A bus ride from Budgam’s villages in search of daily employment

Private buses have become the lifeline of people travelling to Srinagar in search of work, following a fall in prices of carpets they traditionally weaved in their households   Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir: Placing a lunchbox in his bag, Altaf Ahmad Dar (37) of Mukam in Budgam district walks to the nearby Watrahail bus stand from his home. It is 7 am, and before 9 am he has to be at Hyderpora Chowk where labourers usually assemble to find work for the day. Dar is an unskilled labourer who goes to Srinagar city for work. The private bus he boarded will leave the village at 7.30 am and reach Hyderpora Chowk in 50 minutes. In the evening, he returns home by the same bus. This has been his daily routine, except on Fridays. The decline of traditional carpet weaving in the villages of Budgam and the construction boom in Srinagar have made hundreds of such labourers from rural Budgam travel to Srinagar for casual jobs. This shift towards the city for work has given a new impetus to the village bus services, too.“Around a decade ago, hardly anyone from the villages in Budgam travelled daily to Srinagar,” recalls Majeed Ahmad Sheikh (40), who has been a bus conductor on different bus routes for the last 15 years. The bus has a monthly collection of around Rs 30,000, while Majeed's monthly wages is Rs 8,000. Before becoming a bus conductor, Majeed used to weave carpet in Hukhlatri, his village.“The state road transport corporation runs only around 250 government buses from Srinagar to semi-urban areas, but we have around 500 buses at Parimpora bus stand and another 500 at Pantha Chowk bus stand located south of Srinagar and other bus stands in North Kashmir. It is the private buses that go to far flung villages,” Mohammad Yusuf, chief administrator, the Western Bus Service Limited, tells 101Reporters.The office of Western Bus Service (Photo - Mukhtar Dar, 101Reporters) The Western Bus Service runs around 100 buses to the villages of Budgam alone, and reach even the previously unreachable regions of the Valley. “For the last 70 years, we have been serving transportation in Kashmir,” Yusuf says. Majeed notes that 90% of the passengers that he gets are labourers who travel to the city for employment. “All the buses that travel through Raiyar, Khan Sahib, Yarkha, Watrahail, Bonit, Hukhlatri and Danas in Budgam have their timings planned according to the schedules of these labourers. Around 6 pm, these buses reach Hyderpora, where labourers will be waiting for it to get back home. The buses halt in the villages from where they are bound to start their journey the next day,” he says.Majeed knows well that he would have lost his employment if not for these labourers. In fact, it is more a case of interdependence of labourers and bus staff.Bus leaves from Hukhlatri early in the morning (Photo - Mukhtar Dar, 101Reporters)The downfall of handicraftsAround 100 carpet weavers were present in Hukhlatri village, located 27 km from Srinagar, in 2005. Today, hardly anyone does that work. As per the official figures, handicrafts exports from Kashmir dropped to Rs 635 crore in 2020–21 from Rs 1,151 crore in 2016–17, indicating a 44% decline in a short time.As a result, almost all the labourers associated with Pashmina, carpet weaving and other handicrafts switched to jobs in cities. While skilled jobs such as masonry and carpentry are available in Srinagar, there is also no dearth of unskilled jobs such as serving as helpers of masons.  Ghulam Nabi Bhat (55), who used to weave carpets at his home in Hukhlatri, tells 101Reporters that he could earn about Rs 700 working from home a decade ago. “Now, we have to go to Srinagar early in the morning to find work, and only make about Rs 500 by the end of the day.”  It is tough for Ghulam Nabi to do manual labour because he is older now, but he has no other choice to support his family. "There are thousands of artisans like me, whose livelihood got disturbed with the fading away of handicrafts."  Farooq Ahmad Dar (38) and his brother Bashir Ahmad Dar (44) have been weaving handmade carpets from the age of 15 to earn a livelihood. They then earned Rs 500 to 700 daily, which came down to Rs 300 when the carpet prices crashed.  Now both brothers work as casual labourers in Srinagar. “We were earning a handsome amount by weaving carpets. However, the introduction of machine-made carpets reduced their prices and began to affect our livelihoods after 2010,” says Farooq.Labourers going to Srinagar in the bus (Photo - Mukhtar Dar, 101Reporters)Shared taxis to e-busesThere was a festival-like atmosphere in Hukhlatri, when a private bus, the first bus ever to the place, reached the village in 1989. “Everyone welcomed the bus. It was as if a feast was happening in the village. No one had private vehicles then. The bus making its night halt in the village meant a lot to the villagers. It could be used in case of a health emergency at night,” Bashir Ahmad Bhat (37), a government schoolteacher, tells 101Reporters.  Bashir says the bus service played a pivotal role, helping him in pursuing college education in Srinagar. “Students paid half the fare. Like me, around 30 students were studying at Bemina College in Srinagar at that time. Almost all of them are in good posts, mostly as teachers. Up to 2010, it was the only transport service that connected our village with Srinagar,” he adds. With the introduction of speedy transport services such as shared taxis (locally known as sumos) to the villages and with health and educational facilities improving in rural areas, the importance of bus services does not remain the same anymore in meeting educational or health needs. “Around six sumos operate on this route now. They run fast, so most people prefer it,” says Bashir.In 2015, the bus to Hukhlatri stopped services as it was not getting enough passengers. Subsequently, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh (45) and other labourers from Hukhlatri approached the Western Bus Service office and sought the relaunch of the service. Labourers started to increasingly travel to Srinagar for work only in 2017. “Around 40 to 50 labourers from Hukhlatri and nearby Ramhuma and Churamujra now take this bus daily. It costs Rs 80 to reach Srinagar in a sumo. But if one takes the bus, it costs only Rs 30,” Mushtaq tells 101Reporters.  However, private transporters have been facing challenges since 2017, when the private bus stand in Batmaloo was shifted to Parimpora in a bid to decongest the city. “Batmaloo bus stand stood in the heart of Srinagar and could be easily accessed by everyone. But the new place is five km from the city’s main area. Hardly anyone comes here. Nowadays, we only pick passengers from roadsides on the outskirts of Srinagar,” he details. Majeed claims that the 5 pm buses from Parimpora hardly get any passengers until it crosses Bemina. Labourers start boarding these buses bound for various villages in Budgam — Raiyar, Khanshab, Yarkha, Watrahail, Bonit, Watrahail, Hukhlatri and Danas, to name a few — at Tengpora, Hyderpora, Humhuma and Ompora. It takes an hour for the bus to reach Hyderpora from Parimpora.“Passengers would have preferred to board the bus from the main areas of Srinagar, such as Batmaloo, Lal Chowk and Jahangir Chowk, rather than from Parimpora. As a result, we are suffering losses,” says Yusuf. He thinks the administration has a step-motherly attitude towards private transporters. Despite the court order that all transport buses should run from Parimpora, government buses and other vehicles continue to ply from Srinagar’s main area.  Yusuf says the government recently allowed e-buses to operate from Srinagar to Budgam, which has affected the livelihood of transport operators further. “We protested against it, but the government remains unmoved.”  Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Labourers at Hyderpora chowk (Photo - Mukhtar Dar, 101Reporters)

In Kashmir’s Budgam, brick kilns smoke life out of cultivable lands

As many as 232 kilns operate in the district, where agricultural lands have lost fertility due to the use of surface soil for making bricks  Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir: The lush green paddy fields of Budgam district were once a part of central Kashmir’s exhilarating landscape. Most of it has been lost to the smoke-churning chimneys, dust-spewing tipper trucks and brick loads lined up across the village fields.  Of the 282 brick kilns operating in the Valley, 232 are situated in Budgam district, thanks to the ample clay content in its soil (Source: State Pollution Control Committee and District Commissioner Office Budgam). Some reports, however, suggest that the actual numbers are much higher than the official data. According to the Directorate of Agriculture (Kashmir), 282 brick kilns function on 4,447 kanals of agricultural land in Kashmir. Nowadays, two kanals (0.25 acres) on lease for a minimum period of five years would fetch a farmer Rs 36,000 per annum.Once the main crop, paddy cultivation has come down drastically in the district over the last few decades. The easy availability of PDS rice at nominal prices aided the change, besides leasing of land to brick kilns.With brick manufacturers giving them a new income source, farmers recklessly leased out their fields, unaware of its adverse effects on the flora and fauna and public health. Take the case of Munzoor Ahmad Dar who leased out his land in Danseera village to a brick kiln owner in 2015. When the lease expired, he realised that the land was no longer suitable for cultivation. He had no option but to lease it out again for five years.“The fertile surface soil is lost as brick units turn it into their raw material. Afterwards, we have to spend a lot of money on fertilisers to get yield. Even the topography of my fields has completely changed. There are soil heaps at some places and pits formed due to digging in other spots,” said Wali Mohammad of Malpora, whose father had leased the land.   Explaining the loss of soil fertility, Dr Aejaz Dar, an assistant professor at Sheri Kashmir University of Agriculture in Srinagar, told 101Reporters that 40 to 50 cm of upper soil played an important role in the growth of crops. “This soil is used extensively for making bricks, thus leaving behind dust that can only be used for construction/non-agricultural activities. Brick kilns alter the nature of even the adjacent fertile lands as they constantly emit heat and lower the water storage capacity. The heat also reduces the amount of organic matter and organic carbon, which are essential for soil fertility.”Aejaz was of the opinion that such land could not be recovered for agriculture if the digging continued in the same pattern for long. However, he suggested that they can be used for construction, livestock grazing or forest plantations after filling with soil. “The success rate will be below 25% only," he estimated.Earlier, bricks were made locally in koondieh (makeshift kilns). With new avenues of wealth opening up before Kashmiris in the succeeding decades, a construction boom gripped the Valley and increased the demand for bricks. As part of the lucrative business, labourers were brought in from other states. Right now, traditional kilns rarely exist in Kashmir. Sajad Dar pointed to the deep nexus between the administration and brick kiln owners. He said migrant labourers were transported to the kilns without paying heed to quarantine rules during the COVID-19 days. “They got labourers for meagre wages during the pandemic. On the other hand, brick price spiked to Rs 32,000 per truckload (around 3,000 bricks) from the pre-pandemic rate of Rs 21,000, thus attracting more people into it,” he informed. Non-local labours making bricks at Batpora Village, Budgam district in the year 2020 (Photo - Mukhtar Dar/101Reporters) Brazen violation of rules Tippers carrying bricks and dust are a common sight in Otligam, Danseera, Naslapora and Charangam. As per the guidelines, a brick kiln can operate only on land that is unfit for agriculture. However, almost all of the brick kilns in Budgam are built on agricultural lands. “People with financial resources have set up such kilns without permits,” alleged Sajad Dar, an advocate and president of Anti-Brick Kiln Movement.An official at the District Commissioner’s Office conceded that all the brick kilns in Budgam were operating without a licence or had an expired one. “Of the 232 kilns, 86 function within the eight km radius of Srinagar airport’s runway. They will be cleared soon,” he added.In 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had directed that no brick kiln be permitted to operate or take up any activity within the eight km radius of the airport. Of the rest 146 operating in other parts of Budgam, 124 have expired licenses and 22 do not even have a licence. Asked about violations under the brick kilns regulation Act, the official replied that they were giving permissions after getting consent from the Pollution Control Board (PCB) and nine other departments that are supposed to check that the units adhered to all parameters. “It is their duty to check,” he claimed.He added that the District Commissioner has constituted committees to check the brick kiln licenses at the sub-district magistrate level, and several FIRs have been registered against the violators, leading to the demolition and sealing of brick kilns.The Jammu and Kashmir Brick Kilns (Regulation) Act, 2010, oversees and controls the building of brick kilns in the Union Territory and addresses any difficulties that may emerge during the process. However, not one section has been properly imposed.For example, approval from 10 departments, including health, agriculture and irrigation, is needed to set up a brick kiln. However, Ahmad claimed the kilns built on agricultural lands by wealthy individuals have been functioning for around a decade without any licence. “How can the agriculture department permit such kilns on lands that have been the source of rice for so many years,” he questioned.Brick kiln at Garend village of Budgam district (Photo- Mukhtar Dar/101Reporters) “We never gave any permission to build brick kilns on agricultural lands,” retorted Chief Agricultural Officer Syed Tafazul Hussain, when asked about it. "Recently, a complaint about chopping down of almond trees was raised before us… When my consent was sought for building the kiln, I utterly rejected it. A few files did reach my office, but I never approved any of them,” he replied emphatically. Awareness mattersResidents of Malpora and Otligam make up most of the Anti-Brick Kiln Movement members. Noticing that the operation of brick kilns have devastated agricultural lands, 10 local youth came together in January 2021 and vowed to protect other villages from a similar disaster.“Initially, we organised public meetings to create awareness on the adverse effects of these kilns on soil fertility, cultivation and people’s health. From several hamlets, we chose youth to educate people, particularly landowners,’’ Rayees Dar, a socio-environmental activist and chairman of Anti-Brick Kiln Movement, told 101Reporters.In the last two years, the activists have conducted about 100 meetings. They also keep an eye on new illegal brick kilns coming up in the neighbourhood, and make frequent enquiries with the divisional commission, PCB, geology and mining department, district administrator and tehsildar, to name a few. “I am glad that we have prevented illegal construction of over eight brick kilns in Malpora, Otligam, Gampora, Gundipora, Narwara, Mulshula, Bapat, Saihoma and many other villages. Our efforts have saved 250 acres of cultivable land from destruction,” Rayees exuded confidence. In 2021, around 18 acres in Malpora were given on lease to brick kilns owners. To stop the establishment of kilns there, the movement members organised a meeting with landowners and educated them about the long-term consequences. While some changed their minds, others remained adamant. “As we failed to persuade everyone, we moved the munsiff court of Magam Beerwah and got a stay on construction. Finally, the investor had to shelve the project as he knew that all the laws were against him,” Rayees said.It is no surprise that those who stand up against such illegal activities face threats and suppression. Government school teacher Javaid Ahmad Wani was in the forefront of protests against a brick kiln operational in Mirpora. “After a few days, I was transferred to work under an official at the district commissioner’s office in Budgam. It was a sort of punishment,” Wani told 101Reporters, implying that this was done at the behest of kiln owner.When asked about it, Budgam’s Chief Educational Officer Mustaq Qadri simply said, "I did not know about it. I will enquire."Cover Photo is of a brick kiln near Suranhall village of Budgam district, clicked by Mukhtar DarEdited by Rekha Pulinnoli

With no help from govt, Budgam village community reconstructs collapsed sub-health centre

The new sub health centre constructed by the awqaf committee in Hukhlatri village (Photo Credits - Mukhtar Dar)Local residents of Budgam have appealed to the administration to station trained medical staff at the centre and provide basic amenities Budgam: Fata Begum, the wife of Mohammad Ramzan Parray of Hukhlatri village, suffers from hypertension. The doctor had advised that Begum monitor her blood pressure regularly and be mindful of hypertensive symptoms to avoid complications such as a heart attack or stroke. "Due to the lack of a basic health facility [here], Fata is forced to visit the sub-district hospital at Beerwah, which lies 15 km from the village, even for minor checkups," Parray told 101Reporters. "If there were dedicated staff at our sub-health centre, then my wife and other such patients would not have to face this inconvenience for treatments."Self-sufficient community — then and nowAlthough health services come under the purview of the government, the residents of Hukhlatri village of Budgam district, Central Kashmir, were forced to take matters into their own hands back in 1989, after their repeated requests for a local health centre fell on deaf ears. This medical unit, which had been serving nearby villages for the past three decades, collapsed in 2018 due to heavy snowfall.Mohamad Akbar Dar, a retired teacher, recalled: "In 1989, we approached the district administration and concerned ministers and MLAs to provide us with a basic healthcare facility. We had to use our own homes as makeshift immunisation centres in those days. However, when the government failed to establish even the minimum infrastructure, the village committee inspired the villagers to raise funds to construct a health centre on public land."Master Akbar Dar (left), a retired teacher and Gh Mohideen (right), a retired Police officer were members of the awqaf committee (Photo Credits - Mukhtar Dar)Gh Mohideen, a retired police officer who's currently the chairman of the village awqaf board, said, "After the building was constructed, we approached the then MLA Mir Lasjan, who pushed the Health Department to post the staff members required at this centre." Since then, this medical unit has catered to the healthcare needs of the residents of Hukhlatri, Bagander, Danas, Lasipora, and Ramhuma villages, which have a combined population of around 6 thousand people. "It had been functioning smoothly and providing medical attention for minor health issues," added Mohideen. "On the rare occurrence of an accident or emergency, the paramedical staff posted here would offer first aid."In 2018, the sub-health centre collapsed after heavy snowfall pummelled the Valley, halting all health services in the village. Doctors would hardly visit, but one nurse and a medical assistant remained available during the working days of the week.The village committee (awqaf board) made multiple representations to the district administration and panchayat regarding the reconstruction of the centre. But they did not allocate any funds to rebuild the structure.The original sub health centre building, before the collapse (Photo sourced by Mukhtar Dar) "We raised the issue at the Back to Village Programme in 2020, but nothing substantial was done," Mohideen said. 'Back to Village', an initiative of the Jammu and Kashmir government, is a public outreach programme that helps engage villagers directly with officials of different departments to redress the issues that need immediate government intervention.Mohmmad Shafi, deputy sarpanch of the village, said: "We raised the issue before every concerned official—from the district commissioner of Budgam to the block medical officer and District Development Council—but we failed to raise any funds through them. Not one person responded to our demands."Mohideen, the awqaf chairman, further added: "After waiting six months for the bureaucratic and panchayat machinery to act and redress the problem, we decided to construct it through the awqaf fund. Local households donated funds for the welfare of the village." In 2021, the Awqaf board completed the construction of the new health centre at a cost of around Rs 10 lakh—an exorbitant amount to be borne by the villagers.Awqaf board to the rescueThe local village committee, called the awqaf board, has been instrumental in liaising between the government and villagers and assisting with public projects that serve the community.Awqaf (also spelt awkaf or auqaf, singular waqf/wakf) is an Arabic word, meaning assets that are donated, bequeathed, or purchased for being held in perpetual trust for general or specific charitable causes that are socially beneficial. Some of the causes supported through awqaf include poverty alleviation programmes, disaster relief, free health services, religious and contemporary education, heritage, culture, and environment. Thus, in addition to being a religiously significant institution, the idea underlying awqaf can be of significance to the larger development of the community. Historically, awqaf have played a significant role in providing sustainable finance for many basic social services, including—but not limited to—education and health.In the same spirit, the village awqaf committee comprises local residents who work voluntarily in service of the community, managing charitable donations contributed by individuals or groups, mediating between the government and residents and, when the need arises, providing concrete support for public projects within the village—even if it means they complete the task themselves. Members of the awqaf board with the locals restoring electricity (left) and clearing the snow from roads (right) (Photo Credits- Mukhtar Dar)The awqaf board is actively involved in resolving local issues proactively. For instance, when heavy snowfall descended on the Valley rendering all roads unmotorable and plunging villages into darkness, they received negligible government assistance in clearing the streets or restoring the power supply. The village awqaf committee sprang into action and spearheaded the mission to remove the snow, de-ice the roads and assist the Power Development Department (PDD) in restoring electricity with the help of the local youth. Government indifference dampening awqaf's effortsEven though the board took the initiative to build the village a health centre, the paramedical staff stationed there lacked basic accommodation facilities, like electricity, in the old building. The new building offers better accommodation; it was completely renovated, painted and equipped with power supply. However, the centre still lacks basic staff like doctors and other necessary medical personnel, for which the government sanction has not been granted yet.A Health Department employee told 101Reporters: "The nurse posted here remains engaged in multiple tasks of the department, including vaccination duties in other villages, meetings and other official work. So she cannot stay at this sub-health centre the whole week."According to the Sub-Health Centre Guidelines of 2012, two auxiliary nurse midwives should be posted at the centre. It should be ensured that at least one of them is available at the centre, and that it remains open for OPD services on all working days. Only one of them may offer outreach immunisation services at a time. However, the nurses posted at this centre remain engaged in outreach services.Saja Begam, a resident of Hukhlatri, demanded that regular paramedical staff be posted here, including doctors who can perform minor medical tasks like checking blood pressure, administering an injection and other first-aid treatments."Most households live in poverty, and they cannot afford the fare to visit another hospital for minor treatments. The block medical officer should allot a doctor for at least two days a week and regular paramedical staff, so we are not forced to wander in search of different hospitals," she added.  In response to the allegations of neglect, Block Medical Officer of Beerwah Dr Javed Ganaie, said: "Since the awqaf body established the building, we could not reconstruct it after its collapse, as it was beyond our jurisdiction and duty. However, now that the awqaf rebuilt it, we have posted a nurse (tabassum) at the sub-health centre." "We are making attempts to provide more staff here," he added. "It now functions as an immunisation centre, but we will upgrade it to the Centre-sponsored scheme as soon as possible. A mid-level health provider or doctor will be made available, and its infrastructure upgraded. Other health facilities such as blood, urine and sugar level tests, as well as provision for medicines, will be provided here, including treatment of other minor health issues."

In Kashmir, once beautiful and life-sustaining ‘kuls’ are now turning into dumping grounds

The canal in Sonpah village, Budgam is choked with solid and liquid waste (Picture credit - Mukhtar Dar)Due to a lack of awareness on sustainable waste disposal and inadequate implementation of waste management policies, the village canals in Kashmir are choking with waste. Budgam: Up until a few decades ago, the small canal (locally known as 'Gaam-i-kul') passing through Budgam district's Lasipora village was not just another feature in Kashmir's exhilarating landscape. It was also a life-sustaining resource for the villagers. Residents, especially women, would often be sighted on its banks drawing the crystal clear waters carried down from the Karshan stream. However, this beautiful Gaam-i-Kul (Gaam means 'village' and Kul translates to 'water canal') has lost its charm over the years due to human activity."Single-use plastic bags, polystyrenes, and other non-biodegradable material have found their way into the stream. Besides that, untreated solid and liquid waste is directly being discharged into this canal," Rifat Qadri, a 25-year-old student from the village told 101Reporters. In Kashmir, there are 2,827 canals most of which are suffering a similar fate. "There is at least one Gaam-i-Kul in every village in Kashmir, serving as an irrigation canal and as a source of water for its residents for centuries," said Ghulam Rasool Sheikh, a school teacher from Budgam's Chakpora village. "With the advent of modern living, households are now dumping into the kuls their solid and untreated liquid waste without any hesitation, and there is a criminal silence in the civil society and government about this brazen violation of moral and legal laws. We have polluted them so much that they are no longer even fit for agriculture," Sheikh told 101Reporters. He believes that Gaam-i-Kuls, once a source of livelihood, have now deteriorated to the point that they are affecting the village's sanitation. Once a source of life, now a breeding ground of illnessSheikh's claims are proven right in every village we visited to report this story. For instance, in Ramhuma village in the same district, the people who reside near the stream dump their waste on the banks every day. Mohammad Yousuf, a local, told 101Reporters, "We don't have a waste processing site. It is the responsibility of authorities to identify a proper site so people can dispose of the waste properly." Failing this, the canal has become a place where all kinds of communicable diseases originate, he said.Similarly, the Gaam-i-Kul at the heart of the Chewdara village in Budgam, originating from the famed Sukhnag stream, has turned into a garbage dumping yard. Sarpanch Hilal Mir said that while he has planned to dredge it under MGNREGA it will not be a long-term solution as long as people continue to discharge waste into it. It needs community and administration intervention to safeguard it from further pollution. He added that the government, in collaboration with the panchayat body, should prepare a sustainable long-term plan for waste management for rural residents including providing alternatives for and incentives against dumping into the water bodies. Around two kilometres away in Ohangam village, a resident, Muntazir Dar, told 101Reporters that their canal "has now become a breeding ground for illnesses. The foul smell emanating from it indicates how serious a health hazard it is to nearby villagers."Across the villages of Hukhlatri (left), Ramhuma (centre) and Sholipora (right), the deteriorating kuls are starting to pose a serious health risk (Picture credit - Mukhtar Dar)"Labartal kul of Sholipora village, that draws its water from Ahij stream, harbours all the plastic waste generated from the village market. The everyday waste that accumulates in its banks gradually flows into it," Khursheed Ahmad, another resident, told 101Reporters.Awaiting implementationUnder the Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin (SBM-G), rolled out by the ruling government in 2014, each state must identify suitable technologies or methods to manage the liquid and solid waste generated from villages. For this purpose, Rs 7,00,000 are allocated for Gram Panchayats having 150 households and Rs 20,00,000 for Panchayats having more than 500 households.The majority of the population in Jammu and Kashmir lives in rural areas. Yet, only Rs 4 crores have been allocated by the administration towards waste management in rural areas as compared to Rs 464 crores for 91 urban local bodies in the 2019-20 budget.The fund allocated for solid and liquid waste management through SBM-G remains unspent, according to an official who wanted to remain anonymous. As per SBM-G guidelines, every state should have at least one Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) consultant at the state level and one consultant for the District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM) to guide preparation for SLWM projects. However, the Department of Rural Development, which controls the Mission Directorate of SBM-G, failed to appoint consultants at the district and state levels, according to an official in the Rural Sanitation Department. Is hope around the corner for Gaam-i-Kuls?Advocating for a cleaner Kashmir, notable Srinagar-based RTI activist and columnist Raja Muzaffar Bhat has been keenly following SBM-G policy implementation in the union territory. He said, "The rural areas of Kashmir are facing severe problems of waste management. The unscientific waste disposal in rural areas of Kashmir is more cause of concern compared to our urban areas. People are not sensitised about the proper disposal of waste, and they are discharging their liquid waste to nearby water bodies without any legal or moral impediments. This has become normal practice in every nook and corner of the valley."Not a single one of the nearly 300 panchayats in Budgam has implemented rural waste management projects under Swachh Bharat Mission - Gramin (Picture credit - Mukhtar Dar)In January 2021, Bhat also filed an RTI enquiring about the implementation of rural waste management projects under SBM-G in Budgam district. The response to the application revealed that not a single project had been implemented in the 296 panchayats of Budgam. “The departments lack technical know-how, and there is also unease within the administration, post the abrogation of Article 370,” Bhat told 101Reporters.Now a year later, the Rural Sanitation Department has finally begun to implement SLWM programs in Panchayats, according to an official in the Rural Sanitation Department. Speaking to 101Reporters, he said that the SLWM program in rural areas was in the initial stages and they plan to cover 1,000 locations. He further added, "We didn't have an expert who could guide us in implementing the plan due to which we were facing problems, but recently the department has hired an expert to carry out the waste management plans successfully in rural areas." Another official in the Rural and Panchayat Raj Department of Budgam said that the SLWM program had not yet been implemented in any panchayat of Budgam district. "We are going to implement 31 projects for which dumping sites have been identified, and the department has sent a Detailed Project Report (DPR). As soon as the funds are granted, projects will be implemented. Five sites have also been identified where plastic will be dumped and treated scientifically," he added. 

Centre makes empty claims about drinking water in J&K's government schools

The Union government celebrated bringing piped drinking water connections to 100% of all schools and Anganwadis in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, a claim that's laughably easy to disprove. Srinagar: At the Government Girls Middle School in Garend village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district, if students or teachers need a drink of water, they often need to trek back to their homes. The only other option is a stream nearby, contaminated with human and animal waste. The institution was established almost 50 years ago, in 1973. Yet it has no running water. The state of the school’s toilets is equally bad - they are either mostly defunct for want of water or have a makeshift water supply arrangement.Such is the condition of many Anganwadi centres and government schools in rural J&K. Yet, the government at the Centre asserted in August that all 22,422 schools and 23,926 Anganwadi centres in the state have clean tap water available. It also claimed that the state has become the second Union Territory to achieve this feat.But even a cursory investigation gives the lie to this claim. Many educational institutions are also consuming unfiltered, unsafe water.Under Section 19 of The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, it is mandatory for schools to provide safe drinking water facilities and toilets to students in accordance with the norms prescribed in the Schedule to the RTE Act, 2009.Data vs realityAbdul Gani Wani, Headmaster of the Government Girls Middle School Garend, which is clustered with Primary School of Chopan Mohala, said since the school doesn’t have boundary walls, it is not possible to keep track of where students go to quench their thirst. “Otherwise, we have assigned to the peon the duty to bring water in a bucket in the morning, which we use sparingly,” he explained.In the school toilets, where again water is scarce, an arrangement has been made in which a pipe has been connected to the drain and attached to the toilet. Around 20 km away from this village, the Government Boys Middle School of Mal Machama of Budgam district, established in 1977, faces a similar problem.Teacher Mohamad Amin told 101Reporters, “We have to go down a slope to get water from a spring as the nearby streams are filthy.” The school toilets, he explained, remain defunct in the absence of water. Teachers are barely managing to hold classes in such a situation.In August this year, a pipeline for tap water facility was connected to the school but remains useless, as it doesn’t supply any water.Raja Yaqoob, a resident of Mal Machama village, said, “Our village is suffering from shortage of water, so are the schools. In August, government officials installed a tap at the school – more than 40 years after its establishment - but not a drop comes out of it.”When informed of the government’s assertion of 100 per cent water supply in J&K educational institutes, he said that officials were making such claims on the basis of data available with them. But whether water was actually running through the pipelines that had been put up, and whether such water was sufficient and drinkable, was something they were not aware of.Official documents of the Directorate of School Education accessed by Kashmir Monitor last year revealed that in Kashmir, more than 1,800 government schools were lacking safe drinking water facilities, forcing students to drink from open and unhygienic sources. The water supply in Otligam village (left); the government school in Garend (Picture credit - Mukhtar Dar)Contradictory claims of ‘pure water’Soon after the government announced in August that all schools and Anganwadis in J&K had been provided water supply, Union home minister Amit Shah had hailed PM Narendra Modi for “timely supply of pure drinking water” and credited Modi and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Union Cabinet Minister in Ministry of Jal Shakti, on Twitter for making J&K “synonymous with peace and prosperity"His words were in stark contrast to the NITI Aayog Sustainable Development Goal index 2021, which found that only 53 per cent population in rural areas of J&K was getting safe and adequate drinking water through piped water supply.Significantly, government schools are getting water supply from the same pipelines that are available for villagers. Student Arif Sultan, who has actively participated in village initiatives, revealed that “drinking water” supplied as part of water schemes in Kashmir villages was often untreated, or sourced directly from streams that were contaminated with solid and liquid waste of animals and humans.Another study conducted by the Journal of International Medical Research & Health Sciences in 2021 to assess the bacteriological quality of drinking water in Kashmir gave a shocking finding.  Among 625 samples collected from various sources across eight state districts, it was found that 410 (65.6 per cent) samples were unfit for human consumption. Of the 410 samples, 231 were of tap water.In Budgam, the Zabgulah-Chanapora water scheme caters to around 20 villages, including schools. Under the initiative, contaminated stream water is reportedly being supplied to the villages through outdated and non-functional reservoirs constructed decades ago.According to Sultan, “waterborne diseases like typhoid, hepatitis A, diarrhoea, skin diseases and so forth are widespread among students”. He explained that while villagers are aware of the supply of contaminated water and prefer to fetch clean water from springs, the students have no option but to consume the dirty water.Similarly, Utligam village in Budgam is getting water supply from a stream near Sangrampora village. The stream flows through various areas before it reaches Sangrampora and carries plenty of liquid waste.A Jal Shakti Ministry employee, on the condition of anonymity, admitted that water supply pipelines should have been connected to the upper reaches of streams, because in downstream areas water condition worsens due to anthropogenic pressure and mixing of waste.     Officials in the water ministry’s Budgam department told the public at an outreach programme in the town that “we have already proposed a rapid filtration plant under Nabada Hunjigor Pethkont water scheme for all these villages, so that safe drinking water can be made available”.They assured that the work would be done “as soon as the scheme is approved”.Director of Education, Kashmir, and Budgam CEO could not be contacted for comments despite repeated calls and texts.

Tosamaidan activists, residents wary of tourism development work in the region

Past ecological damage to the meadows due to army activities has them worried about further environmental deterioration.Khag: Today, a mere shadow remains of what was once the beautiful meadow of Tosamaidan that featured an array of flora and fauna. For 50 years, since the government of Jammu & Kashmir in 1964, leased the land to the Indian Army to conduct artillery drills, Tosamaidan’s ecological condition has deteriorated drastically. Not to mention the civilian and wildlife casualties the villages have witnessed over the years.Tosamaidan is located in Khag tehsil of Budgam district. For centuries, this high-attitude landscape served as grazing land for the livestock of local villagers. While it has been seven years since the guns fell silent—the government did not renew the lease to the army after it expired in 2014—the repercussions of the army’s drills remain to this day.“The lease was granted without the consent of local communities,” says Nazir Ahmad, founding member and coordinator of Tosamaidan Bachao Front (TBF). “Its potential dangers, as well as the ecological sensitivity of the area, were ignored. In the subsequent decades, the pastures were bombed continuously, and the consequences were gruesome. There were human, livestock and ecological casualties.”Degradation of Tosamaidan and resulting casualtiesA few local activists established TBF after the region witnessed a number of deaths and massive deforestation. In 2011, these activists collected data through the Right to Information Act, through which they learnt of the lease expiring in 2014. Dr Sheikh Ghulam Rasool, the current chairman of TBF, along with Ahmad and other members mobilised the local community against the renewal of the agreement and discussed ways forward. TBF, which was formed in August 2013, has been active in ensuring that the lease is not renewed. Today, it has members from around 28 nearby villages, including sarpanches of 64 panchayats, activists, environmentalists and other concerned citizens.In 2014, the army vacated the 11,200-hectare area in Tosamaidan after the Omar Abdullah government decided against extending the lease. But the damage was done. Manzoor Ahmad Rather, sarpanch of Drang village, says the historic pastures of Tosamaidan are contaminated because of the deaths and injuries that local communities faced there and the steep ecological price they had to pay.Mohammad Abdullah Sheikh, 65, a resident of Khanka Village of Khag along with his wife. In 1992, two of their children were killed along with their cousin when they came into contact with unexploded shells. (Picture credit: Muktar Dar)Official records state that 67 people were killed and more than 50 were injured due to misfired shells or by coming in contact with unexploded shells that were left behind in the meadows or carried down by streams. Ahmad, however, claims that the figures are higher. The total number of people directly affected by the firing range is believed to be around 50,000 across 18 villages.There is no record of how much livestock was lost. Ahmad also claims that thousands of trees were engulfed in fires due to army shelling, though the sarpanch says that much of the deforestation was carried out by local timber smugglers.In 1992, Mohammad Abdullah Sheikh, a 65-year-old resident of the nearby Khanka village, lost two children and their cousin due to the military activities in Tosamaidan. They were killed when they came in contact with unexploded shells in the area where they were grazing their sheep. Sheikh claims that poisonous substances had also contaminated the water due to which thousands of fish had died over the years. “The continuous bangs and deforestation activities forced wild animals to venture out to residential areas here,” he adds.Tourism development plansOn 23 February this year, the government earmarked a plan to spend Rs 100 crore for the overall development of Tosamaidan, along with the tourist spots of Doodhpathri and Yusmarg, also in Budgam. The beautification plans include setting up of tourist resorts, an official statement reads.“Apart from the development of these tourist resorts on advanced parameters, development of ecotourism facilities will be given special focus, so tourists visiting these places shall prefer to stay during nights. It’s also to avoid a polluted atmosphere of congested areas/cities,” Tourism Director of Kashmir Dr GN Itoo was quoted as having said in the statement.“We are preparing detailed project reports on eco-friendly tourism. Funding can be made available only after these reports are approved,” Itoo tells 101Reporters. “The minimum requirement can be ascertained through proper consultation with local stakeholders, and infrastructure will be installed in the meadows of Tosamaidan.”Trekkers now erected their tents where military infrastructure was installed earlier. (Picture credit: Muktar Dar)Earlier, TBF had launched an initiative named Community-Driven Adventure Rural Tourism (CDART) to restore Tosamaidan to its earlier state. “We submitted a proposal to the government to promote a kind of tourism in Tosamaidan that was based on conservation and environmental consciousness,” says TBF chairman Rasool, who was also formerly a government medical practitioner.“The vision of the CDART model was to restore and conserve the meadows of Tosamaidan and also make it a source of sustainable livelihood for locals who could explore the regional cuisine,” Rasool adds. “The CDART model of tourism would boost the local economy, and the community would have control over the natural resources to ensure conservation and protection of the environment.”In 2015, it was on this model that the then Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti inaugurated Tosamaidan as a tourist destination. The town was officially thrown open to the public, with Mufti assuring the people that Tosamaidan would be brought to the tourist map of Jammu & Kashmir without any harm being done to its fragile environment.However, Rasool claims that two years ago, the government sanctioned Rs 43.5 crore to build infrastructure and tourist facilities in the nearby villages, but the amount is still unspent. “We planted around 2 lakh trees in the affected areas of Tosamaidan after it was thrown open to the public,” the TBF chairman says. “The forest department has also been doing its duty. The process of regaining the loss is on. Wildlife and birds are starting to return. But if the government builds infrastructure and allows the use of plastics in Tosamaidan, it will do more harm than the firing range.”Unsustainable tourism modelThe 50-year lease to the army took a heavy toll on the ecology of the region. After the agreement expired in 2014, Tosamaidan began to return to its earlier state, but any kind of development to boost tourism will halt the process all over again.“A large chunk of forest was already razed. Any further construction of buildings or roads means further deforestation and degradation of the fragile ecology of Tosamaidan,” says Ajaz Ahmad, a professor of environmental science at Government Degree College Beerwah in Budgam. “In addition to disturbing the wildlife, any such activity will also cause the adjacent glacier to melt more rapidly.”The situation took a turn for the worse after Jammu & Kashmir lost its statehood and was declared a union territory in 2019. Government policies now promote corporate tourism more extensively here, which has destroyed the ecosystem of tourist spots like Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Gulmarg and now Doodhpathri.The ecology of Tosamaidan has only started to recover after years of military activity. (Picture: Muktar Dar)“The lack of management, reckless construction and ignorance of the region’s carrying capacity have wrecked these fragile tourist resorts,” Rasool says. “The introduction of a single-window clearance policy and granting No Objection Certificates without any environmental impact assessments make the intention of the current government clear.”The TBF chairman asserts that they will vehemently oppose any such tourism development in the meadows of Tosamaidan. “Infrastructure should be established in the nearby villages we already proposed in the CDAT model,” he adds.1111MicrosoftInternetExplorer402DocumentNotSpecified7.8 磅Normal0