PART-II: Green Gold in danger; JK Govt in deep slumber!

Survival of mankind hinges on forest protection

Koi Toh Jagaoo---Jungle Ko Bachaoo

Ajmer Alam Wani

JAMMU, AUG 18: The J&K government may have initiated viable steps (on papers only and in meetings) to eradicate menace of timber smuggling and also for preservation of environment in the State but the ground reality is far away and the slogans and claims of the concerned Minister and officials seems hollow.

No doubt in a meeting held at Srinagar recently, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment, Mian Altaf Ahmad had said that the government will do everything possible to prevent forest fires in future and safeguard the forest wealth as the survival of mankind hinges on its protection. But in reality, the Green Gold of the state at present is under severe threat and the government seems least interested in saving and protecting it.

Let us start with the condition of green forests and negligigence of forest officials in Doda district. To begin with our focus today will be on Compartment No-1 in Chiralla belt of villages which falls in Bhaderwah constituency. Young green trees have been shortened to ground and the land has been converted into agriculture land by the land encroachers’ mafia which is operative since decades. Though the land encroachers’ mafia operative in the area is not so powerful but the fact is that forest officials deputed in the area are incompetent and do not make an effort to visit the area thus leave the forest at the mercy of enemies of Green Gold who enjoy cutting green trees at their tender age.

It is not so that the lower rung forest officials do not visit the area. They visit, but seldom and collect the money from Green Gold enemies for the distraction of forests wealth and inform their officers that everything is going in right direction all over without mentioning a bit about the encroachments.

During the last several years the forest land encroachments and cutting of trees has gone rampage but unfortunately no one is there to check it. The state government and the Minister concerned make tall claims before the media and in meetings assuring to do wonders but if one visits the area and have a glance of the condition of forest area, it becomes clear that the JK Govt, Forest Minister and the officials concerned at the higher level are in deep slumber which is not only zeroing our forests but also threatening the very existence of wildlife.

As the wildlife has been disturbed due to the forest cutting, the wild animals are posing great threat to the inhabitation near to forests as their stay places get disturbed or damaged.

Sources said that the land encroachers since decades are working on a systematic strategy.

They either put the forest under fire or cut out the skin around trunk of the trees which results in drying the tree. Later these partially dried up trees are cut down and used for domestic fuel and the land is cleared of trunks and left out tree roots. Than after the land is converted into agriculture land. This all goes in a well organized manner and the land encroachers have no fear in doing so as they know no one is going to visit the area to check them.

Ironically forest officials deputed in the areas who were directed by the higher authorities on few occasions, that too, after receiving some strong complaints and stand against these land encroachments are not in a position to identify their departmental land (Forest Land), which is not only unfortunate but a matter of great concern.

The officials should have been updated with their records but such attitude and working style of the officials speaks otherwise and indicates that forest land has no caretakers.

This speaks volumes about the dedication and punctuality of forest officials and justifies the claims of Govt, if not in the right direction but in the contradiction!

It has been since decades the forest land has not been demarcated by the department yet the Ministers claim of protecting and preserving the Green Gold. How is it possible? If the officials of a department are so much ignorant about the area they are supposed to protect, than how comes it possible, that the initiatives of the government claiming to eradicate menace of timber smuggling and preserving environment would guarantee results.

The Forest Minister has to wake-up to the situation and make the first move at earliest ensuring speedy results. The need of the hour is to go for fresh demarcation of the Forest Land area and set Forest Protection Posts in such areas so the forest land could be evacuated from the encroachers and further encroachments could be checked. Otherwise the day is not far behind when the entire forest area would be converted into a desert. No doubt such move by encroachers will also threaten their own survival.

Experts suggest alternatives to diffuse conflicts

KU CONFERENCE DAY 2:

‘Prefer co-existence to co-annihilation’

The second day of the 3-day international conference on “Eurasian Peace and Co-operation” at Kashmir University witnessed a health debate on several issues confronting the Eurasian regions, with experts and academics suggesting several alternatives to diffuse different conflicts.

In his paper titled “Conceptualizing Alternatives to Eurasian Peace and Co-operation,” senior KU professor, M A Kaw, focused on the nature and character of the potential threats to the region and suggested several alternatives to diffuse the conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Georgia, Middle East, Xinxiang and Kashmir. “The contending parties should take cognizance of the ground realities and prefer co-existence to co-annihilation,” he said.

The 3-day conference has been organised by the varsity’s prestigious Centre of Central Asian Studies. Prof Kaw is the Area Study Director of the Centre. “The conflicts can be resolved by taking all parties into confidence through peaceful dialogue,” he stressed, adding that peace was pre-requisite for regional co-operation, which “entails the concerned parties to slash down expenditure on defence and its consequential diversion to works of public utility.”

On Tuesday, the first technical session was chaired by Russaian professor, Sergi Serebriany.

In his paper titled “Implications of the Global Financial and Economic Crises on the International Economic and Political System,” Prof. Shimizu Manabui, of Tokoyo University, Japan said that in spite of the apparent weakening caused by the economic crises, international monetary system is still under the hegemony of the US and all decisions of the present international monetary system are dictated by US.
“Asia being the cradle of civilization, the different regions share the common historical background, cultural affinity so on and so forth. Therefore, t the need of the hour is to improve and strengthen the cultural ties in order to maintain the peace and stability in the Eurasia continent,” said Wu Fuhuan, president of the Xingjian Academy of Social Sciences, China. He presented the paper titled “Strengthening Cultural Exchange and Co-Building harmonious Asia”

Nivedetya Kandu, Research Fellow at Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA)., New Delhi in her paper ‘Security Issues of the Eurasian Region: Regional Strategies and India’s Response’ stressed on SCO (Shanghia Corporation Organization) and maintained that SCO has become a significant forum for addressing politico-security and economic issues and concerns in Eurasia.

Ya Ser from Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, China said that China can play a crucial role in the peace and development of Eurasia. Ajay Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor, Ghandhi National Centre for Culture and Arts, New Delhi presented the paper entitled “Cultivation of Arts in Achieving Real World Peace in the Age of Globalization”. “Art being a creative, dynamic, cross-cultural and inclusive medium of self expression, testimony of humanity does have a major role to play in today’s global order and also in the context of Eurasian peace,” he said.

Gregory Gleason, an eminent Political Scientist of New Mexico University, USA presented a paper on “New Initiatives in South-Asian Politico-Military Normalization”. Highlighting the role of NATO’S forces in normalization in Afghanistan, he strongly emphasized that for maintenance of everlasting normalization in the region of Eurasian, all countries big and small need to devise a mechanism which would include cross-national, trans-border, and macro-regional cooperation.
Mondira Dutta, of JNU in her power point presentation on “North- South Transport Corridor: Promoting Economic Integration and Regional Cooperation” highlighted the transport network in Eurasia and maintained that need of an hour is to improve the transport network for economic development of the Eurasia.

Jammu-a divided region; with different directions!

JAMMU BANDH TODAY

*When it comes to fight for common cause and people start going in different directions for their own interests, affiliations and associations; agitations or the strikes die halfway without attaining the results/goals for which they are started.

Ajmer Alam Wani

JAMMU, AUG 9: It is imperative to have mass support, complete backing by one and the all, maximum participation of people irrespective of age, sex eye on the goal and disassociations from all the political affiliations etc with one aim and cause, to make an agitation or strike successful. But when it comes to fight for the common cause and people start moving in different directions for their own interests, affiliations and associations; agitations or the strikes die halfway, without attaining the results/goals for which they are started.

See, if we are talking of entire Jammu region, people of the region including Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar etc are divided over the issue of Central University while the Kashmiri people are watching the whole situation silently.

In Jammu region, demands are being raised in every district for setting up Central University, which indicates that Jammu region is not united, every part, leader and the association is going in different directions are been dictated by their bosses.

This indicates one more thing that those who go for agitations or strikes either have less public support or their ideology is conflicting with those of others who do not support them.

It was required that entire Jammu region should have united on the issue of Central University but the result as seen is contrary. The reasons are many. Few are like (1) Political players have succeeded in creating inter-regional divides by provoking people to raise the demands for Central University as PDP has done in Rajouri-Poonch and Kishtwar districts.

(2) People of Jammu regional (Jammu, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Banihal, Samba, Reasi, Akhnoor etc) have communication gap so are easily misled by opportunists. (3) People of Jammu region have affiliations with several political parties and groups and every party has their own interests and ideologies so they mobilize people in their own way. (4) Political leaders of Jammu region are divided in two categories- (i) Those in power speak different as dictated by their bosses while (ii) Those out of power speak exactly what the people wants to hear (but interestingly when the same leaders were in power, never spoke like this). There are many more reasons. See the Transporters of Jammu have refused to observe Jammu Bandh and sought security from administration for safe playing of vehicles. The decision of transporters invites clashes between students and transporters on Monday as some elements will try to create law and order problem in Jammu. This will not only weaken the agitation/struggle but also create a divide and wedge among different sections.

Moreover, the Central University Andolan Samiti (CUAS) Jammu Bandh has not been only opposed by transporters but fissures among the student bodies have also surfaced, which indicates division has been created by the claver players and the agitation has been confined.

The student wings of the ruling National Conference (NC) and the Congress - the National Conference Students Union and the National Students Union of India have disassociated themselves from the agitational politics over the issue.

NSUI members’ are of the opinion that if the government has assured that the Central University will be set up in Jammu so there is no need for the agitation.

However, CUAS has called for complete Jammu shutdown on Monday over the ‘vague’ statements made by the Jammu and Kashmir Government regarding setting up a Central University near Jammu, the state's winter capital.

The shutdown call comes even as the Omar Abdullah Government on Wednesday said the first CentralUniversity in Jammu and Kashmir will come up near Jammu. There was simmering discontent among student organizations who were protesting the government's reported move to shift the Central University to the Kashmir Valley.

The Jammu shutdown on Monday is to press for the issue opined CUAS, a group of various students' and social organizations that spearheaded the agitation.

According to CUAS Convenor, Pavitar Singh, retired Judge, the government is vague in its utterances and statements on the issue. HE told media that it has not been specified where and when the Central University will be set up.

After the Union Government announced that a Central University will be established in Jammu and Kashmir, the state government had identified a place close to Samba. 40 km from Jammu, for the site of the institution, but later, there was a proposal to shift it to the Kashmir Valley, triggering a series of demonstrations in Jammu by student groups, who were supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some trade bodies.

Though the Samiti lead led by Sunil Sethi, Bar President held talks with Revenue Minister, Raman Bhalla and officials of the District Administration made efforts to persuade Samiti to withdraw Bandh call, yet Samiti has decided to go ahead with its proposed programme.

Revenue Minister repeatedly assured delegation that CU is being set-up in Jammu and a team of HRD officials is shortly going to finalize the site for its creation.

IF sources are believed, Bhalla has mentioned that he would be last man to allow Central University to be shifted to Kashmir Valley.

Samiti members continued insisting Bhalla to give in writing that CU would be established in Jammu and at Samba only, sources added.

Referring to CU being subject of Union Government, Bhalla mentioned that assurance of five cabinet ministers is far more credible than that of something written on a piece of paper.