particularly in the Ladakh region. It speaks volumes about the mismanagement of the education system and negligence on the part of the department of education and moreso on the part of presents of these students who do not take care of their wards in this stage of development of their wards. It is the century of higher learning and technology and one feels ashamed when one sees this poor performance of our youngsters.

Yours etc...
B L Raina
32-C Om Nagar
Udhywala Bhori Jammu.

Pollution hazard

Sir,

The city of temples is viciously enclosed by the pollution hazard. For the last ten years or so its population has increased tremendously. The large areas of cultivated land is taken by the Government for raising of new colonies. This has changed the topography of Jammu. The vehicular traffic on the roads has increased. The emissions from the vehicles is uncontrolled. Deforestation on the city outskirts has taken place on the large scale. Small industrial units are still in operation inside the four walls of the city. People smoke freely in public places. Although Govt. has banned smoking in public places but there is no implementation. We have Pollution Control Board to monitor things. Their contribution can be useful in saving the people of Jammu from the pollution hazard to a larger extent. Social Forestry can play an important role in this direction. They have to launch plantation drive on war footing basis in and outside the city of Jammu. Media is to be involved. Seminars and debates in the schools are to be organised. People should be made aware of the pollution hazard through large publicity.

The traffic police should regulate the traffic. The people and the Government should cooperate with each other. Voluntary organisations should come forward if we have to keep the city of Jammu free from population. To save the city of Jammu free from the hazard of pollution, let all to us join our heads together for its control.

Yours
S N Raina
H.No. 5/12 Swaran Vihar,
Jammu.