Infiltration ‘spring’ of insurgency
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Sept 28 — Emphasis was given on tackling infiltration from across the border at a meeting of the Unified Command which was presided over by the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, here today.

The meeting was convened to review the security scenario in the Jammu region in the context of the reports that during the past five months the rate of infiltration of foreign mercenaries from across Poonch, Rajouri and other areas of the international border had increased.

In the beginning, the corps commander, Lt-Gen H.M.Khanna, gave a resume of the measures the security forces had taken to check infiltration and tackle the activities of the militants. He is said to have informed the meeting that a large number of militants, especially foreign mercenaries, had been eliminated under the seek and destroy operation launched by the troops in several areas, especially in the Poonch and Rajouri sectors.

The Chief Minister emphasised the need for halting infiltration saying that the spring of insurgency would dry only when infiltration and arms smuggling from across the border were fully stopped.

The meeting, which was attended by the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, and senior officers of the BSF and the CRPF, favoured deployment of troops in counter-insurgency operations. It was pointed out that areas from where the troops had been withdrawn to be deployed on the border following armed conflict in Kargil had registered a sharp step-up in militancy related violence.

General Khanna informed the Chief Minister that the Army had been gradually deployed for anti-insurgency operations. In this connection he referred to Rajouri and Poonch and said the troops had moved to the depth areas for carrying out seek and destroy operation and during the past 10 days several operations against the militants had proved successful.

At the meeting stress was laid on improving the coordination among various security agencies. The Chief Minister and other officers favoured joint operations against the militants. Emphasis was given on improving the intelligence network to that the security forces had specific and exact information about the hideouts and plans of the militants which could help the security forces to launch result-oriented operations.

Shikarawallahs fight for survival
From Kavita Bhargava

JAMMU: After a gap of nearly a decade, the shikarawallahs who used to provide joyrides to tourists and carry them to various places on majestic Dal Lake had geared up this summer to receive tourists who had arrived in great numbers to this beautiful destination once again.

Thanks to the efforts of the J&K Tourism Secretary, Mr Parvez Dewan, there was a great rush of domestic and foreign tourists to the Kashmir valley and the state government was equally hopeful, along with these shikarawallahs, about having a good tourist reason. But that was not to be.

Suddenly one morning, tourists in Kashmir valley woke up to find that Srinagar airport was sealed and the IAF had launched air strikes in Kargil to clear the Pakistani intruders from the area. And all of them left in panic dashing all hopes of shikarawallahs to the ground. In May, 400 of the 2100 registered shikarawallahs had got loans of Rs 25,000 each. With this amount, they had renovated their source of livelihood in the hope that they would be able to repay most of it following a good tourist season.

Today, once again these shikarawallahs are a suffering lot and are struggling hard for survival. All these years, these shikarawallahs were forced to take alternate jobs like those of vegetable sellers, vendors and even labourers to support their families.

"The state government should have provided loans to almost all of us. But instead it was given to only 400", said Bashir Ahmed, another shikarawallah, adding that owing to lack of financial support, they were facing a lot of problems. He pointed out that they had approached the Tourism Department a number of times in these two months to provide loans to them also but the reply always came that the state was facing a financial crunch. Till the coffers were filled, they had been asked to wait.

All J&K Taxi Shikara Owners Association president Gulam Mohammad Dar said since September 1989, their earnings had been meagre. Before the turmoil the daily average earning of a shikarawallah was Rs 300 to 400. But the situation was quite bad till 1997 with the maximum earning being Rs 50 a day.

Interestingly, after 1997, a lot of local residents came out to have boat rides on Dal Lake. At present, they are earning Rs 100 to 200 a day but that is not adequate to sustain a family of eight to 10 persons.

At the Gagribal Ghat opposite Nehru Park island, there used to be 160 shikaras. The number now is just 15. Most shikaras are damaged. Almost all shikarawallahs, who owned three to four shikaras each, are left with one shikara only. For buying a fully decorated shikara, they need Rs 35,000 which, in the present circumstances, is a big amount. "We are the sole earning members of our families. You can well imagine what would have happened to 2100 families who were dependent on income from shikaras," says Bashir Ahmed, secretary of the All J&K Shikara Workers Union. Many of their children have moved to Delhi for work.

Not only shikarawallahs, but the plight of 65 motorboatwallahs who used to provide rides to the tourists on Dal Lake is pathetic. Abdul Gani, a motorboat driver, informs that a loan of Rs 40,000 had been sanctioned for him but he did not get it.

With the recent announcement made by the J&K Tourism Department that it has formulated a Rs 26.66-crore comprehensive package programme for revival of tourism by way of providing relief, soft loans and financial assistance to the shikarawallahs, ponywallas, motor and bathing boat owners, these people are hopeful of an increase in their earning.