Anuj Verma
Jammu division in J&K Union Territory comprises of ten districts viz., Jammu, Udhampur, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar, Doda, Rajouri and Poonch. Jammu district, spread in an approximate area of 3097 square km, stands at serial number 03 after Udhampur and Kishtwar with regards to total area, but, with regard to population, Jammu district tops with an approximate population of 15,26,406 persons (as per 2011 Population Census), which might have swelled, during last nine years) to touch twenty five lacs mark. Jammu district has undergone major changes and also has witnessed major population influx from Kashmir valley, Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Poonch, even from Ladakh region, during last thirty years. Even approximately population of 20,000 Roingyas community, from Burma, is also settled in Jammu and parts of Samba districts. This is over and above seasonal migratory population from Kashmir valley &Ladhakh Union Territory during winters; lakhs of tourists going via Jammu to pay obeisance to holy shrines of Mata Vaishno Devi in Trikuta hills throughout the year and holy cave of Baba Amarnath, every year, during two months before RakshaBandhan. This major population spurt has added to economy and increased livelihood opportunities in Jammu district, considerably, but, also has brought in a number of serious civic and other related problems. The pressure on Municipal bodies, city roads, and health amenities has multiplied manifolds.
Solid Waste Management is a burning topic in Jammu division, these days. We discuss and gossip about the topic, too often; the Municipal Bodies seem to be blaming people for non cooperation and people blaming Municipal Bodies for their slack approach. In countries like Sweden, segregation of domestic waste is done in five categories. By not wasting its waste and recycling 99% of it, Sweden is on its way to achieving zero waste, and sustainable energy by 2020. But, here in Jammu division, we have failed to divide the daily household garbage in two categories viz., Dry and Wet. Households, in few localities, have started doing the segregation, but again same is dumped & mixed in single dust bins placed in different localities by the Municipal Bodies or collected by the Municipal Bodies' loaders, which rarely have separate sections. Till today, the Municipal Bodies don't have a concrete plan in place; which might have been implemented on ground, as per MSW Rules 2016. Situation in many rural areas & districts like Doda, Kishtwar, and Rajouri is much worse. Last year, the National Green Tribunal imposed a penalty of Rs five crore on Jammu and Kashmir State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) for failing to stop discharge of effluents and dumping of waste in the Basantarriver in Samba district. A penalty of Rs 1 crore each on the Gammon India Limited and the Hindustan Construction Co Ltd was slapped by the NGT for damaging the environment by dumping soil in Chenab and Tawi rivers for construction on a stretch of the Udhampur-Banihal National Highway in Jammu and Kashmir. And, this all is happening when Jammu is selected to be a Smart City.
But who bothers? Government agencies, also, do not feel it wiser enough to educate and involve people directly, at large, to advise and help the government agencies in fully implementing Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.
Friends, Yeh Hum Jammu Kay Logon Ka He Kamal Hai; SuryaputriTawi key Aartiutarayangayaur Sara garbage, Jammu City ka Sara gand, bad affluent water Tawi Mai dalayangay.
Whether this is case of unwanted cutting of trees or increasing air pollution due to non compliance of PCB norms by red category industries or encroachment of water bodies and state land, especially in rural areas, or unscientific disposal of medical waste, mass polluting of rivers during festivals, malpractices adopted by outsiders in agricultural fields in shape of forced cultivation by using excessive toxic chemical pesticides/ insecticides/ fertilizers, crumbling overburdened health infrastructure, loot & cheating by few among private healthcare facilities, people will remain unconcerned till they are personally affected. It seems, Jammuites have forgotten the concepts of “Community Service”, Social Responsibility or their responsibility towards Mother Nature. Illegal sand mining hotayhueidekhangay, par react nahikarenge. Most of the people are over busy in earning money for their next generations. They feel that they don't have any responsibility towards nature which gives them air, food, water and fulfil their other day-to-day needs. Majority of them blame and look towards government departments for small needs only as if the government employees have been dropped from some outer world and they don't belong amongst them. Unofficially be part or remain mute spectator of malpractices going around them and put blame on the government! Is this our bent of mind? Very Dangerous, Indeed! They have forgotten the fact that when a devastation or catastrophe occurs, it doesn't discriminate between rich, immensely rich and poor. All will suffer. We, all, witnessed beating & hackling of top rung officers of the government agencies by encroachers, land & sand mafia when they tried to take action against encroachments, whether in Bellicharana, or in Sidrah, or in Marh, or in Bari Brahmna or in village KirrianGandial recently. But, except few, even so called sensitive & intellectual senior citizens are mum and show full apathy towards fully visible Environmental Disasters and Climate Changes happening around them. The banks of holy river Tawi, today, either stands encroached by all cross sections of people on all sides or being polluted with sewerage drains and dumping of solid waste/ bio medical waste, during night hours. Same is the position at holy rivers Devika, Purmandal, Basanter...............
Even Mohmaya / Sunjwah/ Sidrah forests are not safe, today! Forests are encroached by those powerful; mansions are constructed, but the lawful action, half heartedly, is taken either only symbolic or as an eye wash. Jammuites also have found a good topic to gossip upon and do cribbing.
The residential and the commercial areas in Old Jammu city are highly congested with almost a worn out sewerage & drainage system. People live and work in those, often, stinking areas. But, who bothers; neither the people, nor their elected representatives nor the city planners. Rejuvenation and process for conservation of historical & heritage Mubarak Mandi and Raghunath Bazar were started about a decade back; but, still no concluding progress is there. People, also, are unconcerned about this royal and historical inheritance of Jammu. They have made the historical Mubarak Mandi unofficially a car parking lot. Whatever rejuvenation or renovation is done in the historical Raghunath Bazar, that is below standards and does not give it some appreciable look. The execution agencies and people should have taken lessons from the development and beautification done around the historical Golden Temple in Amritsar. The entire street from Hall Bazaar to Heritage Street and Golden Temple and from KatraJaimal Singh to Sikandari Gate is made with a uniform design. After development of Heritage Street, tourist inflow in the Hall Bazaar area in Amritsar has increased a lot. Besides, the footfall of locals has increased.
I remember, only till last three decades back, we had a number of water ponds (Chhappris), perhaps in hundreds, which were important part of our environment as well as a very good source for water harvesting, in rural areas and even in fee parts of Jammu city. Where have all those water ponds (Chhappris) gone? A Million Dollar Question, isn't this? Either dried up, or encroached by land mafia or converted into parks? But, who cares?
Let's be simple human beings before we call ourselves Dogra, Kashmiri or BlaBlaBla.....
None among our political leaders raise voice for badly eroded environment whether it is polluting of water bodies, poisoning of our orchards our agricultural fields, our soil, our water, our air by Excessive and Unscheduled Sprays of toxic chemical pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, rampant supply & use of low grade plastic polythene bags, hazards of using single use plastics, use of polypropylene bags, wax coated cardboard cups/ plates used for hot meals & beverage, deforestation, encroachments of forests, adulteration in milk and food; Unhygenic cooked food being served in a number of famous eateries. Many roadside eateries have stinking open drains going along their shops or food kiosks. Raw and cooked Fish Sale Points, especially at Gumat Chowk, Gole Market, TalabTilloBohri, Janipur, Satwari and other parts of Jammu are not so hygienic and healthy. People silently purchase seafood from these Fish Sale Points, though unwillingly sometimes; But the concerned agencies, perhaps, don't have time & enough manpower to check these fish points and slaughter houses in Jammu city. Few mutton selling shops at B C Road, Gujjar Nagar, PuraniMandi areas need regular checks by the JMC as well FSO staff. Situation at mutton selling shops in B C Road outside Government Flats is sometimes pitiable.
We never will take some break to think about quality and source of milk & milk products, which are found in abundance in all streets &mohallas, even during peak summer seasons. Neither the people, nor the FSO has time to think about this strange phenomenon; that too when the government agencies as well as WHO have issued alerts about high rate of ongoing adulteration in milk & milk products in India, which might cause a vertical spurt in cancer and other serious diseases in India by the year 2025. The FSO or other enforcement agencies have no mechanism to check quality of eatables entering the Union Territory at Lakhanpur border. Mobile testing lab vans should have been stationed at Lakhanpur to test random samples of all eatables entering the UT from other parts of the country. But, again, who cares? No issues, let the adulterated and contaminated eatables also reach our markets. They might be waiting for eruption of some communicable disease emergency to happen! Even, people don't bother.
Surprisingly, Jammu has no city forest area except one symbolic sanctuary at Manda Ramnagar. The Government should sanction and develope a dense city forest spread in hundreds and acres in JagtiNagrota, where thousands of traditional trees were cut to give way for the National Highway widening, flyovers and few government institutions. The man made dense forest could have been a natural habitation for number of animals & birds species, including migratory birds and could have been a very good attraction for tourists, apart from cleaning our air and increasing ground water level.
So, this is Jammu and we are the unconcerned citizens of Jammu, busy in our own scores! A Tale of Travesty, indeed. |
