You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'Economy' category.
Paradise on earth!
Is it really a piece of land which the Emperor had lavished all praise on, Naseer A Ganai comments on the other side of beauty and tourism which Kashmir is known for the worldover
(from greaterkashmir.com)
Crores of rupees are being spent on propaganda that the Kashmir is paradise on earth. That Dal is the World famous. That Lake Geneva is nothing before it. That Mughal Gardens have no parallel in the world. So the tourists should come here to have feel of paradise. This propaganda is going on for several years and it is gaining momentum with every passing day. To give credence to their claim that there is no place like Kashmir in the world, some verses of poets are being quoted. That Aghar Firdous Bar Rooye Zameen Ast, Hameen Ast-o-Hameen As-o-Astt. It might have been true some 300 years ago, but the Persian couplet is not reflection of today’s Kashmir. Today’s Kashmir is an insult to couplet itself and those who utter it.
Is Kashmir really a world class destination and tourism is only sector here which requires development. Or was Kashmir a world class tourist destination where lakhs of people were visiting before the inception of the present movement in 1990. In 1988-89 only 60,000 foreigners visited ‘paradise on earth’ and this is the highest number of foreigners who ever visited Kashmir in such a ‘huge’ number. Compare these figures with Bali, Vienna and other place where Governments never claimed of having places in their country, which resemble paradise. Over 1,247,867 tourists visited Bali from January to October 2005. 21 million tourists visited Prague since April 2005 until March 2006. Ironically, the Government’s of these places never claimed that they are in possession of paradise on earth.
An overview of the ‘paradise’
Last year in this paradise, officials figures say, 1620 incidents took place killing 911 civilians, injuring 1018 others. In six months of this year over 500 persons were booked under Public Safety Act. And there might be no record available of those who were picked up for questioning by police and other agencies and later released after seven, eight days or a month.
But ironically there are voices in Kashmir, which accuse media of blowing small incidents taking place in Kashmir out of proportion. The pro-India politicians including present and former chief minister have been on forefront to criticize media when it highlights incidents. Last year former Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffer Hussein Baig while addressing tour and travel agents in Mumbai cited an incident, which took place in Pahalgam and said media presented the incident in such a manner as if whole Kashmir was burning.
But is not Kashmir burning? Are not 1620 incidents and killings of 911 civilians or killing of 576 militants and 175 police and force personnel indication that Kashmir is burning. That situation in Kashmir is not normal. Last year tourism and tour operators invited journalists asking them they were projecting violence in Kashmir, which affects tourism. And asked journalists to present actual view of what is happening in the State. The actual view to them is not to highlight when someone gets killed or injured. They forget Kashmir is internationally recognized dispute and office of United Nations Militarily Observers Group at Sonwar is small example of it. So any incident howsoever small should have space in BBC, CNN, Newyork Times, The Guardian, Le Monde and all other media organizations of the world. It should have favored everyone and it could have brought pressure on parties of the dispute to solve Kashmir issue once and forever. These people who come up with these facile arguments should understand that ignorance by media leads the State into complacency and people into desperation and it benefits no one. Here media does not project or report five per cent of what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir and by telling it ignore this five per cent could bring disaster. A mere look at Doordarshan gives impression to viewers that Kashmir is a fairyland where every youth is bothered about why his or her beloved is unhappy with her or him. Though Kashmir is burning, the ‘singers,’ ‘poets’ and ‘artists’ here never came out of Zulfi Shamar and Chasmi Badam.
How to attract tourists?
Instead of persisting with paradise rhetoric, showing tourists wandering in Shikars in polluted waters infamous Dal Lake and projecting number of visiting tourists as sign of normalcy, Government could act honestly and portray the right picture. Because portrayal of visit of tourists as sign of normalcy is more of a political statement indicating Kashmir no longer is the dispute. That is the reason that pro-India parties accuse each other of sexing up figures of tourists to show Kashmir was normal in their regimes.
The honest way is that Kashmir be declared fit for adventure tourism. The State should advertise outside that it is unique paradise where facelift is being given to bunkers, though bunker is bunker even if it gets facelift from the best of the painters. In advertisement should read that in Kashmir you have look at ruined buildings, gutted houses, encounter sites, jails where youth of Kashmir are rotting. The place, where Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Disturbed Areas Act, and scores of other acts in vogue. It should welcome people to this human zoo and in Western countries there are lakhs of people who love human zoos.
Is tourism indispensable for economy
Just have look at a newspaper report (Greater Kashmir Dec 31): “The valley received 4,84,000 poultry birds from December 29 to December 31. The highest number of poultry imported to valley was on December 29. The valley received a record number of 3.72 lakh birds through 120 vehicles on the day and 3 lakh broiler were carried in 100 vehicles while as 15 vehicles carried 37,500 layer birds. The estimated cost of the imported poultry was put by the report as Rs 24200000.” Here eggs, poultry, sheep, and everything goes from Srinagar to villages, which are being imported from Punjab, Haryana, Rajisthan and other States. Earlier in 2006, when the State Government banned the import of poultry, there was strong reaction from Punjab. They forced the Government to revoke the ban. In Kashmir, Rs 700 crore is poultry consumption only and all this is coming from Punjab and Haryana. Economist here say the State of Jammu and Kashmir is feeding six States. Still Kashmiris have notion that Government of India is feeding them. The State suffer loss of Rs 6000 crore on account of Indus Water Treaty. The loss is neither compensated by India nor by Pakistan. The people who deserve free electricity because their resources are exploited are being taxed.
The agriculture and the horticulture were two important pillars of Kashmir economy and no one talks about them. The decreasing of agriculture land and problems of those people dealing with horticulture sectors were never addressed by the mainstream politicians. Tourism remained always on their agenda because it was New Delhi’s agenda.
Roads
The Doda-Kapran road has not been completed for last 30 years, which could have, reduced distance between Doda district and Kashmir Valley to few hours. The road requires only 46 crores. Mughal road always remained a slogan and it has been never allowed to complete. It requires only Rs 150 crore and it is only 84 kms long reducing distance between Poonch, Rajouri to Kashmir valley to few hours.
But Gondola project could be completed within few years. And work on 350 kms railwayline, which would join Kashmir valley to the Indian Railways Network is a Rs 10,000 crore project (Indian Express December 31). And work on the project is going on. Why New Delhi is prompt on these projects and why it is slow on the road projects for last 50 years. Any answers.
Copyright and courtesy of Greater Kashmir. com [link]
Copyright concern? email: media.kashmir [at] gmail.com
Kashmir imbroglio-an identity problem
The dispute could be resolved by addressing the roots of the problem,
says S G H Naqshbandi
(from greaterkashmir.com)
As a result of new world realities the Kashmir question has once again come to limelight and both India and Pakistan are trying for a viable solution to this vexed problem and restoration of peace in this trouble-torn region. In this regard some some confidence building measures like that of ceasefire on the line of control, exchange of POWs and civilian prisoners, exchange of parliamentarians, journalists, writers, social activists, followed by fresh round of talks between the external affairs secretary of Pakistan and Indian foreign secretary has started.
The UPA government favours talking to APHC and will not be rigid in talks with separatist groups and would talk with an open mind.
The world’s newly changed nature in which the socialists and western liberal models have been changing into a supra national model and each nation is undergoing internal democratic changes as also the struggle of ethnic minorities, for recongition of their distinct identities have erupted. West is saying good bye to nationalism and third world to non-alignment and engaged in the formations of international superstructures like European Union, SAARC, Asean, OIC, OAU, IMF and World Bank etc. Uniparty system yielding place to multiparty system, coupled with emergence of ethnic struggles in Russia, China, Africa, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan including Kashmir are continuing unabated. In the process of globalization and interdependence national interest has turned into global one.
In today’s world no country can progress by adopting a confrontationist policy. Sooner the disputes are settled, the better it is. In this way the heavy expenditure on military and security will be reduced enabling the recovery from economic crises.
The method of dialogue and discussion, not force, is the only way to solve long standing problems. Kashmir is no exception to it. It continues to be a bleeding wound and malignancy. The practice of past 15 years shows that the practice of bullet for bullet has failed in Kashmir and elsewhere.
For sale…Yeh Gulistan Hamara
Gulmarg land to be auctioned this week,
outside state investors solicited
M Hyderi
(from greakashmir.com)
Srinagar, Nov 5: Notwithstanding the public outcry and resentment over the proposed leasing of land in Gulmarg, now sensing calm the government after six months has decided to commence bidding of land amidst meadows. It took government six months to prepare auctioning plan for land in Gulmarg, authoritative sources told Greater Kashmir. They do add that a similar proposal for Pahalgam is in the offing.
The whole bidding process will commence this week with non-Kashmiris investors expected to emerge as main players in bidding deal. On October 17 this year, the state Cabinet had sanctioned the auction of 560 kanals of land through an Auction Committee, for construction of hotels, restaurants and other tourism related facilities in the virgin valley of Dhobighat. Since then, the auction notification awaited a green signal from the Civil Secretariat. Sources said the Secretariat started the correspondence with the concerned agencies few days before the Darbar closed here.
The Auction Committee headed by District Development Commissioner Varmul has been asked to finalize the formalities for the auction and float tenders through print and electronic media, sources said.
Bids will start from minimum reserved price of Rs 15 lakh per kanal. A plot area ceiling for hotels is of 16 kanals and not more than one plot will be allotted to a bidding family taking the total minimum investment for the hotel land to Rs 24 million.
Even though the authorities said that the land would be leased to state subjects alone who could go for joint ventures with outsiders, sources said the tenders could be bagged by big players from outside –financially more sound than the locals, who are presently inquiring about the tenders.
The present law of land abets it. Legal experts say the amendments made to the state’s Land Grants Rules during the regime of then Chief Minister Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah allows land to be leased to the outsiders for 99 years.
Kashmir’s private sector blooms in Rengreth I E
M Hyderi
(from greaterkashmir.com)
Srinagar, Nov 3: Salary as high as Rs 40 thousand/month. Work environment: choice of three shifts a day. Demand exceeding production. Broadband internet 24*7 connectivity. Well this is not about the corporate world outside state, but some of the attractions at industrial estate Rangreth here. For those who think industrialization does not bloom in Kashmir, this estate can change their outlook. A recent visit to this estate served an eye-opener to the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad who could not help but express surprise over the state-of-the-art machinery and work culture in the estate. From a small enterprise making detergent to a potential IT company with clients like Microsoft, Wipro and CISCO, the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) developed estate has a glory to reveal. Housing 189 big and small industrial units with an overall investment of Rs 185 crores the estate has given employment to over three thousand Kashmiris. And in the coming months there will be hundreds of new jobs opportunities.
Technology first
Jehangir Raina, a post-graduate from England who worked abroad always desired to return to his homeland Kashmir and start his own Market Research based IT company.
Some four years ago he started the venture at the estate. He didn’t have to waste time in constructing a building. He got built-in accommodation from SIDCO responsible for the promotion and development of the industrial sector. Internet connectivity was provided by earth-station of the Software Technology Park, adjacent to his unit. Jehangir is contented with his company that provides job to over a dozen odd professionals from the field of IT and management. His company, I-Locus prepares market research documents on global telecom business. “Microsoft and IBM are some household names, there are other giants too in our client list including Alkatel,” he said. “There were some constraints and challenges but we overcame it… It’s feasible to run business in Kashmir, but you need to have patience,” Raina opines adding that he intends to employ another 30 employees by early next year.
Besides I-locus, there is BQE, a US based software development-company run by Kashmiri entrepreneurs. Dozens of professionals working at this offshore office earn handsome bucks ranging between Rs 8 to 40 thousand per month. The estate even houses a government recognized computer institute, DOEACC. Thousands of IT professionals in the streams of Hardware, Software and Networking have qualified in skilled programs. Looking at the growing demand of professionals in the BPO sector, the center Director AH Moon also started special programs in voice and accent training. Given the expanding market of mobile telephony, the center has also launched a program in mobile repairs. Some of the pass-outs have started their own ventures.
Will and the way
