The Amarnath Land-Row: Explained
On July 6th, about 50 Kashmiri Pandits, protesting the revocation of the land allotment to the Amarnath shrine board, were detained on Sunday after they barged into Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz’s home in New Delhi. Kashmiri Pandits gathered at Jantar Mantar to voice their anger against the Jammu and Kashmir government’s decision to revoke the land transfer order.
Now what the problem seems to be is that the Central government had allotted a certain amount of land for the ‘yatris’ of Amarnath, a holy place for Hindu’s. However the state government revoked the land transfer order. The Congress spokesperson said that they had temporarily allotted land and not ‘transferred’ it.
Anyway, there was a bandh held by the B.J.P [Bhartiye Janta Party] in all the states of India. The Bandh even affected the capital and the financial capital of the country. One person was also killed during violent protests in Indore on the day of the ‘India bandh’
This soon became a matter of religion and more than 60 people have died so far. The Governor of J&K [Azad] resigned soon after that because he ‘couldn’t handle the situation’ Making the already weakened government to be sad about something else too.
Even though the yatris and the government of J&K said that the ‘yatra’ was going on ’smoothly’ the ‘Hindu’ parties refused to believe it and went on with a bandh. Which caused, the life in Jammu and Kashmir came to a standstill for quite a while.
Now the questions most of the people ask are why was the land ‘taken back’ from the yatris? Now I can’t answer that nor can Google [atm]
The Amarnath yatra is taken by thousands of yatris every year and there have been no/poor facilities for them since the start. So why the sudden need for facilities? Okay, fine lame question, but the yatri has been going on since a long time and the Kashmiri Muslims have always supported the yatra. Now why this? The Kashmiri Muslims, on their blog make it a point to focus on the fact that they think the land should be given to the Shrine board, hell every educated Muslim is probably thinking the same thing now. And I agree with them but sadly the people don’t run the government even in a democracy.
The yatra has now, however been resumed and as India limps back once again from communal violence, we at The Drunk Santa, feel the need to tell you that riots and violence and politics won’t solve anything in our country.
A extremist Hindu wants to murder every Muslim man out there -An extremist Muslim wants to do something similar. We’re not America nor are we the United Kingdom, we are the worlds largest democracy in the world, and it’s time for us to grow up, we are however also quite famous for communal politics. And no, we are not telling you to be Gandhi. We are trying to tell you that if this keeps happening, it’s not gonna just affect the Indian political party leaders or the family of the people who die on the streets, but it’ll affect us all, it’ll affect our society.
So what do we do? We blog about it and write it in our diary, hoping that the government would listen to the people for once. While the government focuses more on how-they-will-survive-the-nuclear test, we the people suffer and witness bad communal politics.
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10 Responses to “The Amarnath Land-Row: Explained”
Wow, look at you Jayesh, you’re smart now :S
By Tobby on Jul 9, 2008
You’re the next STHS teacher man!
By Shrai on Jul 9, 2008
Sir Jay-hesh you rawk!!111
But on a serious note, good post, it answered my questions on this topic XD
By Krittika on Jul 10, 2008
Good stuff man :)
By Steve on Jul 10, 2008
I just want you to know that i came across your blog/website today and that i love it.
You are doing a great job man.
By Yash on Jul 11, 2008
@Tobby : I was always smart, not more than/then a fifth grader though :)
@Shrai : Shut the fuck up, man -.-
@Kris : Of course it did (H)
@Steve : Thanks mate XD
@Yash : Glad you appreciate our[in many cases] my work and thanks for the comment :)
By Jayesh on Jul 11, 2008
Really great post man, helpful and a good post to refer too while you’re trying to impress a girl with your political knowledge XD
By Rohan on Jul 28, 2008
Amarnath vs Haj
The unfortunate events in Jammu & Kashmir regarding the transfer of land by the government to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board call for each one’s urgent attention and involvement.
What began as a simple effort to facilitate Amarnath pilgrims has suddenly developed communal and political overtones. This is appalling when compared to the facilities offered to the Haj and the Vaishno Devi pilgrims.
In an attempt to bring this to the attention of every responsible citizen of India, we would like you to have the benefit of some facts stated below.
In keeping with public policy statements, the Government of India makes elaborate arrangements for the welfare of Haj pilgrims and strives to improve the facilities provided to them every year. That is how it should be. The Government of India, and the ministry of external affairs in particular, deserves credit for providing perhaps the best arrangements that any government makes for their Haj pilgrims.
For eg: As reported in a newspaper article, here are the facts about the facilities provided to Haj pilgrims.
1. To begin with, the government provides an airfare subsidy to about 100,000 pilgrims selected by the Haj Committee of India who go for Haj annually. Pilgrims pay only Rs 12,000 for their air travel. This figure has remained unchanged for at least a decade or more. According to official figures, this subsidy was Rs 280 crores in 2006, or about Rs 28,000 per pilgrim. Today, with rising fuel prices, this figure would have gone up to Rs 350-400 crore. There is also a seperate Haj Terminal at Delhi International Airport.
2. There is a separate Haj cell in the ministry of external affairs. The Haj Committee of India has its own premises in Mumbai. Similarly the State Haj Committees have their own premises in various other Indian cities. These facilities have been built on land provided by the state governments.
3. Accommodation in Mecca and Medina is decided keeping in mind the need to provide maximum convenience and comfort to the pilgrims. Typically, all accommodation has lifts, telephones, running water, electricity and telephone at the minimum. There is total computerisation of pilgrim location and movement.
4. For Haj 2007, a contingent of 115 doctors (including 63 specialists with post-graduate degrees) and 141 nurses and other para-medical staff, 3 coordinators, 46 assistant Haj officers, 165 Haj assistants and 186 Khadimul Hujjaj were sent from India on short-term deputation to Saudi Arabia. Special attention is given to medical facilities for the pilgrims.
5. Some of the facilities provided by the government are: arrangements for polio, meningitis and influenza vaccinations for pilgrims before departure; a 75-bed hospital and 12 branch offices-cum-dispensaries in Mecca; a 15-bed hospital and 6 branch offices-cum-dispensaries in Medina; three medical teams at Jeddah airport to provide medical care round the clock to Haj pilgrims; 17 ambulances in Mecca and Medina; supply of medicines, medical supplies and critical medical equipment from India. All this adds up to the total money spent by the government to facilitate a hassle-free Haj pilgrimage each year for tens of thousands of Muslims from India.
What is due to one community by logic and fair practice is due to another. And yet in a discriminatory treatment lakhs of pilgrims who have been going to Amarnath for years have been denied basic human facilities. The question is what took them so long to consider these facilities and not whether or not they should be provided.
There isn’t any adequate medical and sanitary facilities for the pilgrims of Amarnath Shrine. As the agitation continues, it has been reported that a water bottle costing Rs 14 was sold at Rs 70. And a khacchar or a pony that took pilgrims at the cost of Rs 1,500 charged an abominable Rs 10,000. Compare this with the subsidies for Haj Pilgrims. Buses of pilgrims were also stoned by unruly elements.
The whole agitation was started by the Peoples Democratic Party on the absurd presumption that providing these basic facilities to the travelling pilgrims will result in a changed “eco-cultural character” of the state. Does this imply that Kashmir only has a “Muslim” character?
Kashmir originally and lawfully belongs to both Hindus and Muslims. Nevertheless, 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of Kashmir and are living as refugees and now even the very thought of Hindus settling in Kashmir is creating such violent repercussions. Is this a sign of a secular, healthy, fair society?
Even if we were to presume that it has a Muslim character, how can travelling pilgrims possibly change eco-cultural character of a place. Can there be a likelihood of someone settling down at the height of 13,500 ft? There can not be any possibility of Hindus settling down in the proposed land.
It is ironical that though the Hindus are being denied basic hospitable facilities to enable their pilgrimage, the temporary, pre-fabricated shelters built by the Amarnath Shrine Board were dismantled and sent for emergency relief operations during the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005. “About 60-70 pre-fab shelters were sent to Uri and Tangdhar, where they housed thousands,” a senior Government official is reported to have said. “The Amarnath Board also sent pre-fab toilets. There was no objection from any political party at that point.”
For centuries pilgrims have been making the arduous trip to Amarnath cave without any benefit from the state. They have to depend to private philanthropy for food, accommodation and other facilities. It is shameful that people have lived in torn taurpaulin tents. But a caring State in independent India can and should do more.
View online exhibition on exodus and selective killings of 4,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir at http://refugees-in-their-own-country.blogspot.com/.
By Prabh on Jul 29, 2008
Your site- http://www.thedrunksanta.com is interesting resource, good job, webmaster.
By freeringtoneslamalurdy on Jul 30, 2008
@Prabh: Amarnath vs Haj?
VS?
:|
Am I the only one not getting your point?
@Ringtonedude : Thanks :S
By Jayesh on Sep 10, 2008