World Water Day and Kashtwar

In the wake of World Water Day, mountainous Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir state is confronted with some very important and disturbing questions related to its water resources. While World Water Day in our state was marked by some official functions, away from general public debate and curiosity people living in this far flung area continue to reel under the shortage of drinking and irrigation water. As the name Kishtwar derived from old world Kashtwar (Kasht Ka Bhandar) suggest, the mountainous area of the state continue to face the difficulties due to the shortage of water resources despite the fact that the government, over the years, has claimed to have spent billions of rupees for various water supply schemes. The scenario in the area is not different from many parts of the state where even in the 21st century, Bijli, Pani and Sadak continue to remain the basic issues confronting the general masses. Given the importance of this issue to our collective survival in the face of the drastic climatic changes, this day ought to be taken to the centre of public debate and awareness. It is an irony that in spite of Jammu and Kashmir being a highly important river basin for the South Asian region, the present concerns emanating from precipitation deficiency, temperature rise and water scarcity did not resonate with the desired amplitude. The absence of debate and advocacy activities at non governmental level, which otherwise help in furthering the discourse and advocacy for the official agenda, does not augur well either. One of the disturbing issues confronting us is the fact that Jammu & Kashmir state has so far been able to harness only 14 per cent of its ground water resources. This comes at a time when our surface water sources are depleting fast and not able to keep pace with the current needs. Given this situation, it is time for a major policy review and overhaul of our state’s water management. Beyond policy review, the government also needs to mobilize requisite resources and fine tune administrative and governance systems to make such policy work. Till government rise from its slumber and start thinking about the plights of the people living in far flung areas, people in mountainous Kishtwar district will continue to fetch water from the natural resources, which otherwise are extinguishing by every passing day.

Many souls under threat in ‘Sinking village’

SN HUSSAIN
Kishtwar: Hundreds of people living in a small hamlet of Padder area in mountainous Kishtwar district are constantly living under threat after authorities declared this ‘sinking village’ dangerous and ‘unfit for living’.
Situated on a hillock at a distance of around 2 kilometers from Gulabgarh, Tehsil Headquarter of Paddar, Hourian Gowari village comprises of around 25 families and 159 souls and is sinking from last around six years.
Local residents told that the village is constantly sinking and fissures were visible on the ground in the village and is surrounding threatening many lives. They said that despite the repeated assurances from the district administration no step for their settlement at a suitable and safe place has been taken so far.
One person was killed and scores others were injured in the village after portion of a land caved in the year 2005. After being informed district administration had immediately deputed a team of senior officials to the village.
Following the report of the team, another team of experts from Geology and Mining Department was sent to the village for ascertaining the reasons and taking stock of the situation in the village.
Official sources said that the team vide its report No 2G/TG/DGM/25/06-07/II/4327 dated 24-11-2008 declared the entire village unsecured besides asking the villagers to take special precautionary measures.
As per the report, copy of which is with the Bold Voice, the village is situated at an elevation of 1900 m above m.s.l just above the Bhut Nallah. The area lies between the Latial Nallah (North) and Kher Nallah (South). The ridge on which the village is situated has slope angle of more than 50 degree and at the base of the ridge there are escarpments on both sides of Bhut Nallah forming a deep gorge.
"During the reconnaissance of the area, cracks, fissures, fractures and subsidence were observed in the agricultural fields. The cracks were also observed in the walls of the newly constructed houses beside damage to the subsidence and sliding phenomenon in which walls of the house are tilted, with floor cracks rendering the houses of the inhabitants unsafe for living purposes", the report reads.
However, the report was not enough to panic the district administration which remained slept over the matter till locals submitted written representations to the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar demanding resettlement of the villagers.
District administration again deputed concerned tehsildar to the village, who after conducted a visit to the village wrote to the Deputy Commission vide letter No 591/MM dated 4-11-2009 that the village is awaiting a major catastrophe as it was not fit for the living. He further sought the direction for resettlement of 25 families comprising 159 souls of the village.
Taking strong notice of the report the DC Vide his order No 1132-34/010 dated 7-7-2010 directed the concerned revenue officers to allot 5 Marlas of state land to each family in the Khasra No 442 at Gulabgarh.
However, the local residents have refused to abandon their village and settle in Gulagarh area. Reports from the area revealed that the villagers are demanding financial assistance to construct at least few rooms per family so that they can migrate from the village. The villagers have reportedly told the revenue officials that they were not in a position to construct residential structures for them as such they may be provided financial assistance failing which the villagers have threatened to live in the same village at the mercy of God.

R&B Kishtwar throws all norms to wind allot works worth lakhs without inviting tenders

S.N.HUSSAIN
Kishtwar: Throwing all norms to the wind the Public Works Department is reportedly swindling lakh of rupees by executing development works worth lakhs through some blue eyed contractors in violation of prescribed guide lines and norms. Be it Ghulam Nabi Azad’s tirade against corruption or Umar Abdullah’s corruption free administration, the slogans of transparency does not seems to have much effect in some of the departments working in this remote mountainous district, which is already battling discriminatory and step motherly treatment at the hand of successive governments.
Informed sources told Bold Voice that R&B Division Kishtwar is executing works through some blue eyed contractors that worth lakhs of rupees without inviting tenders. Sources further disclosed that in recent past the work on Hullar link road was started by an unknown agency without any NIT. Aggrieved with the same a deputation of local contractors approached the Executive Engineer and requested him to issue order for the stopping the illegal and unauthorized work going on. On listening the contractors the X-en Kishtwar directed Asst Executive Engineer vide a letter to stop any un authorized construction but despite the orders from the concerned authorities the work was not stopped by the agency as it was learnt that the work was being executed in proxy by a close kin of one of the political heavy weight. Sources have further disclosed that the work of walling in Donadi – Bonjwah road has also been allotted to some bye eyed contractor with out floating tenders and the agency has started extraction of stones at site. Not only this, to favour few individual various roads are being constructed without adopting the proper procedure of acquisition etc whereas the old under construction roads regarding which all the requisite formalities stands completed decades ago are being ignored. The Executive Engineer Kishtwar while confirming the news has said that most of the works are being executed after floating the tenders. When asked about the Donadi Bonjwah road Xen showed his ignorance and said he has no knowledge of the allotment or execution of the work.

PDP Does A Volte Face On Women’s Right

By: Yamini Kaul
Brings in Controversial PRD Bill After Praising 33% Political Reservation for Women
Just a few days after the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti hailed the passage of the women reservation bill in the Rajya Sabha, her party tabled the controversial Permanent Resident Disqualification Bill in the J&K Assembly on March 12, 2010. In the recent times, one has hardly come across such a volte face committed by a party that claims to be a representative of the aspirations of millions of people in the state.
It took Mufti less than a week from celebrating the success of 33% reservation for women in the political arena to closing the door of their home-state on their faces, were they to marry a man who is not a State Subject of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bill was tabled earlier in 2004 and had the support of both the National Conference (then in the Opposition) and the PDP (part of the ruling conglomerate with the Congress). However, thankfully the Bill was stone-walled in the Legislative Council and opposed even by the Congress party, with the whole nation joining in the following outcry.
The fact that both the parties, NC and PDP, were political arch rivals at that time, and still are, did not deter either of the leadership to join ranks to disallow the women of the State any right to state subjectship, own property or even voting rights.In a way, this Bill stands quite opposite to the 33% political reservation bill for women passed in the Upper House of the Parliament and it remains to be seen how the Congress and the NC will react to it this time. However, one thing which is clear in this scenario is that neither of the political parties in the State are really a friend of the 50% population.
If this wouldn’t have been true, would the PDP not have thought of those women, who are already married to men who are non-State Subjects of J&K. Did Mufti, or others of her ilk, give a single thought to the eventuality where any of these women gets divorced or widowed. What would such a women do in the situation, where she couldn’t even come back to her own home state to seek a grip on her crumbling life? Perhaps the Bill holds an answer to that or perhaps it doesn’t.
Let us hear out what some common people have to say about the Bill and its discriminatory nature.
Mrs. Renu Nanda, noted social activist and academician, who is married to a Punjabi, says that she would lose her state subjectship as well as her right to own a property or even vote in the State elections, if the Bill was passed.
She was vociferous while opining, "I will not get jobs. It is inequality. It means double standards."
Though not as vociferous, but equally miffed at the development is another young man from Kashmir, whose two sisters are married outside the State, in fact, outside the country as well. Jamal Ahmed, whose two sisters are married to a Pakistani and a Bangladeshi, is worried about the unintentional effect of such legislation.
He asks, "God forbid, if tomorrow any of my sisters gets divorced from her husband, would that mean that she has no one to turn to in her parents’ family. Does it mean that she has no choice but to slug it out in a foreign country, among her in laws, instead of coming back to her home state, where she would be more welcome?"
While the PDP, or any of the other parties have come clear on any of these questions, the Bill awaits discussion in the State Assembly.

PDP Does A Volte Face On Women’s Right

By: Yamini Kaul
Brings in Controversial PRD Bill After Praising 33% Political Reservation for Women
Just a few days after the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti hailed the passage of the women reservation bill in the Rajya Sabha, her party tabled the controversial Permanent Resident Disqualification Bill in the J&K Assembly on March 12, 2010. In the recent times, one has hardly come across such a volte face committed by a party that claims to be a representative of the aspirations of millions of people in the state.
It took Mufti less than a week from celebrating the success of 33% reservation for women in the political arena to closing the door of their home-state on their faces, were they to marry a man who is not a State Subject of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bill was tabled earlier in 2004 and had the support of both the National Conference (then in the Opposition) and the PDP (part of the ruling conglomerate with the Congress). However, thankfully the Bill was stone-walled in the Legislative Council and opposed even by the Congress party, with the whole nation joining in the following outcry.
The fact that both the parties, NC and PDP, were political arch rivals at that time, and still are, did not deter either of the leadership to join ranks to disallow the women of the State any right to state subjectship, own property or even voting rights.In a way, this Bill stands quite opposite to the 33% political reservation bill for women passed in the Upper House of the Parliament and it remains to be seen how the Congress and the NC will react to it this time. However, one thing which is clear in this scenario is that neither of the political parties in the State are really a friend of the 50% population.
If this wouldn’t have been true, would the PDP not have thought of those women, who are already married to men who are non-State Subjects of J&K. Did Mufti, or others of her ilk, give a single thought to the eventuality where any of these women gets divorced or widowed. What would such a women do in the situation, where she couldn’t even come back to her own home state to seek a grip on her crumbling life? Perhaps the Bill holds an answer to that or perhaps it doesn’t.
Let us hear out what some common people have to say about the Bill and its discriminatory nature.
Mrs. Renu Nanda, noted social activist and academician, who is married to a Punjabi, says that she would lose her state subjectship as well as her right to own a property or even vote in the State elections, if the Bill was passed.
She was vociferous while opining, "I will not get jobs. It is inequality. It means double standards."
Though not as vociferous, but equally miffed at the development is another young man from Kashmir, whose two sisters are married outside the State, in fact, outside the country as well. Jamal Ahmed, whose two sisters are married to a Pakistani and a Bangladeshi, is worried about the unintentional effect of such legislation.
He asks, "God forbid, if tomorrow any of my sisters gets divorced from her husband, would that mean that she has no one to turn to in her parents’ family. Does it mean that she has no choice but to slug it out in a foreign country, among her in laws, instead of coming back to her home state, where she would be more welcome?"
While the PDP, or any of the other parties have come clear on any of these questions, the Bill awaits discussion in the State Assembly.

Kichloo wants budget session preponed

Jammu: Like other legislators representing rural constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo MLA Kishtwar also wants the House calendar advanced by at least a month to monitor works on ground during, what they say, “peak season”.
As a matter of precedence, with some exceptions, the budget session of legislatures –both parliament and state assemblies –is convened in the month of February and ends in April. This is time, feel many legislators including Kichloo, they need to be in their constituencies to monitor development works on ground as allocated funds lapse by March 31, the close of fiscal year.
In hilly areas of Jammu province, most of Kashmir and almost entire Ladakh, infrastructure development works come to a near halt in the months of November, December and January owing to adverse climatic conditions. It is only by the middle of February that administrative machinery gears up to meet the targets and this is the time MLAs want to be there to see what is happening on ground.
“We go easy with executing agencies during winter months as there are very little possibilities of works done during winters,” says MLA Kishtwar, Sajjad Kichloo. However, he laments, “When time comes for pulling them (officials) up, we are held up in Jammu for two months.”
“After session ends and we reach back to our constituencies around middle of April, the financial year is already lapsed and fresh allocations are nowhere in sight…peak working season goes futile”, says Kichloo.

Police martyrs memorial cricket tournament inaugurated

IRFAN KICHLOO
Kishtwar: First ever Police Martyrs Memorial Cricekt Tournament is being organized by District Police Kishtwar.
At this occasion families of police martyrs were specially invited at Chowgan to attend the inaugural function of the Tournament.
Cricket tournament was got inaugurated by the parents of the martyrs namely Mohan Lal father of martyrs constable Ravinder Kumar, Noor Husain father of martyr constable Mir Baksh , Ramesh Kumar father of martyr constable Raj Kumar and Rakesh Sen brother of martyr constable Anil Kumar in presence of Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar G.R Bhagat, District SP Kishtwar Dr. Haseeb Mughal and other police and civil officers.While talking to Bold Voice, District SP Kishtwar Dr. Haseeb Mughal said that the object behind organizing tournament by police is to remember the police martyrs who have laid down their lives in various militancy related operations while fighting with hardcore terrorists. He said that tournament is being organized on 20-20 pattern and 24 teams are participating in the tournament including teams of Police, CRPF and CISF