Friday 27 April 2012

"Climate Change" impact- J&K gears up

With J&K topping the charts as one of the most corrupt states and hundreds of illegal saw mills operational on the mountains from decades, looting it of its natural wealth, J&K preparing to tackle climate change impact seems to be another planning for a big loot. This feels so because till today nothing has been done to restore forest cover on Shivaliks (Hills surrounding Patnitop and Sanasar tourist spots) and Pir Panjal Range (Mountains surrounding Kashmir Valley).


With concerns rising over the environmental degradation in the state due to existing and upcoming development projects, the state has formulated draft of State Action Plan on Climate change (SAPCC), the first of its kind in Jammu Kashmir. Its really shameful that such basic Action plans and guidelines are not in place till now and where ever they are, its only on paper and nothing is implemented.


Action Plan covers the following - 


1. The complex nature of climate change impact in 3 diverse regions of the state - Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh
2. The necessity for strengthening institutional and financial (the most fishy part) capacity to adapt to climate change.
3. The need to develop area and region specific climate strategies and actions.
4. The need for research to understand the likely impact of climate change in the state.


Experts say that the Himalayan region is a source of many rivers flowing perennially round the year. Keeping in view destruction of forests and air pollution, 2% increase in the temperature by 2050 will result in 35% of glaciers disappears, which could pose a problem for the state.


Jammu & Kashmir Government has always blamed insurgency/ militancy  for everything and its no surprise that they blame it for the destruction of forest wealth. Thus they are a party in looting the forest wealth along with the poachers and are now drafting this action plan to make more money like they have been doing till now with impunity in the last two decades. 


They will obviously be trying to make a big money in US $ by roping in international organizations like United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the name of environment. Government of India and International Agencies must keep an eye on the proper utilization of funds because if they can swallow a Complete International Cricket Stadium (I have written separate article on my blog) and existing Forest Wealth, doing away with whats just on paper is very easy.


Rather than wasting billions of rupees, if they could implement the forest laws honestly and stop illegal deforestation, things will be much better. Apart from that, Government owned (Forest Department) Plant Nurseries can afford to give saplings for Re.1- Rs.5 each. If Govt of India or J&K State Govt gives 1 plant every month  free of cost to each government employee, including Armed Forces & Police and asks them to plant them or get them planted in the surrounding hills or parks, the much needed Green Cover will be replenished within 1 year.


We have been organizing World Environment Day every year in our school from past 3 years and take out an awareness rally and distribute around 500 plants free of cost to students and to passers by during the rally. We had posted the photos of the same with above mentioned suggestions to Prime Minister of India and UNEP offices in Europe and the US.


Moreover, Jammu city in particular has entered the Traffic Danger Zone (article on my blog) and more and more vehicles are pouring in every day. Better roads with trees on the sides and inbetween on the divider must be constructed and schools and other educational institutions must be roped and more and more awareness must be created.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Lt Gen Bikram Singh's appointment as COAS

Supreme Court has rightly thrown out the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the appointment of Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh as the next Chief of Army staff, which was downright communal and completely baseless. Its a pity that very learned and honorary people like like former Chief of Naval Staff L Ramdas and former Chief Election Commissioner, N Gopalaswami were among the petitioners and played at the hands of communal forces active in our country. 


BJP & RSS are the most frustrated lot after second successive defeat at the hands of the Congress and so they are very strategically trying to create an issue out of everything that Congress Govt at the centre does. This PIL against the appointment of Lt. Gen Bikram Singh was the most recent attempt in that direction.


 This is very clear from the Communal Tone of the PIL and the reasons given to oppose this appointment. The Honorable RSS Petitioners dragged Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and former Army Chief JJ Singh into the row. They had alleged that the SGPC had lobbied for Bikram Singh's elevation, while the succession plan for ensuring his appointment to the top post had been put in place way back in 2005 when JJ Singh was the Army Chief.


One fails to understand how come SGPC all of sudden became so powerful and influential after 65 yrs of independence that it could lobby and get its man appointed as COAS and that too when Akalis themselves are anti- Congress and have coalition government with BJP? 


Secondly, what mechanism that Gen JJ Singh put in place in 2005 that even after 7 years, his thoughts came to reality? Did he pass any such orders, signed by him, that could not be violated even after 7 years? Sheer nonsense. How could JJ Singh's plans be so powerful that no other Army office dared to oppose that even after 7 years and all silently accepted the appointment of Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh over them when they themselves were more competent?


Petitioners claimed that they had challenged Singh's appointment on two grounds - 


First, a case was pending in the J&K High Court about his alleged role in a fake encounter in 2001.


Secondly, a Court of Inquiry was on into the reported excess committed by the Indian forces in congo in 2007 when Singh was commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in that country.


Court's stand on first allegation-  No way could the 2001 encounter be fake as Bikram Singh himself had suffered a gunshot injury in the incident and remained hospitalised for two months.


Quoting Major Navdeep Singh (his blog - http://www.indianmilitary.info/), he personally knew two of the officers present in the incident - Late Col J P Janu, commanding a Territorial Army Battalion and the other was Late Lieutenant Bikramjit Bajwa. While Col Janu lost his life, Lt Bajwa lost his limbs in the same incident.


May be the petitioners feel that Lt. Gen Bikram Singh conducted the fake encounter, got himself shot and then killed Col Janu and also managed to attack Lt. Bajwa. This renders me speechless.


If the petitioners are so much concerned about human rights violations, they may kindly visit Kashmir, see the list of cases pending and start working on them. Would they dare to do that?
Did they ever file any PIL against Gujarat CM Narendra Modi for organizing an anti-Muslim Pogrom in Gujarat and killing innocent people? How would Mr. Gopalaswami do that when he himself is a Gujarat cadre IAS officer? BJP was the only party to support the then Chief Election Commissioner Mr N Gopalaswami’s decision to recommend the removal of Commissioner Mr Navin Chawla barely three months before the CEC retired. After the Shah Commission’s indicted Mr. Chawla, he should not have been in public service. But the BJP did not object to his postings until 2005, including important ones under its own rule. It raked up the  issue when the Mr. Gopalaswami took action, to despicably self-serving ends. (http://www.sacw.net/article671.html - India: Cultural Aggression in The Name of Hindutva).


 This PIL was purely communal and was filed at the behest of RSS and BJP with two motives - One was not find a fault and wrong- intention in all what Congress does and second was to create an Anti-Sikh sentiment and stop a Sikh from becoming the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. Both these motives led to the basic or final goal- misguide the Hindu majority by creating sentiments against other communities and Congress and win the next elections.

Monday 16 April 2012

BCCI Funds swallowed, Stadium eludes J&K

From Jammu Tribune- dated- 16 April 2012


"Instead of utilising BCCI funds for the promotion of cricket in the state, Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Officials (JKCA) are spending it for their own personal use" - A CRICKETER 


Even the JKCA is struggling to wriggle out of the recent multi-crore scam that has left the cricketing fraternity shocked, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium, after successfully hosting IPL matches, is now all set to host its first one-day international match during Team India's home series against England.


The postponement of the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the proposed INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM at Bajalta on March 18 came as a setback for cricketers of Jammu & Kashmir who were waiting for a long time for the construction of the dream project. 


A cricketer said - "Ever since we started playing cricket, we were told by JKCA officials that an exclusive cricket stadium of international repute would soon be constructed, but all these claims fell flat. We are now on the verge of taking retirement from the game and even the foundation stone has not been laid till date at the proposed site."


Another cricketer said - "HPCA has made rapid strides in a short span of time in International Cricket and was promoting its cricketers at higher levels."

Jammu enters TRAFFIC DANGER ZONE.

On an average, there are around 200 deaths every year in Jammu district alone. This is quite high, considering a small city like jammu, which has road length of 704.22 kilometres only and total number of vehicles in Jammu District are only 4,75,613 till February 2012.


Traffic density is quite high at 574 vehicles per kilometre and what makes it worst is absence of Traffic Lights, no rules or proper place for parking and narrow roads which have not been widened in last 2 decades.


There have been 800 deaths in almost 6000 road accidents in last 4 years. Jammu has witnessed nearly 18% increase in the vehicular population since 1982 and that too without any improvement in road conditions.


About 3000 new vehicles are hitting the road in the district every month and with already such high density of vehicles, Jammu has entered TRAFFIC DANGER ZONE.


SSP(Traffic) Manmohan Singh says that only 288 Cops are regulating traffic in Jammu district and Traffic Police is facing shortage of nearly 50% manpower. He laid stress on a multi-pronged strategy to decongest the roads in the district.

Thursday 12 April 2012

If U are appointed as Prime Minister!

Ever since I have been tweeting and in discussion with friends or go through general discussions/comments on twitter, I have seen people literally abusing Dr. Manmohan Singh. He is blamed for being face of the Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty, for being a puppet and for being a remote controlled Prime Minister. Though almost everyone agrees that as an individual, Dr. Singh is honest but he is blamed for being unable to prevent scam after scam being exposed in UPA- II.


Though I personally agree that many scams have been unearthed and corruption rules the roost, a thought struck my mind that what if any one of us is appointed as Prime Minister in his place and what different we would do, what he couldnt? 


I request you and all other readers of this post to kindly give your feedback, your personal opinion that "What would U do if U are elected as a Prime Minister, in place of Dr. Manmohan Singh?" How will U eradicate corruption? Eradicating corruption is the first step towards taking every positive step and making it a success. It because of corrupt at the top that all policies fail and we dont get the desired results.


While giving your reply, you have to consider every other condition, situation as the same. Same cabinet of ministers, same UPA MPs and same situation nation-wide.


Kindly tweet your reply at @gurpreetsinghin or e-mail your detailed reply at singh.gurpreetonline@gmail.com. Thanks a lot to you all in advance for sparing time to read this post and for replying.