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EDITORIAL A report in this newspaper has unambiguously highlighted discrepancies in the delimitation of wards for the Jammu Municipal Corporation which is scheduled to go to the polls on February 1. It defies logic that there should be sharp variation in the number of electorate in each ward. The Sidhra ward, for instance, has merely 446 votes while Greater Kailash has 1532 and another ward that includes Ashok Nagar, some part of Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Nai Basti, Satwari and Rampura has 8539 votes. There are constituencies having less than 3000 electorates in pointed contrast to those having double that number. It does not surprise anybody, therefore, that the number of polling stations varies from just one (in Sidhra) to ten for those having around 9000 electorates. Why such amazing fluctuation is there ......more Not only the millions of pilgrims going to the holy cave of Vaishno Devi, the other regular visitors to this city also bow their heads in total reverence with their hands folded and eyes closed as they turn towards their right side whether they walk on the pavements or sit in the moving vehicles on the Tawi Bridge. They thus salute Bawe-wali-Mata as the temple of Goddess Mahakali is known inside the historic Bahu Fort majestically located on a rock on the left bank of the Tawi river. Call it a matter of habit or a religious ritual one has seen generations of people observing this practice. Some of the devotees also ......more |
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Christmas-Love
in its By Predhuman K Joseph Dhar In the hustle and bustle of our modern day life, will we hear the voice of God at Christmas? God says, through this event of Jesus Christ entering our history, He has achieved the mystery of a perfect synthesis of divine and human. Christmas is the dramatic presentation of God making His home in ....more If
Bernard Shaw were Indian ! By M L Kotru George Bernard Shaw, in a manner so typical of the man, once wrote. ''There is nothing so bad or so good that you will find Englishman doing it; but you will never find an Englishman in the wrong. He does everything on......more Zahira
- pulling frayed strings taut!....... By Dr. R. L. Bhat Tehelka has done it again. In a carefully planned sting operation it has 'exposed' how Zahira Sheikh came to recant her words with the lure of monies. With this newest bite of 'investigative journalism' the system upon which this nation operates has shown to be a rotten bin. Here women get wronged, minorities get bashed, the underdogs suffer and the so-called democracy throws up aberrations. In this picture Laloos ....more |
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EDITORIAL A report in this newspaper has unambiguously highlighted discrepancies in the delimitation of wards for the Jammu Municipal Corporation which is scheduled to go to the polls on February 1. It defies logic that there should be sharp variation in the number of electorate in each ward. The Sidhra ward, for instance, has merely 446 votes while Greater Kailash has 1532 and another ward that includes Ashok Nagar, some part of Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Nai Basti, Satwari and Rampura has 8539 votes. There are constituencies having less than 3000 electorates in pointed contrast to those having double that number. It does not surprise anybody, therefore, that the number of polling stations varies from just one (in Sidhra) to ten for those having around 9000 electorates. Why such amazing fluctuation is there is not at all clear. Has Sidhra been given a distinct status because it is in an isolated corner of the city? Or, it is a beneficiary of the fact that mostly VIPs inhabit it? Old and crowded areas of Jammu deserve far more attention than the new colonies. What has happened in reality is clearly an anomaly. Whatever that may be we wish to state that we don't want this mistake to become a reason for hindering the elections in any way. Let the polls be held on schedule. It is after nearly quarter of a century that the people will get a chance to have a say in the governance of their civic affairs. Last time they had voted for their civic body was in 1980. Since then Jammu city has grown asymmetrically absorbing nearly all illegal colonies that have come up in the intervening period. The very fact that the municipality has been elevated to the position of a Corporation is self-explanatory in terms of the increased size and population. From Ban Talab on one side to Chhani on the other there is hardly any vacant space: the speedy urbanisation has devoured the entire land. Given this rapidity, the stretch around Sidhra would also soon to be a concrete jungle. There can be no doubt about this. The Corporation, as and when it is constituted, thus has at least one definite task: it must save whatever greenery it can in and around the town. Old-timers have helplessly watched the disorganised all-round expansion. Jammu used to be a dream town on a hilly slope from Amar Mahal to the Raghunath Bazaar far and wide known for its fresh air and cleanliness. It has burst out of the Gummat gate at a pace the fastest of the sprinters will not be able to keep. A heartening feature of the elections to the 71-member Corporation is that 33 per cent of the total seats have been kept for women. This should lend meaning and substance to what has merely been an empty slogan so far. Undoubtedly the women's participation is a must and needs to be encouraged. Although the elections are being held on party lines it is evident that the concerned ordinary citizens are prepared to go beyond. In one ward they have already nominated a consensus candidate thereby sending a firm signal that they are well aware of the significance of the occasion. It hardly bears any reiteration that an elected Corporation will be more alert and sympathetic to local needs than a bureaucratic apparatus which as a matter of habit looks up to the higher authorities than the people at large. One, therefore, has little doubt that once the elected representatives take over they will remove shortcomings including those being encountered during the current electoral exercise. Not only the millions of pilgrims going to the holy cave of Vaishno Devi, the other regular visitors to this city also bow their heads in total reverence with their hands folded and eyes closed as they turn towards their right side whether they walk on the pavements or sit in the moving vehicles on the Tawi Bridge. They thus salute Bawe-wali-Mata as the temple of Goddess Mahakali is known inside the historic Bahu Fort majestically located on a rock on the left bank of the Tawi river. Call it a matter of habit or a religious ritual one has seen generations of people observing this practice. Some of the devotees also gently push a coin or two into the River as if they are offering it to the Goddess. The holy shrine is a much later addition. The Fort itself was built about 3000 years ago (which makes it the oldest structure in the area) and the scattered records give an indication that it had witnessed alterations --- small and big --- between the 16th and the 18th century when Maharaja Gulab Singh had taken over. If one applies the old yardstick the edifice looks like a stout defender of the Jammu city. History has it, however, that Bahulochan had raised it for his own kingdom while his brother Jambulochan had established Jammu. From a distance the Bahu Fort has a commanding presence matching the Mubarak Mandi complex of palaces of the erstwhile Dogra rulers on the other side of the Tawi in grandeur despite its comparative small size. A terraced garden known as the Bagh-e-Bahu which is about two decades' old has truly lifted the surroundings around the Bahu Fort. It has become a favourite picnic spot and attracts big crowds from all corners of the city which has otherwise lost its quite a few natural green lungs over the years to rapid urbanisation. One is on this subject today because a recent visit by Governor S.K. Sinha has shifted the focus back on a plan to convert the Fort and its environs into a major tourist attraction. Besides being a city of temples Jammu fortunately still has a fairly thick forest belt that has somehow survived on the either side of the Tawi. The same region, as it happens, is dotted with old forts and palaces as well with history woven all over them. Plans have been made to link them with a ropeway across the river. An exclusive project report for the Bahu Fort seeks the restoration of rampart walls, royal residences and a water tank as well as the construction of a pathway and improvement in light and sound system. It is also planned to have a few vantage points for the visitors to enjoy the surroundings. The idea is to protect the Fort as an archaeological monument while enhancing its star value. It can be a focal point in the development of the entire circular area around the Tawi on both banks. There should be no confusion in this behalf and every step must be taken to make it a first-class travel destination. Undoubtedly the Bahu Fort should be completely resurrected. At the same time, it should be part of an overall picture fully exploiting the potential of the Tawi in this particular part of the city for projecting Jammu's inheritance and natural beauty both. Mubarak Mandi, for instance, must be rescued as a heritage site while the Mahamaya forests should be keenly guarded. These measures would have a positive and refreshing impact on every sightseer. |
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