....UNTIL DISASTER STRUCK

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again...

In the aftermath of the massive disaster in Leh, there is no place for complacence in the efforts to restore normalcy and sanity to the land that many escaped to looking for the same. Every helping hand will count.

While the immediate need is rescue and relief, the long term challenges are intimidating and growing by the hour. Speaking over the phone to TSI, Miss Shazia Kawos of the Leh-based Red Cross Society highlighted the rescue efforts and the challenges Leh-Ladakh faces. 3000 liters of fresh water is being pumped out every hour, she says, from two water purification units arranged for by Red Cross in Choglamsar. But do victims in remote villages, those most violently affected, have access to the basic amenities like water and shelter?

The answer is: not yet.

The main issue is therefore, shortage of manpower. The Indian Army and Air Force had been engaged immediately to penetrate the affected areas for aid and rescue, but even their numbers are falling short in the race against time.

As Miss Kawos points out, Red Cross and various other NGOs are involved in collecting and airlifting gumboots and kitchen sets from Delhi (special mention to the airlines for their contribution), but again the pressing challenge is dispatching them to the remotest areas.

Simultaneously, efforts are being made by the J&K administration and other organisations to identify and indemnify the victims. A number of help lines have been established to solely focus on tracking the missing and informing the families. With winters just around the corner, rescue and rehabilitation is further going to be an uphill task. Tents and camps will do little to protect from the extreme weather if there aren't sufficient blankets and mattresses.

As citizen volunteers, there are many ways to contribute. Those living close to Leh could directly get in touch with Red Cross. Others could help with contributions of warm clothing. You could send your donations to donations@savethechildren.in. Organisations like Give India and Oxfam India are accessible through their websites: www.giveindia.org & www.oxfamindia.org respectively. There are also the PM & CM relief funds to turn to.

Let us, in this hour of crisis, chip in for the sake of humanity.

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BLISS AT EVERY TURN....

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As the Leh tragedy makes headlines, I, like many others I know, find the heart rending images of the disaster looming large over memories of visuals and vistas that had stunned us in refreshing and happier ways. A fortnight spent in the magical bliss of the Himalayan town a few years back is something to cherish now, more than ever. My intimacy with Leh began without the highly-recommended drive or the snow. My very first memory is that of slowly de-boarding the plane in a dazed state, held agape by the breathtaking landscape. The Leh airport situated at a majestic 3,250m overlooks an overwhelming carpet of stark-brown terrain, delicately bordered by soaring golden mountains.

We ' a few dozen of us ' were there on a mission: to organise the building of a monastery in the village of Ladakh for the locals. Fortunately, I could afford to spend a couple of sunny days in Leh before drifting into the wilderness of Ladakh.

Leh is almost a shy town, serene except for the ubiquitous commotion of tourists. It is a common sight to spot foreigners (Germans and Israelis particularly) on their bikes waiting to get a dose of the mountain roads. Street food is restricted to North-east Indian cuisine; the town does throw some surprises in the form of Gesmo Restaurant and II Forno for the '5-course' aficionados.

After spending two lazy days in the beautiful town, I reached an anonymous spot in the mountains of Ladakh, laced with colourful tents and a half-built monastery ' it was the construction site. Bang in the middle of nowhere, it was to be my home for the next week.

The week passed by sooner than I'd wanted; the stress of manual labour of the day was washed away every night by the sight of the glimmering sky embroidered with a billion stars so bright and clear that one was compelled to question the reality of the moment. Nights in the mountains of Ladakh are divine experiences that shine the brightest in the memories' hall of fame.

It was customary for campers to visit the homes of locals. The indigenous people of Ladakh are the warmest you'd meet anywhere. A cup of salted butter tea ' a warm, thick, vapid liquid derived from yak butter ' was religiously offered to every guest, irrespective of their preferences! And the sincere hospitality is such that you fear offending them by refusing it.

Beyond the butter-tea, they escort you to the nearest monastery (Gompa, they call it). As young children clad in the traditional red Buddhist robes welcome visitors, an ineffable bond is forged across cultures and borders.

After an exhilarating trek in the mountains, it was finally my moment to be introduced to the Pangong Lake. A water body that looked unacquainted with the dimensions of space and time. A blue cocoon formed of the union of the sky and the mountains.

Paradise was the least of praise I could offer.

I remember driving back from Pangong to the airport with the feeling that the place had lifted me. There was also pain, in a wistful way, but nothing like what I feel now as I wince at the pristine landscape disfigured by flash floods and mudslides'

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NARESH SIROHI, NATIONAL GENERAL SECRETARY, BJP KISAN MORCHA

IIPM Proves Its Mettle Once Again...

Farmers' woes Whose land is it anyway?
A holistic land acquisition policy to protect farmers from penury has been long overdue

A scramble to grab the land of farmers is on around the entire country. Industrialists and the powers-that-be have joined hands in this conspiracy of acquiring land at a negligible price. On the land holdings on which depend the future of farmers, hawks and alligators have trained their eyes.

I will begin with an example. In 1996, land for Sector 62 in Noida was acquired from the villages of Bahlaulpur, Navaada and Rasoolpur. You must be aware that today this sector is among the most developed institutional areas of the country and the cost of even one square metre is in lakhs of rupees. At that time the rate of land was fixed at Rs 69 per square metre. The farmers protested against the low price. I went to meet the then CEO of the Noida Authority, Ravi Mathur, as a representative of the farmers. During the discussion, I asked the IAS officer about the rate per metre of the cloth of the coat he was wearing. The answer: Rs 700 per metre. I asked him if the rate of the fertile land should be less than even the cost of the cloth for his coat. The coat, I argued, would not be worn for more than four-five years, but the land they were going to acquire would support several generations of farmers. Anyway, Mr Mathur accepted our proposal and raised the rate of compensation from Rs 69 to Rs 360 per square metre. He also ordered that 10 per cent of the land be given to the farmers.

India lacks a proper law on land acquisition and the government has no clear policy. The laws appled today were made by the British in 1894 with an aim to grab the maximum land in India. According to this law, the government can acquire land in the public interest to build schools and hospitals. If the land is acquired with this aim it is good, but if it is acquired and then given to an industrialist at throwaway prices, who make crores out of it, it is clearly unjustified.

But this is what's happening. Land is being acquired in the name of public interest and given to businessmen and builders. Take the case of Noida-Agra Expressway for which the BSP government of Uttar Pradesh is acquiring land from the farmers and plans to make a toll road and develop townships and commercial complexes on either side of the road. The company making the road will earn huge profits from the toll-tax and the builders will make money from the complexes. And what about the farmers, the original owners of the land? Well, a paltry compensation that will probably not suffice even to meet the needs of the present generation, let alone the coming ones! Farmers are always cheated. When the government acquires land, it pays compensation as per agricultural land prices. But as soon as this agricultural land is converted into commercial or residential land, its rates increase manifold. Thus the government should compensate the farmers as per the expected rate of the commercial land after the conversion. Besides, farmers should be assured jobs and given plots and shares according to the ratio of their land. Also, the farmers should get the right to bargain for their land so that he is able decide to whom and at what rate he should sell his land instead letting it be acquired under coercion. Around 30 per cent of profits of the project should got to the farmer who owned the land. The government acquired land large scale during the 1970s and 1980s in the vicinity of Delhi to establish industries. Land acquired at throwaway prices is being given to hotels and shopping malls. Is that justified? I know many farmers on whose land big industries have come up but their children are jobless or daily wage workers.

There is the 'pagdi' tradition in the case of shops in our country. The condition is that whenever the tenant will lease it to a new person he will pay a part of the raised rent and also a portion of the pagdi to the shop owner. The same should be followed here also. If the industrialist sells the land to someone else or uses it to build a mall or a hotel, a portion of the increased price should go to the farmer. I would like to dispel this notion that farmers are getting rich. Only a small number of farmers have become crorepatis as a result of the compensation they have received. In most cases of land acquisition, farmers have been devastated. The gap between acquisition and payment of compensation is many years. Once the land is acquired, the farmer becomes jobless and he takes loans from the moneylender. When he gets the compensation, it goes into paying interest to the moneylender. The principal is repaid when he gets a plot mucn later. Yes, some farmers who got the compensation and their plot simultaneously to prosper a little. But their number is negligible. If we have to save our farmers, we will have to formulate a holistic policy. It is also important to save our farmland for the cause of food security.

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PUNJAB RELIGION: Ring Tone Controversy

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SGPC Chief objects to the use of 'gurbani' as Ring Tone

The president of Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Avtar Singh Makkar, has objected to the use of 'gurbani' as ring tone that are extremely popular among the Sikhs. He said its use is against the scriptures.

Makkar's comment has triggered a heated debate with some Sikhs questioning his wisdom. Last week, addressing a gathering, Makkar warned cellular companies from using word 'Gana' (song) for Gurbani.

The SGPC chief said word 'Gana' cannot be used for Shabad (religious song). He said that he had warned cellular companies to stop this earlier but they did not bother. Makkar said: 'If cellular companies do not take serious note of this warning then we will take strict action against them.'

An official from a cellular company, on the condition of anonymity, said: 'We don't have any intention to disrespect any religion. It is a prerecorded message and it is used for every kind of musical ring tone be it Shabad, Bhajan, song, prayers etc.'

S. Daljit Singh, editor, Amritsar Times, said he agrees with Makkar on this issue. 'Cellular companies should pay attention towards this issue.

May be they do not have wrong intention but since this issue is in the news now, they should change their prerecorded message. It is not an issue of Sikh, but applies to other religions too. They should pay respect to every religion. It is a matter of sentiments.'

However, a senior research fellow of Panjab University, Upneet Mangat, said: 'I think if a ring tone takes the religious message to the youth. This should be viewed positively.' There are mixed reactions on this issue.

Many people say the SGPC chief is just squabbling over trifles. There are many other challenges, being faced by the Sikh religion. Dr. HS Randhawa, Retd. Professor, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana said: 'The Shiromani committee has an annual budget of billions. Also it has a separate budget for promotion of religion. Besides, there are many issues related to the Sikh religion that are yet to be solved. Sikh leaders should pay attention towards these issues like education, curb social evils like caste and intolerance. Ring tone is not a big issue. May be companies are not aware about this.' The Shiromani committee has an annual budget of Rs. 508 crore for the year 2010-11, from which Rs. 46 crore was earmarked for religious activities.

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