MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2020 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Excelsior Established 1965 Remembering Gen Zorawar Singh Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Maj Gen Goverdhan Singh en all the training till he left him he had gifted entire Ladakh to pacha. Besides inflicting heavy whose kingdom was only 15 and his soldiers came out of the on some misunderstanding and . This is considered loses on Botis, Dogras captured miles from Taklakot, came to defences and met them in the bat- joined Maharaja Gulab Singh as one of the greatest victories of the enemy 'Colours'; the Chinese Zorawar for negotiations. At tle of To-Yo. When the hand to Liquor scam needs oday the 13th April we Forces who put him in the Reasi Gen Zorawar Singh. Yet another Flag which the Dogras named as about the same time on the insis- hand battle was going on, just celebrate as General Fort where he acquitted himself challenge lay to the Northwest of Mantalai Flag which is the proud tence of British, Maharaja Sher then a Tibetan horseman came TZorawar Singh Day. It is in whatever was entrusted to him. Ladakh. The challenge was passion of 4 JAK Rifles (Fateh Singh is said to have issued with- charging and thrust his lance thorough probe a Regimental Day. It is entered in In fact it is here that he showed Baltistan. Zorawar Singh Shivji) proudly displayed in their drawal orders to Zorawar Singh. through his chest claiming the the history of Jammu and Kash- his ability by suggesting to But by then it was too late. The honour of killing the greatest war- n simple parlance, at the outset, a single Rupee mir Rifles, the erstwhile J and K Maharaja Gulab Singh whenever negotiations could be concluded rior of the time. On the death of of revenue due to be earned by the Government State Forces raised in 1820 by he met him that the State should and withdrawal executed the their commander, his troops were must be received by it and any type of manipula- Maharaja Gulab Singh. not issue rations in kind but winter had set in and all the pass- thrown in disorder. I The Regiment had planned to cooked meals. This had very es had closed. Zorawar Singh This was a big blow to Dogra tions at any level whatsoever, must be dealt with celebrate its Bicentenary on 13 good effect, there was no thus withdrew to Tirathpuri for General's advancing forces. sternly. That should be the first principle as revenue and 14 April 2020 but Corona wastage, no theft and the soldiers the winters. Due to continuous Hence the saga of military adven- being its income, no Government can function with- intervened. However we shall health improved. After the occu- intense rains, snow, and extreme tures of 'Napoleon of the East' out having its due and accrued 'income'. If deliber- first deal with Corona and then pation of Kishtwar in 1821, cold many of the soldiers lost ended on the 12th December ately, as a result of a conspiracy and by employing celebrate the Bicentenary of the Maharaja Gulab Singh made him their fingers and toes to frostbite. 1841 soon after the Dogra sol- Regiment which had established Hakim of Kishtwar and awarded In the meantime Kahlon diers had avenged the death of fraudulent measures, loss of crores of Rupees of a great Dogra Empire, the chief him the title and appointment of Surkhang followed Zorwar with their commander by executing revenue is caused to the public exchequer, the mat- architect of which was General Wazir. a large force via Mayum Pass the enemy commander and forc- ter becomes all the more serious as, prima facia, Zorawar Singh. To recount Gen Zorawar which soon closed entrapping the ing Tibetans into a peace treaty. appears in the liquor scam in the UT of Jammu and Remembering him as my Singh's achievements, a look to Tibetan force. Kumedan Baste Ram Mehta, inspiration to join the Army. I the East of Kishtwar is Entrapped Kahlon offered to from Kishtwar and the first Com- Kashmir. Terming it as mere irregularity in procedur- decided to give a talk on General inescapable. To the East of Kisht- retreat and vacate the areas con- manding Officer of Fateh Shivji, al conduct of issuing of liquor licenses and renewal Zorawar Singh in the Defence war were the snow clad moun- quered by Dogras. But another the unit he led in action in Tibet, of such licences is tantamount to camouflaging and Services Staff College Welling- tains and valleys of upper pass Mastang La, close by, was took over the command in Tibet. diluting the seriousness of the matter. Is there a ton in October 1961, just a year Himalayas. Several principalities still negotiable through which Serving and Ex-Servicemen powerful liquor mafia at work and for how long? Who before the Chinese attacked us. of this region were tributary to the another strong Tibetan force of the Jammu Kashmir Rifles After I had finished my talk Gyalpo (king) of Ladakh. In 1834 descended and surprised the remember the warrior every year are the touts and conduits of the said liquor mafia? one senior officer Maj William one of these, the Raja of Timbus, Dogras at Taklakot in early by celebrating his successes and Is it possible that any type of serious hanky- panky from the United States Army sought Gulab Singh's help against November 1841 and invested it. commemorating his glory. in the Excise Department can be kept under the car- asked me weather whatever I had the Gyalpo. Gen Zorawar Singh The situation became desperate An assessment pet for a considerable period of time? Has there said about General Zorawar probably was waiting for an for Zorawar Singh. Zorawar's General Zorawar Singh after been regular periodic audits and inspections in the Singh's campaign / story was a opportunity to excel himself in only hope lay in recapturing Tak- he made up his mind he started myth like Ramayana or a real sto- warfare. The of Jammu lakot and effecting link with preparing for the task. It was not UT Excise Department and whether any finding in ry. I told him that neither and Himachal had traditionally Baste Ram's force at Chi-Tang. an easy task and could not be the audit note and report been highlighted let alone Ramayana was a myth nor the excelled in fighting in the moun- On 3 Dec 1942 he divided his planned at the spur of the attended and rectified? Are suspected employees story of General Zorawar Singh. tains. Having trained them him- force in five columns and moment. There is no doubt that it relieved of their present duties and their 'tables' For General Zorawar Singh you self harshly, Gen Zorawar Singh attacked Taklakot in waves. was a Dogra policy to expand read Ladakh by Cunningham or had no problem in crossing the Tibetans being far superior across the Himalayas. Gulab changed to safeguard and tampering of important Founding of Jammu and Kashmir mountain ranges and entering numerically, Dogras were forced Singh could not discuss this with papers, files and documents prevented? These are State by Panikar. That is the type Ladakh through the Suru River to fall back after suffering heavy the British nor with the Sikhs who some of the questions which require clarification of operation conducted by Gen- where his 5000 Dogra soldiers annexed it with the help of the son Officers Mess. Gompo fled to casualties. Determined to reach were not in favour of expansion followed by a deep analysis. eral Zorawar Singh and his Dogra defeated an army of local Botis. of Baltistan ruler and Ladakhi Taklakot. Tibetan Gen Pi-his also Chi-Tang, he personally led a across the Himalayas. It was well However, it is learnt that Excise Commissioner, Army from 1834 to 1841 which After subduing the landlords soldiers. fled to Taklakot. determined attack on the strong conceived thoroughly executed a hundred years later people along the way, Zorawar Singh Having consolidated his hold Gen Zorawar followed them. Tibetan positions. Gen Pi-his from the selection training and Jammu and Kashmir has ordered an inquiry into would not believe that this had received the surrender and sub- in the Northwest, Zorawar Singh The fort was stormed on 6 Sep- withdrew to the vicinity of To-Yo execution till the whole of grave malpractices in issuing and renewing of liquor actually happened. mission of the Ladakhis. But turned his attention to Eastwards, tember and entire Taklakot was where he laid an ambush. Most Ladakh and Gilgit and Baltistan licences going on unabatedly for years together. Had It was General Zorawar Singh Tsepal Namgyal, the Gyalpo, sent towards Tibet. He had recruited occupied by a Dogra Unit led by unsuspectingly Dogras walked were added to Jammu Raj which he not conducted, at random, routine scrutiny of who under Maharaja Gulab Singh Gen Banko Kahlon to cut off Ladakhis for the invasion of Kumedan Baste Ram Mehta by straight into the ambush on 12 after 1841 after the annexation of records of the Department, he would have other- extended the frontiers of the Zorawar Singh's lines of commu- Baltistan, he recruited Baltis in the middle of September. With December 1842. Kashmir became the Dogra Country across the Himalayas to nications. The astute Dogra Gen- his Army for the invasion of this victory, entire Tibet West of A furious hand to hand battle Empire of Jammu, Kashmir, wise not come across blatant instances of violations include Ladakh and parts of Chi- eral rushed back to Kartse where Tibet. His force now comprised Mayum Pass was in Dogra ensued. 200 Dogras and Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan and of J&K Excise Act itself and also Liquor Licensing na and Tibet. he sheltered his troops through of men from Jammu hills, Kisht- hands. Infact Gen Zorawar's unknown Tibetans were killed. Tibet ha. and Sale Rules. Not only this, even non -fulfilling General Zorawar Singh was a the winter. In the spring of 1835, war, Ladakh and Baltistan. In forces had gone in 550 miles into General himself was hit by a bul- On this day we remember the of subsequent terms and conditions of the issued Dogra from village he defeated the large Ladakhi May 1941, this Army marched Tibetan territory in less than let in the shoulder and fell from greatest Dogra General Zorawar licences too has been observed. 'Excelsior' has, Kalhoor now in Bilaspur district army of Gen Banko Kahlon and into the unknown land of Tibet. three and half months. The fall of the horse but arose and kept on Singh who had migrated from of Himachal Pradesh who had left marched his victorious troops to Sweeping all resistance on his Taklakot finds mention in the fighting with the sword in his left Himachal Pradesh and settled in through these columns, been regularly stressing his home over some dispute of Leh. The Gyalpo surrendered and way, Zorawar Singh passed the report of the Chinese Imperial hand to take up defensive posi- Vijaypur near Reasi where his upon the irreversible and inevitable need of subject- property and found himself in the agreed to pay 50,000 rupees as Mansarovar Lake and converged resident, Meng Pao posted at tions. The Tibetans and their Chi- descendants celebrate this great ing Government departments to periodic audits and service of Kishtwar principality war-indemnity and 20,000 rupees at Gartok where he defeated the Lahasa. Envoys from Tibet and nese counterparts regrouped and Day every year. surprise inspections, even from professionals in pri- where he was brought up and giv- as an annual tribute. Within a year Gompo at a place called Dag- agents of the Maharaja of Nepal, counterattacked. Zorawar Singh [email protected] vate sector especially those which generate rev- enues for the Government. The cost of such audits Rajan Gandhi Encroached J&K Forests to the Secretary, Board of School would be quite negligible as compared to recurring Education Jammu, to explain as losses caused to the public exchequer. That he significance of forests to how the ETT institution has can be summarized by one been permitted to be run on pub- arrangement could be in addition to routine audits Tof the most popular say- Changed demography, caused loss lic/forest land. Even notice has from the competent government authority designat- ings of the 15th Century Kashmiri been issued to Secretary, Rev- ed for the said purpose. Had that simple practice saint and poet, Sheikh ul Alam: out till now. Out of the total for- districts. The increase in forest Compensatory Afforestation and Kashmir (J&K) gave clear- enue Department as to how the been made mandatory, perhaps, irregularities in "Ann Poshi Teli Yeli Wan Poshi" est area, 12066 Sq km are in Jam- fires happen due to non-demarca- (CA) and other restoration activ- ances to 125 projects involving forest land has been registered in issuing liquor licences for obvious considerations, (food will last as long as forests mu region, followed by Kashmir tion of forest land in the UT ities are paid by the user agency. diversion of forest land between the name of private persons. last). But as per Jammu and Kash- region with 8128 Sq km and resulting in more barren land and All these resources are at present August and October 2019. In its There are virtually no would have not taken place. mir State Forest Policy-2010, the Ladakh region with only 36 Sq more encroachments of forest being collected as CAMPA fund. 117th meeting only, last meeting answers to this mess and only How can some 'blue eyed' liquor vendors con- past few decades have witnessed km. Kashmir region has 50.97%, land. In order to manage the Compen- of the body before the forest blame games. Why even now UT tinue to operate beyond the term of the licence and exponential increase in human Jammu region has 45.89%, while According to common obser- satory Afforestation, the State has clearance process shifted to administration is 'not notifying how are multiple licences issued to the same ven- and livestock population, rapid Ladakh region has only 0.11% vation much of the damage to constituted State CAMPA under Chandigarh to the regional office forest area after immediate rec- dors , taking recourse to proxies, looks nothing but industrialization, and a spurt in area under forest cover. UT of forests has occurred during the SRO-354 providing for three tier of the Union Ministry of Environ- onciliation of Revenue and For- developmental activities. These J&K have forests cover of 48% years of intense armed conflict regulation of activities. But ment, Forest and Climate Change est records' for which all surveys a 'free for all game' going on in the Excise developmental processes have of the total geographical area for over a decade since 1990. Mil- department failed to give desired (MoEF&CC) after October 31 have already been done by For- Department. Who was going to compensate the resulted in loss of forest area which is way above the national lions of trees cut unchallenged, results on this account also. order abrogating Article 370 and est Department. Frankly speak- Government of the loss caused to its rightful due accompanied by an overall degra- average of 24.47 % but with least mountains devoid of forests in Stagnation at one post for UTs coming to existence, the ing a demoralized department revenues and what about the difficulties, as such, dation of forest vegetation and staff having absolutely no powers acres. As per an estimate 50,459 decades is the order of the day FAC cleared 41 projects. which has budget of crores to faced by the Excise Department in enforcing regula- forest soils. The effects of degra- to protect forests. The J&K State acres of forest land is under with practically no cadre man- Roshni Act of 2005 was in safeguard natural gold of our dation of forests are already visi- Forest Policy was approved more encroachment of which only agement. Any successful organi- fact a way out to legalize all land Jammu and Kashmir is virtually tion of trade in an open and transparent manner? ble in drying up of perennial than 23 years after formulation of 14,194 acres fall in Kashmir val- zation has strong and wide base encroachments despite the fact a toothless tiger with no support We can only appreciate the move of the Excise water sources at many places, National Forest Policy in 1988 ley and astonishingly around at the bottom but reverse is true that a NOC from forest depart- from other departments and it Commissioner in taking on the emerged issue on accelerated soil erosion, flash and this deliberate political delay 36,265 acres in Jammu region for J&K Forest Department vir- ment was must to transfer the remains to be seen how depart- two fronts; one - to see and find the magnitude of floods, silting up of reservoirs, has caused irreparable loss to our where virtually no effect of ter- tually sealing no promotion land. There are allegations that ment is able to retrieve its land the scam and set all records right and; two- identi- and loss of biodiversity with forests. As per the forest policy, rorism is there. Forest Depart- opportunities for the base under Roshni Act majority of especially in Jammu region, reduced forest productivity. Jam- the Government was expected to ment has registered few cases in employees as there is no time these transfer deals were for one some accountability will be fy the 'black sheep ' from within the Department and mu and Kashmir's evergreen retrieve the forest land from police stations and but cases bound promotion policy at all. particular section of society fixed or not, new colonies like punish them without whom and without whose coniferous forests and snow cov- encroachers, upgrade and main- linger on, officials get transferred Merit and performances are no especially in Jammu region Bhatindi, Sidra or Nagrota on active connivance, these irregularities would never ered peaks have a direct bearing tain demarcation records in digi- and culprits go scot free. Corrup- criteria for transfers as pick and resulting in demographic forest land will be demolished as have taken place for obvious considerations. on the region's agriculture, ener- tal format on GIS using remote tion charges have also been lev- choose have been the policy till changes. Such is the impact that has been done by Supreme Court We hope that the detailed inquiry into the edi- gy and tourism industries as its sensing technology. For effective eled against some forest officials now. Even under Governor Rule as per official sources once the in numerous cases or the spine- beautiful lakes, rivers, agricultur- protection of forest land, land for condoning the smuggling of and now UT much has not total forest area of 26,900 sq. kms less department which has been fice of the liquor mafia - insiders nexus would be al plains and meadows owe their records of revenue department timber from various areas of Jam- changed as present PCCF himself in 1947 has now been reduced to unable to perform its assigned known in its form, tenor and magnitude, not after existence and economic produc- have to be reconciled with demar- mu and Kashmir. Saw mills has superseded seniority of three less than 18,000 sq kms now. duties till now will remain in months till the proverbial dust settles over the mat- tion to the forests. 2014 floods in cation record of forest depart- inside forests have been confis- others and moreover recent trans- Half of the forests in Jammu and deep slumber even now. Cat and ter but within shortest period of time. In the mean both the regions, drastic shrink- ment in a time bound manner cated time and again and virtual- fer of a much junior officer (rank Kashmir are open without any mouse game is on, who will win time, the exact loss caused to the public exchequer ing of water bodies including starting with highly vulnerable ly no action against any forest of ACF) for the post of Secretary demarcation. Thousands of acres it nobody can judge but one world famous Dal, Wullar, Suri- areas. Almost nine years down official on account of corruption Technical (earlier held by CCF of forest land are still under hopes that with Central Govern- should duly be reckoned and recovered from the ansar and Mansar lakes is a tes- the line, since the Forest Policy charges speaks about the serious- Planning & Projects), a post encroachment and Government ment so serious about corruption defaulters and the 'insiders' on the principle of pari timony to the above facts, an was approved, no such concrete ness of the concerned authorities. equivalent to Special Secretary, has failed to retrieve that from and transparency at least now passu, other legal action in addition notwithstand- irreparable environmental loss. measures have been taken by the The Forest Department has to in the Civil Secretariat supersed- encroachers. Even after repeated this very important department ing. Jammu and Kashmir has a Government. Despite letter after regulate the indiscriminate diver- ing almost fifty IFS officers and intervention of Division Bench of UT of Jammu and Kashmir is total forest cover of 20230 Sq km letter from concerned Forest sion of forest land for non forestry nearly thirty SFS officers is prac- not much ice has been cut on able to retrieve its land and sets (20.23 lakh hectares). There are Department officials to Revenue purposes so as to maintain eco- tical example of how things are ground though new UT laws are its own house in order in a pro- Industrial units and no reserved or unreserved or vil- Department practically no recon- logical balance between the moving even under present now applicable. How NOC stand fessional manner with all lage category of forests in Jammu ciliation has been undertaken developmental needs of the UT administration. These out of turn granted to run educational insti- employee's issues are taken in power bills and Kashmir as applicable in rest with the result revenue records and the conservation of natural favors to specific employee have tutions and banking facilities in right perspective and sorted out of India. Till formation of UT we have marked forest land as state resources. When any land is per- cascading demoralizing effect of the property constructed on the in a timely manner. It takes time he adverse impact of the lockdown to fight the have demarcated and undemar- land. Now under UT administra- mitted to be diverted for a non- outstanding officers. land which has been encroached? for corrective action but it's nev- pandemic of COVID-19 on the industrial units cated category of forests and even tion certain illegal mutations forest use, cost of compensation Interestingly the Forest Advi- Factually, the Division Bench of er too late as they say. Testablished in the UT needs hardly to be those have also not been worked have been cancelled in certain in terms of Net Present Value, sory Committee (FAC) of Jammu High Court has now issued notice [email protected] emphasised which needs to be looked into by the UT Ankur Dogra estation, mining, exploitation of Government is, what Bari Brahmana Industrial animals for profit and the climate Association has demanded. It has appealed to the alt Whitman a Ameri- Let’s reinvent Earth crisis. Lieutenant Governor to defer the payments of the can poet has rightly At present our immediate power tariff bills and also waive off the minimum Wsaid : "The most has turned into an unprecedented especially, from last two cen- and killing machines beyond the On the Contrary, the Nature priority should be to prevent the human and humanizing thing, is international emergency, that turies slumped to "Anthro- limit. has always showered the free- spread of COVID-19. In the long charges/ demand charges for closed and working the awareness of this we as atom- needs critical concern and prior- pocene" as result of Unsustain- Human beings, like other dom (frontal space) to the process, we need to cope with the units. It may be noted that many working units are ized into millions of individual I's ity, severe precautions and pre- able Human activities. Conse- species, feel at home on earth. Humans. Frontal space is prima- habitat and biodiversity loss. engaged in manufacturing essential commodities who have lived and loved and lost ventive standards. quently, today humans have However, the power to see peo- rily visual. It is vivid and "illumi- The continuous eradication of and their supply chains needed to be kept going. On and made art, music and mathe- The pandemic COVID-19 nated" because it can be seen, the "Wild spaces" has shrunk the other hand, majority of those units not manufac- matics through it all". The ulti- has almost hit every part of the frontal space has future, open- their spaces and has brought mate ambition of this essay, in cosmopolitan Earth except few Since the beginning of Holocene epoch, ness and freedom. In these cru- homo sapiens close to animals turing essential commodities find it difficult to pay the common with the thrust of indigenous tribes who dwell in cial times, the organisation of and plants that can easily jump electric bills. Circulation of sale proceeds from the humanistic enterprise: to increase their own time and space. human civilization not only had its pre- frontal space worldwide needs to to humans. We should be taking buyers and non payment to suppliers of raw material the burden of awareness. In Geological time scale dominant role but more recently, especial- be united across the imaginary this unprecedented COVID-19 a having greatly suffered, the entrepreneurs find it dif- No talk these days rises (Timeline of the Earth which demarcated National boundaries clear warning, it is only human ficult under such circumstances to clear power bills. above the COVID-19 outbreak. describes the timing and relation- ly, from last two centuries slumped to to completely eradicate this behaviour which cause it and This Virus has put the entire ship of the events which have deadly COVID-19. there will be more in future While we endorse the demand of the Unit holders globe into an obsessive fear, due occurred during the Earth's his- “Anthropocene” as result of unsustainable Routine activity does not unless we change. In these to provide them some relief to tide over their current to its rapid increase and transmis- tory) after the Post-Pre-Cambri- human activities. require analytical thought. When unprecedented crucial times, cash crunch, at the same time some more measures sion from one country to another an Eon, different species at dif- we wish to do something new, let's reinvent the Earth which needed to be taken by the UT Government in ensur- in a way that almost looks like a ferent Timelines on the earth then we need to pause, envision was used to be a dwelling place ing that units did not become sick and suffer to an uncontrollable disease. After the have their pre-dominant role inhabited 90% of world's land ple and places in their complex and think. Never before so many of both Humans and the rest of World Health Organization's accompanied by harmony with leaving only 10% for the Wild is highly developed in humans. It opportunities existed for the "wild spaces". extent of some of them feeling difficult to keep their decision to consider COVID-19 mother Earth. Since the begin- Spaces. Hitherto we have made is a sign of our super intelligence, pathogens to transmit from wild The author teaches Geogra- manufacturing process going on smoothly once the as a global Pandemic, though ning of Holocene epoch, human Earth less habitable with two yet we have rather applied most and domestic animals to peoples. phy in Government Degree Col- lockdown was lifted. We hope that the UT there was long delay in its dec- civilization not only had its pre- World Wars and subtly discov- of the this magical power in Thanks to widespread habitat lege, Gool (Ramban) Government would examine the issue sympatheti- laration, dealing with the virus dominant role but more recently, ered potential chemical weapons unsustainable practices. destruction through heavy defor- [email protected] cally and take a favourable decision in favour of the /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// concerned units. (The views expressed by the authors are their personal) \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\