Still groping in dark
New Delhi looking for an elusive starting point for dialogue
With more and more innocent youth including the children being killed by the trigger-happy security forces in Kashmir, toll rising with every passing day, New Delhi continues to be in a state of drift, unable to decide how to bring the volatile situation under control and put an end to the bloodshed. During the past two decades thousands have been killed, several thousands still missing after they were whisked away by the forces and hundreds are still languishing in jails. During the years of armed militancy the people were killed either in encounters, including the fake ones, in the cross-fire or in firing by the forces on the protestors. But for the past few months the blood of innocent Kashmiri children is being spilled in the streets, lanes and fields of Kashmir for their coming out to protest against the grave human rights abuses taking place in the State. The peaceful marchers were fired upon with the aim to kill them, and not just to frighten them away, maligning them as paid stone-pelters or miscreants. Several other locals were killed in fake encounters, dubbing them as militants from across the LoC and their bodies buried in the border areas. A reign of unprecedented terror has been let loose by New Delhi's puppet regime in Srinagar, denying the people free movement and even their right for peaceful protests. With the state enforcing declared and undeclared curfew or due to strike calls given by the separatists the life in the Valley stands paralysed. The educational institutions remain closed, disrupting the education of the students, the health-care services too have been adversely affected and it has become difficult for the people even to procure regularly food grains and other essential commodities. The state administration too has collapsed with the employees unable to attend their offices regularly. Lately, the state police has started resorting to target killings by entering the near deserted streets and firing upon the peaceful children playing outside their houses. The point-blank firing at the children playing carom in Maisuma locality near the house of JKLF chief Yasin Malik , injuring seven boys including a nephew and cousin of Yasin left in critical condition is a case in point. They are battling for life in the hospital. The circumstantial evidence makes its obvious that it was a case of attempted target killing. The incident was followed by massive protests by the residents and an official statement of usual lies in justification of the firing by the police.
Blatant killings ,untold atrocities and other grave human rights abuses, popular upsurge, curbs on the people's movement, paralyzing of life and collapse of the state administration have failed to wake up the Rip Van Winkles in the corridors of power in New Delhi to act to stem the rot before it is too late. Pathetically, the Union home minister P.Chidambran while conceding that the situation was too grave to act, has only repeated that an elusive starting point would be found in the next few days to reach out to the protestors to reassure them of their rights. While gory dance of death is going on in Kashmir, the Home Minister is still groping in the dark and callously claims that he was in search of a starting point for dialogue. Dialogue, with whom and for what purpose? In Chidambram's words, while presenting a report card of his ministry for the month of August, New Delhi was willing to hold talks with "any group wishing to come forward and willing to talk". As for as the purpose of talks is concerned the spokesmen of the Union government have repeatedly said that such a dialogue is aimed at finding a solution of the Kashmir problem "within the framework of the Indian Constitution." Is this the way to initiate a process of dialogue for resolving the Kashmir dispute and putting an en to the bloodshed in Kashmir? The only group which is willing to join any such vague, conditional and selective process of dialogue is the present coalition headed by Omar Abdullah. The chief minister has been repeatedly talking to those who matter in New Delhi and has been frequently airdashing to Delhi for this purpose without any outcome. While undoubtedly purposeful meaningful dialogue at different levels is the only way to resolve the Kashmir problem in accordance with the wishes of the people, in the present situation the first and foremost need is to put an end to the gory dance of death going on in Kashmir. For creating a climate of trust it is imperative not only to put an end to the killings but also to withdraw the armed forces from the civilian areas, scrap the draconian laws, release all the political prisoners including the children arrested on the charge of stone-pelting, withdraw all cases against them , order impartial probe into all the killings and other HR abuses followed by punishment to guilty, restore the civil liberties of the people including their right to protest etc for creating a conducive climate for pursuing the dialogue process.

Polluted water
Admission alone is not enough, what is needed is prompt action
Atleast, the government has taken the courage to admit that it has failed to provide clean and hygienic drinking water supply to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The candid admission, however, does not change much on the ground unless and until these are followed by genuine efforts to do something about the condition of water being provided to the people. Minister for health and family affairs Sham Lal Sharma may have been prompted to state the obvious only after two epidemics caused by contaminated water have severely hit Doda and Budgam. It is also common knowledge that clean drinking water is absent not only in the areas that have been caught in the grip of epidemics but across the length and breadth of the state. Even the two capital cities are not spared from the evil of supply of contaminated water supply, either due to poor treatment of water from the supply schemes or the flawed drainage system that results in contamination of water. The minister may have rightly pointed out the Himachal example, as a model to emulate, not only because of its similar topography and climatic conditions but also because of its success in providing the very basic amenities to the people at their doorsteps. Several years ago, Himachal was reeling under severe water shortage crisis. However, an effective planning and its implementation have enabled the government in that state to ensure good water supply not only in its bustling cities but also the rural areas inclusive of the roadless villages. Rhetorically, what the minister says, sounds good. He has suitably linked the issue of water to health and talked of creation of a co-ordination committee of departments of Health, PHE, local bodies and drug control to monitor the quality of water and maintain its cleanliness. It is now time to walk the talk.