Qazi Sajad Delinavi
I am a teacher working in a Government run school. I work, earn and live my life. I perform my duties like any other government employee….. But I am different and being treated and looked upon differently. When I go for some shopping, the shopkeeper behaves as if I am going to purchase without paying him anything. They call me Kanjoos (miser) even if I spend so lavishly. On my way to school everybody around ask me for time. Even bystanders call me Dutychoor even if I reach my workplace as early as I can. I eat well, dress well and live well but even employees below my rank call me Bechoor Mashter (hapless). The fact remains that my fellow employees are never called as Police Ji, Clerk Ji, Water Works Ji so on and so forth but I am always known and named tauntingly as Mashter Ji even when there is lot of nomenclatures in my cadre.
I don’t mind and why should I do for such petty things. I am content with my income and thank God for not providing me much chances for earning black money. I don’t feel jealous about the properties being made by some other government employees for I know they are corrupt and have done so through sin full means. However myself being looked down as incompetent, non-performing and dishonest person irks me a lot. I don’t understand why people criticize my department alone and keep demeaning and defaming my job. I aspire to be the same teacher who was being respected more than anybody else till yesterday. Deep down my thoughts I realize the reason behind the metamorphosis of my profession, so noble and so pious. The fact of the matter is that there are some brothers who are sowing the seeds of corruption, incompetency, non-performance, dishonesty and dirty politics in my saintly profession. There are three categories of people responsible for demeaning my reputation. One comprises of those who seldom teach and largely remain preoccupied with thinking about making easy bucks while retaining their jobs as not more than their side business. Second comprises of our non-serious students and their parents who hardly know about the requirements of present day competitive atmosphere. They think a teacher is the sole pillar in teaching learning process and forget to perform their important role as such. This lot leads to waning of enthusiasm of even dedicated teachers. Then there is third category of my brothers who have become leaders while stamping the future of their voiceless poor students. Some have earned certain tags while tarnishing the very image of a teacher of our recent past. They all claim to raise my standard while forgetting the fact that they have done a lot of disservice to my job. Don’t they know it is action which speaks louder than words and not vice versa.
I want the above mentioned categories to come to my rescue. Along with living a fully satisfied life I want to live a conscientious life which is possible only when i do well, teach in my classroom, convince parents to send their future to be nurtured under my guidance in my school and succeed in attracting more serious students and enhance the pass percentage of my Government school which has become not more than a subject of ridicule in my society. I am a teacher and I don’t want to be a greedy public servant, an impracticable leader, an unsatisfied employee and a power hungry politician.
(The author is Lecturer in Political Science at GHSS Laridora Baramulla.)
I am a teacher
Ghosts of past hover over gender justice
M.J.Akbar
A Supreme Court judgement may be anchored in law, but it sails a long way through the mind of judges before it becomes a public pronouncement. Law and justice are both human and therefore prone to frailty and error. But we respect the Supreme Court as the final authority because we trust its integrity enough to believe that even the occasional mistake is an honest one.
One means through which the legal system protects its credibility is the doctrine of ‘contempt of court’. Dissent is not recommended, at least if you want to stay at home rather than in a cell. But surely their Lordships will permit some space for perplexity? There must be an ante room for discussion, particularly since a Supreme Court judgement is much more than the final word on the fate of an individual criminal. It is also the template by which all courts in the nation will shape their decisions in millions of cases in process of judgement, or in crimes of the future.
On 5 February newspapers reported that a bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and J.S. Khekar confirmed the death penalty on an adult who had kidnapped a seven-year-old boy and then killed him after failing to obtain ransom. The justices concluded that they saw no hope of reform in the criminal, that his perversion was inhuman, and the murder was cold and premeditated. All of this is absolutely true; the rationale for their decision to confirm the dealt penalty is inarguable.
But there was a curious codicil in the justification, which their Lordships noted as aggravating circumstances. I quote: “The parents of the deceased had four children, three daughters and one son… Kidnapping the only male child was to induce maximum fear in the mind of his parents. Purposefully killing the sole male child has grave repercussions for the parents of the deceased…” The bench continued, “Agony for parents for the loss of their male child, who would have carried further the family lineage, and is expected to see them through their old age, is unfathomable.”
The implications of such thinking are astonishing. It implies clearly that the parents’ agony would have been less if one of the three daughters had been similarly kidnapped and murdered, for the girl would not continue family lineage or provide for her parents in old age. The judges stressed “sole male child” factor as bearer of “the family lineage” and sustenance provider.
Which world are the judges living in?
We know the world they inhabit from another judgement, delivered just a week before, also involving an appeal against a death penalty. Justice Sathasivam was again on the bench, this time in the company of Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla. It is difficult to repeat their decision without a sense of horror at the double standards that the Supreme Court has applied. Before them was a man convicted by both the trial and high court. This savage murderer had raped his minor daughter, and been arrested after his wife complained to the police. When released on parole, he axed both his wife and daughter to death.
This abominable, barbaric rapist and killer lives, thanks to their Lordships Sathasivam and Kalifulla.
One wonders: has the great ferment rising across India against rape and gender prejudice escaped the attention of the Supreme Court? Chief Justice Altamas Kabir has certainly heard the howl of anguish from women. He said that if it were possible he could have joined the protests in Delhi. Was the Chief Justice helpless while his brothers delivered such discordant pronouncements? What will trial courts and high courts do in future when a father who has raped and killed his minor daughter, and has axed his wife for being a mother, appears before them. Will they stop long short of a death sentence the next time, because of the precedent sent by Justices Sathasivam and Kalifulla? Is the life of a raped and murdered minor girl less than equal to the life of a kidnapped and murdered boy? Does a man who killed two women deserve clemency, while the man who killed one boy get hanged?
Is this justice?
The Honourable Supreme Court has the option of silence. We cannot push our questions beyond a limited point. Is silence the only answer that the court will choose?
If the Supreme Court, and Parliament, have the courage to do so they should abandon the death penalty. Then there will be no debate when governments delay the implementation of a death verdict on Afzal Guru for years, and finally act only when the President of India indicates that his patience is over. Our prisons can teem with rapists who have also killed minor daughters and wives. But as long as the law permits this ultimate weapon called the death sentence, that sword of justice must swing without conscious or unconscious prejudice.
Gender bias is dead. It is being buried in parts each day by modern India. Justice cannot be swayed by ghosts of a past age.
PDD arrears recovery
Why did PDD allow a whooping sum of 1160 crore rupees of tariff arrears accumulate all these years? Why was not legal action taken against the defaulters who have now been identified and served with notices? People will be more interested in knowing answers to such nagging questions rather than being told what action is taken against them belatedly. Who does not know the answer to these questions? Those who suffer regular power cuts and are forced to live in darkness know where the shoe pinches. Among the defaulters are essentially big business magnets and influential individuals. A department with vested interests would not take action against the defaulters at right time. We know that if an ordinary consumer fails to pay the tariff bill in time, his power line is disconnected forthwith. But for the high ups, the influential elements, no rule applies and no action is taken. The consequences are not far to seek. To provide them with uninterrupted power, the poorer and less influential persons, the “aam admi” must suffer long power cuts.
For the first time the PDD will be taking legal action against the defaulting consumers. Had this kind of action been taken at proper time, neither there would be large accumulation nor the hassle of knocking at the door of special courts. Among other things, an effective and result-oriented reform in this area should have been made long ago. Such is the influence of the defaulters that they did not let the PDD move a campaign against them for withholding payment of tariff and arrears. Now it appears that a long process of litigation has ensued and who knows what will be the verdict of the concerned courts in cases of non-payment of arrears of tariff.
PDD has so far issued two separate lists of consumers who are defaulters in paying the outstanding bills of power consumption. In one list there are consumers with arrears up to ten lakh and in the other consumers with arrears up to 5 lakh. A sum of rupees 64 crore remains outstanding against 130 consumers, PDD has revealed the names of prominent business concerns in both the regions of the State against whom huge amounts on account of non-payment of power bills are pending. Surprisingly the Government departments owe 810 crore rupees to PDD and 350 crore is the share of domestic and commercial consumers. Some of the defaulting premiers are the very departments that caution the public against misuse of electric power. It shows that as if the Government is only for the large state bureaucracy and not the ordinary people. Everybody in the state and more particularly the higher echelons of bureaucracy are fully aware that the PDD is running on loss. There is a big gap between power purchase and revenue collection. Instead of setting an example for ordinary people of austerity measures in consumption of electric power, the Government departments have behaved in a callous manner and put off payment of electric bills from time to time. Revenue losses during 2010-11 have been to the tune of 1900 crore and for the year 2012-13 these are likely to escalate to 2100 crore rupees. The power supply in the State is critical. Drastic action is needed to stem the rot in PDD.
The fact is that people are not much excited about the Government issuing notices to the defaulters and fixing dates for payment of arrears or for disclosing the big names against which action will be taken. The reason is that they are apprehensive that this could be something for public consumption and pre-election strategy of the ruling coalition. The crux of the matter is whether the Government is really serious in bringing these defaulters to book, recover the arrears and give them exemplary punishment so that a message goes across the state that the Government this time means business.
We appreciate the initiative taken by the Government. Though belated yet it is commendable that action has been initiated to recover a large chunk of arrears and raise funds to augment financial stability of the PDD, which, for the present, has become a sick industry that could collapse any day.
Constitute Planning Board
Government is committed to removing discrimination and disparity in allocation of funds to all the three regions of the State? The complaint of Jammu region and of backward regions in the State that they are discriminated against is a long standing grouse. It is in this direction that the Chief Minister made a commitment during the previous budget session that a Planning Board would be constituted to examine the complaints of discrimination and ensure that allocation of funds is made equitably on the basis of certain criterion and norms. So far the Board has not been constituted and the Government is still groping in the dark for right persons to be its members. Obviously, members have to be experts in planning and in financing. Another aspect of the case is that there should be proper representation of all the three regions and even sub-regions which are known as backward.
The Government’s decision of constituting the Planning Board is in fitness of things, and also in the light of the recommendation of the three interlocutors. Planning Department should not waste time in putting its act together and try to make it functional as early as possible. It is important that the Government does not give any chance to miscreants to spread rumours of Government’s half-hearted desire of removing discrimination. How can it prove to the people that the announcement of constitution of a Planning Board is not something for public consumption with no real and strong intentions behind it. Therefore, the sooner the Board is constituted the better. It should not be difficult to identify expertise in all the three regions for the membership of the Board.
The call of Indian women
S K Rekhi
A national Daily carried a news captioned “Country celebrating the girl child day” on 24th January and on the same day the Daily Excelsior flashed a news captioned “Human trafficking racket busted, 6 arrested”. The kingpin Altaf Ahmed of Trikulbul Pattan, besides some other issues, stated that we purchased two women from Jharkhand for Rs.300.00 & Rs.500.00. S.H.O. Pattan said that the modus operendi of the accused persons was that they would sell these women to men and manage their escape and then resell them to another prospective groom to earn money through human trafficking. Altaf Ahmed’s statement regarding consideration (amount of money) appears to be incorrect as at this price of a chicken, no woman could be purchased or sold when the spiralling price rise is touching the sky.
Even otherwise, the great progress made by our class controlled democracy, during the self rule of 65 years has not ignored the progress of such rates. National media reports about the series of news of trafficking of young women from eastern parts of India, M.P., Bihar and some other parts where the development reaches only during the election days.
Asma Jahangir, the eminent Human Rights activist of Pakistan, some years back, briefed the press, saying that many young girls are sold in some parts of Pakistan by open auction. There, as she says, the sale is by open auction whereas in our system the condition of poverty stricken women is still worse, “but behind the curtains raised by the flesh trade mafia with or without the connivance of the police force. Long back B.B.C. produced a short film on the red light areas of Calcutta which showed the very pitiable condition of hundreds of such women who, being the creation of the lesser God are not considered as a part of this democracy except during election days when just for minor gains or against some false promises they do as advised. Woman in India, by remaining under domination of the man since centuries, has a long history of suffering in this patriarchal society. During Manu era, and thereafter, her condition became worse. She became an unwelcome burden on a family and its assets.
She was even deprived of the human rights by forcing her to child marriage. Very many parents greeted her with death penalty just on arrival and her ratio compared to man’s ratio speaks about innumerable murders committed by male child hungry parents. The advancement of science has now reduced the pain of such cruel couples as she is now killed in the mother’s womb itself. Even at this time, when the woman enjoys as good rights as a man does and she can be an asset to the family in many ways, 78 percent parents in India perform all sorts of social rituals and all sorts of prayers with a wish to be blessed with a male child. The national press carried a news on 13th January that an engineer of Uttar Pradesh killed his B.Com Final daughter in a fit of depression that he has no son. His wife got the F.I.R. registered against him. Change in man’s sensitivities about woman’s image, in our man dominated society has drastically reduced her to an object instead of respectworthy woman as a sister, mother or daughter.
Some social reformers, eminent Urdu poets like Qateel Shafaai, Kaifi Aazmi and some others tried to improve the image and condition of the Indian woman but this man controlled society gave them a little space. Post independence era made the man more arrogant as the highly corrupt system made him richer and more powerful by short cuts, his money power purchased the muscle power and the power of some nation state’s institutions and this new generation man is so pampered that he can not afford to listen ‘No’ to his demands.
Invasion of the foreign culture, where virginity is sold by open offers, where dating partners are changed very often, where chastity of a woman is not as big a thing as in India, portrayal of women as a sex provoking object in films, T.V. programmes and in advertisements, unchecked use of liquor and drugs made the woman more vulnerable and highly insecure. In making her so insecure and a very soft target of eve teasing, kidnappings, rapes, gang rapes and other crimes, police force is directly responsible.If she is not safe even in the womb of her mother where else can she be safe, Delhi or any where else in India. National Crime Report Bureau says that a rape occurs every 30 minutes in India as per the reported cases and how many cases go unreported, because of the fear of stigma, God knows. Rape is the fastest growing crime in India which Delhi Police Chief says is due to prolonged judicial process.
The national press in the last week of December reported that a Mayanmar court sentenced a father to 48 years imprisonment who raped his minor daughter whereas such bloody fathers in Mumbai and Delhi were sentenced to 7 years and 8 years imprisonment respectively during December 2012. Time taken by the subordinate judiciary in India in deciding cases of crimes against women is also adding fuel to the fire.
The crime against women has reached a stage where the 16/12 Delhi Paramedico girl’s gang-rape and murder case has shaken the conscience of the nation and has, besides exposing the hollowness of the State authority of governance, has compelled the state to make immediate corrections in the system wherever necessary as any more delay could sound the bugle of complete anarchy. Many steps have to be urgently taken by the judiciary, security agencies and the Govt. on the suggestions and recommendations made by the eminent jurists, intellectuals, journalists, media-men, writers and politicians, the credit whereof goes to the bold gang-rape murder victim and the software engineer accompanying her.
(The author is former Additional Secretary to Government)
Pakistan’s Gwadar Port Another pearl in China string
Shreya Upadhyay
China’s recent takeover of Pakistan’s Gwadar Port has set the cat among pigeons in New Delhi and Washington with both losing sleep over another addition to Beijing’s ‘String of Pearls’ viewed as an attempt to encircle India along-with countering US presence in the region. Notwithstanding, Beijing assertions it was strictly for economic interests.
According to State-run daily The Global Times Gwadar would open China’s access to the Arabian Sea and facilitate oil supplies. It also dismissed India and Western fears that China planned to build naval bases there. The Chinese Foreign Minister too feigned ignorance about Islamabad’s request that it would be more grateful to Beijing if a naval base was constructed at Gwadar.
Underscoring, that neither was China so powerful, nor India so weak that the transfer of a civil project could be interpreted as an attempt to “encircle” India. Given that Islamabad calculated allowed China to develop the Port which till now remained under-exploited due to the Government’s failure to develop rail and road links and connect Gwadar with the rest of the country.
Significantly, Islamabad’s decision could also be viewed as an attempt to get Beijing to commit more deeply in Pakistan. Incidentally, the Gwadar port is only about 400 km away from the important oil shipping lane Strait of Hormuz.
Additionally, the operational responsibility of the port has been transferred from Singapore’s PSA (Port of Singapore Authority) to China’s Overseas Port Holding. Recall, this was thanks to a fallout between the Pakistan Navy and the PSA over land transfers, security issues and lack of infrastructure.
Pertinently, China is encountering opposition from the Baloch people, who have objected to the taking over of their traditional lands. Moreover, with the war in Afghanistan reaching an end, the region is likely to see more violence.
Against this backdrop, the port’s strategic value is the driving factor for Beijing. Further, China’s increased dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf area is set to reach 70 per cent by 2015. Whereby, its involvement in Gwadar is guided by its interest in turning the port into a transit terminal for Iranian and African crude oil imports.
At the same time, the Gwadar Port could also be used for transporting oil and gas from the port to China’s Xinjiang province. This could insulate Beijing from the turbulent waters of the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea.
Presently, Indian ships, among others, patrol the Strait of Malacca as an anti-piracy measure. In South China Sea, China is involved in territorial dispute with many countries. In case of a conflict, it would be easy to shut energy supplies to mainland China. Thus, if a pipeline is built, the shortest route to West Asia could be realized bolstering energy security.
Interestingly, Beijing has been working to develop a string of harbours in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, a region traditionally considered India’s backyard. Needless to say, Beijing’s funding of construction and modernization of ports in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and now Pakistan should be viewed in this perspective.
In Bangladesh, China has agreed to help finance Rs 46, 675.5 crore for the expansion of the Chittagong port which handles 90 per cent of the nation’s foreign trade. There have been speculations that it may lead to transfer of port rights to the PLA Navy.
In Sri Lanka, China has been constructing a deep-water port in Hambantota. These ports are of utmost use to build oil pipelines to mainland China to ensure its energy supplies but they have raised New Delhi’s ante as most Indian ships going from the eastern and western sea board must go around Sri Lanka.
Notably, even as China claims the economic value of the ports, speculations run rife that these would be developed into naval bases. Moreover, the quest for energy security pitches both countries against each other. The move is interpreted as China’s strategy to control sea lanes.
Clearly, these developments should also be viewed under the prism of Chinese diplomacy working its way towards scoring its presence among India’s neighbours to outpace New Delhi’s influence in the region.
This is not all. According to various intelligence agencies in the larger scheme of things, the ‘China factor’ is responsible for island country Maldives scrapping its airport deal with an Indian company. Interpreted as Beijing’s effort to dominate the strategically-important sea lanes of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
There is no gainsaying, that India has only itself to blame by blundering by failing to assert itself in the region. It has failed in being pro-active vis-à-vis strategic projects in the region, where more than mere economic interests are at stake.
Shockingly, New Delhi has been slow to make its mark in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Remember, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline which was originally planned to extend from Pakistan to India was opposed by the US because of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Further, after New Delhi withdrew in 2009, Beijing showed interest to not only join the project but also build an Iran-Pakistan-China gas pipeline, which could provide it secure over-land gas supply. Presently, India is engaged in developing Iran’s Chabahar port which would also provide it access to countries of Central Asia and Afghanistan by-passing Pakistani territory.
Clearly, both Gwadar and Chabahar are likely to emerge as assets of strategic competition in the region. However, Chahabar remains a long term project, especially when compared to the Chinese speed of finishing projects. Yet, maritime opposition is intensifying as Indian and Chinese navies show each other flags often in the Pacific and Indian Ocean.
In the ultimate, no matter Beijing’s denial of pursuing strategic interests in the garb of pushing development in the region, its unilateral move to build dams over the Brahmaputra gives currency to Indian concerns. China has announced to build three hydro-power bases on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, at Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu without consulting or sharing information with New Delhi.
Unlike the past when India downplayed the threat that dams construction posed, this time its opposition is sharp. Said New Delhi, “India had established user rights to the river” and Beijing should ensure that India’s downstream interests are not harmed by any activities in up-stream areas. Never mind, Beijing allying Indian concern by averring that nothing would be done on trans-border rivers to hurt the interests of lower riparian countries like India. INFA
Deceptive calm in Kashmir
Men, Matters & Memories
M L Kotru
For one reason or other, my customary two or three visits to the Kashmir valley annually, for over 55 years, may have become a distant memory recently, but it no way means that I have lost touch with my home base. It’s just that it does not feel as good as it used ……… until not very long ago.
The wrench as it were, came on my last visit when I set out from my hotel room in Srinagar for the famed Regal Chowk , for the Mir Paan House , to be precise. The owner and I had barely exchanged greetings when a voice thundered from across the main street , some meters away ” Hey Kotrusaab, Namaskar”. No tables for it’s high decibels than anything else, the voice from across the street made some 100 eyes turn towards me probably wanting to know who this namaskar was for.
The fact is that the man who greeted me so loudly was only a distant acquaintance, his booming Hi, Hello, only seemed to mark me out as a Kashmiri Pandit, a stranger and probably only the only Pandit within a two square mile area.
Mark you, this is not how Kashmiris greet each other . Our greetings are more intimate and personal. In the instant case, the effort was only to make me the focus of attention, a creature belonging to an engendered species, an alien perhaps. The hailer in fact never crossed the road to meet me, say with a more intimate handshake or even a hug. He waved on from where he was and melted away, in the crowd.
The tidings of that visit, my last visit had been somewhat negative. My journalist colleagues were still sorting out the State polls and the friend I later stayed with had found his peace at the Srinagar Gold Club where he would spend the whole day burning out his calories, even as he imbibed fresh ones .
Things may appear to have changed for the better lately, but that’s on the surface., he told me over the phone the other day. ” Don’t be misled by the number of tourists that visited the Valley last year or the number of pilgrims that came to the Amarnath cave . Outwardly, everyone tells you “things haven’t been as well as they are now.; the first time in 20 years” To know better, you just have to scratch the surface.
The separatists venom so assiduously fed by the types of Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the other Hurriyat led by the “moderate Umar Farooq” becomes evident the moment you offer a listening ear .The average rural Kashmiri , far too busy making ends meet , will tell you that he has no use for the terrorists or the Talibanese, unlike his urban cousin who has his own take on such matters .
Yes, they are scared when you talk of the Pakistani Taliban killing their own kin by the score each passing day but obviously believe they are too far away . The more die hard will say that they are prepared to die at the hands of the Taliban or the Lashkar – e- Toiba but not the Indian Army . Why would he like to die when he has a full life ahead of him, and who knows, he may have an opportunity to better his lot? “Yes, true,I am waiting for that to happen………. like the others.” But, he is not sure that the political dispensation at Srinagar is interested in the genuine upliftment of the people. ” Look, how are they sacrificing the Parchs and the Sarpanchs , even after the overwhelming support they got from the rural bases?” some counter.
But this kind of argument is an old hat if you had been a regular visitor. The basic truth is the “lack of trust” at the local and as much as at the national level. Thus you may find lawyers or their associations refusing to take up certain cases; while some would volunteer on a pro bono basis , few are willing to argue on behalf of the administration / Government cases in which ordinary locals are involved.
I remember of cases where the Advocate General, appointed by the State Government , was very reluctant to take up what should normally have been his call in a case before the Kashmir High Court ; as a face saver, the Deputy Advocate General, a Kashmiri Hindu from Jammu argued the case in the High Court . The Bar Association in Srinagar is among the frontal organisations in deciding what’s on and what’s not.
On the record, one has heard any number of times of multi-crore rehabilitation projects for Kashmiri Pandits , some named after the Prime Minister ; some flats have been built in places like Badgam and Mattan, near Anantnag, but one is not sure how many of them have been allotted to displaced Hindus nor am I able to get confirmation about how many of them continue to be occupied. And yet, if you were to ask any political outfit in the Valley , the separatists included , they would be the first to endorse the rehabilitation of the Pandits and yet do nothing to make it possible.
On the other hand, they impose conditions such as rehabilitating the displaced Pandits in the localities from which they were forced out in 1990 which is an impossibility. Most of these properties were burned down or the original owners were forced to sell-out the abandoned shells at nominal prices. The Government obviously pleads helplessness in cases where the buyer and seller strike private deals . If the Government has chosen to give a Nelson’s eye to such unfair dealings, how do you blame the separatists when they insist on rehabilitation of Pandits in their original localities?
Lest you get away with the impression that large sections of the Muslim population of the State are left untouched by the depredation of the militant separatists and their encounters with the security forces including the State Police, there are instances galore of the Muslim population being subjected to a terror of different sorts. Take the case of three Srinagar girls who have a rock band of their own , just the three of them. Sure enough, the fundamentalists, taking the social-media route, struck back, demanding they be barred from performing. Nobody explained why ?
Why cant a girls band play in girl’s schools or colleges or even at exclusive women’s functions in the Valley ? This is the same mindset that gives rise to despicable incidents like the attempted murder of MalalaYusufzai in Swat in Pakistan’s Northwestern territory. Malala has been recovering in a Birmingham hospital in Britain after suffering bullet holes in her head for her offence; girl’s right to education.
A recovered Malala the other day said outside her hospital that every girl has a right to education, a thought that has been appreciated universally and as a consequence, her name has been recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize. Kashmiri girls, I dare say, at the risk of being a racist, are much better equipped than Pakistani girls when it comes to education. Many Kashmiri girls have distinguished themselves in the realm of academics. Which again, should convince the Kashmiri Muslim fundamentalists of the futility of trying to draw boundaries beyond which the Kashmiri girls cannot look.
If I have digressed from where I have started with, there was some inevitability of this happening. Largely because there is something different to the Kashmiri identity. If you pause to look at my grouse at the beginning, I am sure you will discern a feeling of deep concern on my part as to why anyone should question my right to being a good Kashmiri than, say a separatist Kashmiri living in Kashmir. My advice to all such separatists would be that if you are not happy with your present lot, please go wherever else you find peace. Leave Kashmir alone.
The Geelanis and the Umar Farooq of the two Hurriyats will, of course, not accept the suggestions. They are already having the best of both worlds. Geelani, having served several terms as a member of the Kashmiri Legislative Assembly and sworn to “defend” and “protect” the Indian and the State Constitution is surrounded by plenty to live in the comfort of his Srinagar mansion. And he can still be the Pakistani pro-consul and continue to deliver telephonic addresses to Pakistani crowds from Delhi, unburden himself of his anti-India poison on which he has thrived, literally and metaphorically for over eight decades .
Maulvi Farooq, the moderate Hurriyat Chief, too, has no need to worry about his future. He can continue his customary pilgrimages to Pakistan to woo the extremists of the LET and the Mujahideen, meet the leaders of that country and be feted as a long lost brother. The two separatist leaders need not fear for their lives in the valley , protected as they are by State security . I am only worried at the kind of fate that would await them if they were to visit Pakistan’s north western badlands inhabited by the Taliban, the Afghan and Pakistani varieties .
Under focus of DRSC
The Departmental Related Standing Committee (DRSC) of the Legislative Council on Home Department has met and brought under review the working of various branches of the Department. By and large, this is an advisory committee but at the same time it has the competence of commenting on the performance of the Home Department. The purpose is to help streamline the administration. Law and order fall within the ambit of Home Department and this is one area where regular review of ground situation is needed to be undertaken especially when the State is limping back to normalcy after two decades of turmoil and militancy. The Committee has stressed upon efficient functionality of the police department. Essentially the police and other departments have to be people friendly because that is the criterion of good governance. The Committee has considered the policy of the Government on issues related to militancy like the surrendered militants; youth migrated to PoK and speedy disposal of cases pending at different levels
The committee seems to have reviewed the issue of security for women in the light of national policy for providing safety and security to the vulnerable section of society. There is much weight in the suggestion that the number of women police officers and other ranks should be increased and adequate number of woman police officer should be posted at police stations. It has to be recalled that the judiciary has already moved fast to open fast track courts for prosecuting people accused of rape, molestation and sexual abuse of women. The Police Department needs to keep pace with these developments and take immediate action in cases of misconduct against women.
The most glaring deficiency of the Home Department is to be seen in its failure in controlling traffic accidents in the State. According to the finding of the Committee there have been 5,000 fatalities owing to road accident and 27,000 injured persons during past three years. This shows that the Traffic Department has performed most miserably in preventing road accidents mostly in Chenab Valley sector. In these columns we have raised this issue a number of times, almost with each major accident happening but unfortunately there seems no improvement in controlling the situation. The Traffic Department has shown recovery of a sum of Rs 8 crore by way of fine imposed on violators of traffic rules. This is no consolation to the public. The performance of the traffic police is not to be adjudged by the amount of recovery it has made but by the number of victims of road accidents. If the traffic authorities are able to enforce the law in letter and in spirit, there will be no fines and no recoveries. That is an ideal situation and the Traffic Police should keep that objective in view. We do not know what steps the Traffic Department has taken to control of fake driving licenses which have been a major cause of motor accidents. Are the norms of validating the route permits strictly observed or not, is another important issue? There are a number of vehicles plying on unauthorized routes. Who allows them to do so and why are not they brought to book, are the questions related to road accidents. The traffic police issues bills of road safety measures but that has become only a routine matter just to be heard and forgotten. The taste of pudding is in eating. These safety measures need to be implemented and not only to be showcased. This is what the Committee has recommended.
The Committee comprising highly experienced civil servants and police authorities, has covered several important points and also laid the roadmap for the Home Department in a bid to claim good governance. We expect the police to be people friendly and we also expect the authorities to change its mindset before more loss of human life takes place. It is crime to let a large number of passengers meet with sudden and fatal road accidents. No society and Government would accept it.
Fraud in RDD
A case of fraudulent appointment of no fewer than 11 youth as Junior Engineers and Technical Assistants in the Rural Development Department in Kishtwar has come to fore. Complaints against these youth having produced fake engineering certificates were lodged with authorities by persons who thought their genuine rights had been violated led to the unraveling of this fraudulent case of fake certificates. It is reported that these youth had studied at Polytechnic in Jammu but managed to obtain engineering certificates from Chhatisgarh. Now the ACD and the RDD are preparing to make enquiries from Chhatisgarh whether the certificates issued to the youth are genuine. These people had been appointed under MGNREGA and posted in Marwah, Dachhan, Nagsani and other blocs. The question is why was not full scrutiny of their fake engineering certificate made at the time of their appointment? Why were the norms of recruitment of fresher violated and appointment orders issued? Agreeing that in case it is proved that a fraud has been played on the Government, and the individual will be punished according to the law, the questions remains what about those who allowed them to take up the jobs without having scrutinized their documentation. On the face of it one can say that there has been a nexus of sorts between the applicants and the authorities charged with the responsibility of processing their case. It appears this is a scam though the fraud is yet to be established. Earlier also there were reports of fraudulent appointments in which authorities were also involved. Now that this case of fraud has come to the notice of the public, we hope the Government will conduct quick and impartial enquiry into the happening and if fraud is established, the culprits will be brought to book. The real facts about this case should be made public so that justice is done to one and all.
Gur prices end quiet on little doing
NEW DELHI, Feb 9: Gur (Jaggery) prices ended steady in the national capital today following small buying support against adequate stocks position.
Muzaffarnagar and Muradnagar gur market also ended steady in thin trade.
Marketmen said sufficient position of stocks against restricted buying mainly held gur prices unaltered.
The following are today’s quotations per quintal:
Gur chakku 2,800-2,900, pedi 2,900-3,000, dhayya 3,000-3,100 and shakkar 3,200-3,300.
Muzaffarnagar: Rasket 2,350-2,400, chakku 2,600-2,750 and khurpa 2,600-2650.
Muradnagar: Pedi 2600-2,650 and dhayya 2,650-2700. (PTI)