Taj Today: A News Portal for Braj Region

FOREST DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS PROMOTE DEFORESTATION

AGRA:
LARGE SCALE felling and sale of trees in the eco sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone has thwarted all attempts to green the area to contain environmental pollution.
The Forest department has come under attack from environmentalists for colluding with fire wood dealers and hundreds of illegal saw mills in Agra, Firozabad, Bah, Hathras and Mathura, which maintain a steady supply of fire wood to the factories.
Officially the number of registered saw mills is below 100 in Agra but double that number operate clandestinely, each consuming well over 200 trees in a month. The trucks bringing fire wood from distant areas have to pay hefty amounts to forest department officials at the check posts. Numerous charcoal making units in the Bah area have denuded large areas of babool, especially julie flora called Vilayati babool.
In Agra city areas like Free Ganj, Bans ka darwaza, Panch Kuian have large number of saw mills. The Free Ganj mandi is the biggest in whole of west UP. "We were dealing in fire wood till recently but due to rampant corruption in the forest department we are not able to carry out even legitimate business and therefore are now switching over to imported timber," said Prakash, a timber merchant of Free Ganj. "The general rule is plant two if you cut one tree, but no body follows it," adds Dinest, a broker at the Jeoni Mandi centre. The forest department people come following the trucks and collect their cuts, he adds.
According to a rought estimate the number of trees that should have come up in the last decade following the Supreme Court directives in the MC Mehta public interest petition, should have been above 50 lakhs and more. The Taj green belt area is green only because nature has been kind, as is the case with the road to Fatehpur Sikri which now has trees on both sides.
Every year the Forest department makes pompous claims of planting lakhs of saplings in the six districts falling under the Taj Trapezium. The ground reality is that most of the saplings planted survive a couple of days and then are there no more. Another rainy season, more funds and yet another show of planting saplings. The problem is two fold: one, the department fails to protect the saplings, two, there is no effective check on chopping of trees and on the saw mills now being opened in smaller towns and villages. The department does reel out statistics and points to a few identifiable pockets that have a new green cover, but the Supreme Court directive on the scientific managment of forests and raising new green covers to filter dust laden westerlies from Rajasthan has not been adhered to, nor have blocks of trees come up as was originally promised. Road construction, particularly the six laning of the national highways to Mumbai and Kolkatta have led to mass scale chopping of trees in the Trapezium zone.
Says an NGO functionary: "The forest department officials are neck deep in corruption and have no vision or commitment to make Agra green. They have in fact failed to deter colonisers from gobbling up acres of land in reserve forest areas where scores of new colonies have come up."

AGRA:
WITH A broad consensus having been worked among warring factions of political parties, sectional intersts, caste and community leaders on celebrating 2004 as the Taj International Year instead of 500th birthday of Agra, pressure in now being built on the Mulayam Singh Yadav government to shift the international airport from Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) to Agra.
The three local Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha members have sounded their top leadership about the growing demand for structural reforms if Agra had to be promoted as a number one tourist destination of the country.
After the Sahara group recently announced its decision to start regular flights from Agra to major cities in India, the tourism industry has started stressing the urgent need for upgrading the local Kheria airport presently under the control of the Air Force, as an international airport with facilities for direct and chartered flights from international destinations.
Tourism bodies are upbeat for the moment as they expect a package of major concessions from both the state and central government to boost up tourism in Agra which will be celebrating the Taj International Year in 2004.
Sources close to Raj Babbar, local MP, say that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav himself is keen that the airport project should be shifted from Mayawati's area to Agra which happens to be the karma bhoomi of the chief minister.
The Rs 1000 crore airport project was to be shared by the state, central government and private players. The international airport at Agra, say the tourism industry leaders would help the neighbouring areas of Bharatpur and Gwalior. Agra, already a favourite destination of most foreign tourists has consistently been neglected for political reasons. But now with Mulayam Singh Yadav coming to power there was hope the city would at last get a fair deal, they add.

AJIT SINGH ACCUSED OF DITCHING WEST UP

AGRA:
BRAJ KRANTI Dal president Ms Surekha Yadav today accused Choudhary Ajit Singh of ditching people in the 28 west UP districts whose aspirations for a separate state could no longer be ignored.
Before the Vidhan Sabha elections Ajit Singh had vigorously campaigned for Harit Pradesh to be carved out of UP, but now "he seems to have developed cold feet and is on the side of those who are opposed to the idea of splitting UP," Surekha Yadav said.
Her party the Braj Kranti Dal would however go ahead with its agenda and intensify the agitation in coming months. She said the people of west UP want a separate state with Agra as its capital. In a resolution the Braj Kranti Dal had recently demanded holding a separate Vidhan Sabha session in Agra which had long been fighting for a bench of the High Court. But successive governments in Lucknow had dismissed Agra's claims. In the coming elections the voters in these districts would give a fitting answer, Surekha added.

AGRA:
WITH A network of six night shelters in different parts of the city, the Sri Nath ji Nishulk Jal Sewa of Agra has ensured that no poor or needy should be foreced to spend a cold winter night without shelter. The latest shelter was opened by noted homeopath of the city Dr RS Pareek who said these night shelters were the real temples. "Those who helped the poor were serving god," he told social workers gathered at a road side function.
Bankey Lal Maheshwari, the network chief welcomed the guests and informed that each night shelter could accommodate upto 50 people. The one at the Mental Hospital with support from the Rotarians had a capacity for 100. The shelters provide cosy comfort, quilts, pillows and gaddas for a comfortable sleep. "What else could one want in this severe cold," asked Rajan Kishore, a social activist. Agra Nagar Nigam mayor Kishori Lal Mahaur had promised fire wood and other help but so far nothing concrete has been done, said Kanhaiya Lal Agarwal. A bon fire lit near the shelter is a great comfort for the cop on the beat and other passersby, said Ram Din, a chowkidar at the Sanjay Place commercial complex.
The city needs at least a dozen more such centres, says Maheshwari. "Our organisations resources are limited but there are scores of other NGOs and government departments which can come forward to provide these facilities," he adds.

A BOUQUET OF ROSES ALL THE WAY
FACE OF AGRA SET TO CHANGE IN THE 350 YEARS OF TAJ MAHAL'S CELEBRATIONS

AGRA:
UTTAR PRADESH government has finally decided to celebrate the 350th year of Taj Mahal in 2004, after fierce controversy over the date of founding of Agra which many historians and lobbies said was much older than 500 years.
The city of Taj Mahal is all set for a major face lift as a package of schemes aimed at boosting tourism is opened in January, beginning with a fantastic ballet on Mughal period. The ten day cultural extravaganza Taj Mahotsava will be a special event this year. Final touches are being given to a special edition of the mela that would provide just the right platform for artistes and artisans to showcase the best of India, according to tourism department sources.
The industry and the sales tax department will jointly collaborate in organising a two month trade fair on the lines of Gwalior Mela where purchases are tax free.
The tourism department has announced holding an international convention of historians to be followed by a joint mushaira of poets from India and Pakistan. Private sponsors are being targeted to organise fashion extravaganzas using the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal as backdrops. An added attraction would be a laser show .
Meanwhile the venue of the Taj Mahotsava Shilpgram is being decked up to be used as the nucleus of year round celebrations.
The Bhartiya Janata Party activists are trying to get the prime minister announce upgrading of the Agra airport as a new international airport with facilities for direct landing and chartered flights. Mr Jag Mohan, the union tourism and culture minister is scheduled to open an exhibition on Mughal architecture in the corridors of the Taj Mahal next month. Tourism Guild sources said a special commemorative stamp on the Taj Mahal would be released later this month at a special programme.
The celebrations are being used by both the Samajwadi Party and the BJP to mobilise public support and image building in an election year.
Hotel and Restaurant Association president Rakesh Chauhan said, with all controversies now settled, the focus was on celebrations and getting a fair deal for Agra which had long been neglected and denied its pride of place. The Central government is yet to announce its participation and unfold its package for promotional activities, he added.
The Agra Nagar Nigam has also announced its plans to project a better image of Agra in 2004. It will focus on cleanliness and road building. The Agra Development Authority has been asked to provide funds for the beautification of the city .
For the moment it looks like 2004 will be the year Agra has long waited for.

THE ARTISANS FEEL CHEATED
BUT THE EMPORIAS MAKE CRORES

AGRA:
MOST FOREIGN tourists who visit the Taj Mahal in Agra seldom forget to buy a piece of architecture, a work of art, from one of the hundred odd emporias in the city, to remind them back home the exquisite inlay work with precious stones they saw at the white marble mausoleum.
Thousands of visitors to the Taj daily admire the intricate artistic inlay work but they do not know about the plight of the artisans, their economic status and their daily struggle for survival.
Back in the lanes of Taj Ganj, Panni Gali, Panch Kuian, Loha Mandi or Gokul Pura, hundreds of artisans still work in despicable conditions, most suffering from all kinds of ailments. The artistic models of Taj Mahal, or statues of gods and godesses are demand round the year. The foreigners buy these pieces from the emporias for mind boggling prices but the real creators get a pittance. The government agencies have yet to develop a suitable marketing infrastructure to assist these artisans market their products.
A chat with some of these artisans brought out their woeful tales and their daily struggles for existence. When Shah Jahan built the Taj 350 years ago the artisans and the workers had received a raw deal. Many according to legend had their hands chopped off which inspired Tagore to comment "Taj was built on the foundation of tears." Today's builders of numerous Taj Mahal's in the backyards of Agra are still leading a pathetic life. One artisan Ghure Lal said he did not earn enough even to feed his family members. Some have fading sight, others struggling against TB while women folk generally are victims of anemia.
"While the government spends crores of rupees for the upkeep of the Taj, some agencies should come forward to help the artisans who are keeping alive the dying inlay art," said an old artisan of Gokul pura which has scores of cottage units where women and children along with menfolk produce Taj Mahals by the dozen every day year after year.

IT COULD BE ANYBODY'S DREAM TO BE CREMATED HERE

AGRA:
THOSE WHO come to the historic Taj Ganj shamshan ghat in the shadow of the Taj Mahal, to conduct the last rites of their near and dear ones will return a little spiritually elevated and purged off their baser feelings, so assures the 120 year old Kshetra Bajaja Committee office bearers.
An ambitious programme to beautify the surrounding environs of the Mokshdham, the new name for the cremation ground, is being given final touches before Anand Murti Guru Ma dedicates it to the people on December 15. A dhyan kendra that can accommodate upto 5000 mournful people is getting ready with Rs 18 lakhs. "It will become a model shamshan ghat in due course," according to Dr Ashok Goyal who has mobilised donors to contribute their mite for a worthy cause. His concern for the crematorium, both electric and the conventional, became intense when he saw hundreds of foreign tourists visiting the site, neighbouring the Taj. Many foreigners took keen interest to learn about the Hindu last rites. Goyal now wants people, tourists and mourners to spend some time and meditate and think about their respective roles in this world.
Already, the committee provides Ganga Jal, for washing the dead body, fire wood at subsidised rates and raised scientific platforms for burning the dead bodies on the bank of Yamuna. Lush green, and hidden from view by tall trees, the shamshan ghat is graduating as a popular spiritual centre.

Teachers resent being used for non teaching purposes

AGRA:
PRIMARY SCHOOL teachers have expressed their resentment at the frequency with which they are used for non educational purposes like counting cable connections, election duties, or some area surveys conducted at the behest of government departments. This year there has hardly been 100 days teaching and the session is about to close in other two months. Primary schools in the villages have been a neglected lot. According to a retired headmaster of one such school the focus of all development and changes so far has been on higher education which takes up almost all of the budget allocated for education. "The time for softpedalling higher education has now come. Until the foundation was strong and rooted in the soil we can not take off," he adds.
But the big changes in offing in the CBSE affiliated schools particularly the one relating to passing all students till eighth standard without examinations have been widely welcomed. Many teachers said they saw no merit in conducting routine examinations which took lot of time and often created psychological problems for the students.
Union Minister of Human Resources Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has already made a statement to this effect. The principals in local schools have yet to receive the orders from the CBSE, but one senior teacher said the change was long overdue. A new grade system would also be put into operation. In yet another path breaking decision in UP nursery kids and those studying upto second standard will not have to carry bulky bags. They will only carry tiffin boxes and water bottles. This has come as a big relief to the parents who have long been complaining against the ever increasing size and weight of the bags which several medical practitioners have described as potential health risk for the children.
Government schools run by the Basic Shiksha Parishad in UP are struggling to change their image and the quality of output, particularly in rural areas, says an official of the education department.

The lady teachers are the first target. They have been asked to take up their teaching assignments seriously and immediately stop the practice of sulking in the sun and knitting sweaters for their near and dear ones. Any teacher found with wool, knitting needles and other similar material will face stern action, an order of the Principal secretary Education Neera Yadav says. The circular describes the circumstances which guided issuing of this order. "During winter months, lady teachers in primary, junior schools and secondary schools are generally seen sitting outside in the open sun. Their concentration is affected and they pay more attention to sweater knitting."

Leaders of various teachers unions say the order is timely. The teachers themselves should have realised their responsibility. "It is just as well that Mulayam Singh Yadav has drawn attention to this practice, having been a teacher himself," a senior school teacher says.

But the state government should also pay serious attention to the acute shortage of teachers at the primary level. In some schools senior chaprasis have been deputed to teach kids. In the Agra city where the Basic Shiksha Parishad has upwards of 180 schools, the number of teachers has come down to just 314 against sanctioned posts of over a thousand. Nearly 40 schools do not have principals or headmasters. In the past few years total focus has been on schools in the rural areas. This has led to the neglect of schools in the urban areas. The demand pressure is being met by more than 2500 recognised private schools in the district. Unfortunately these schools do not follow any norms in respect of fees charged and the salaries paid to the teachers who have to often work for long working hours. The Parishad has now launched a new scheme to train all the teachers engaged in the private schools under a crash programme.

Meanwhile, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan launched by the official agencies has already floundered in its initial stage. When the campaign started in July the official bodies were asked to ensure enrolment of 56,000 new students by December end. So far the figure has crossed only 40,000. The schools that were identified for repairs and fresh constructions are still waiting for work to begin though the funds were disbursed long ago. Over 50 school buildings are lying half finished but there seems to be no sense of urgency or seriousness about completing the civil work in time.

The state of primary education in the district calls for some serious ground work, say the teachers. The district officials who have been visiting some of these schools in the far flung arear have been appalled by the disgusting conditions and the low IQ level of both the teachers and the taught. But a beginning seems to have been made at long last. The teachers have been told to stop consuming tobacco and pan masalas in the school premises because children were getting wrong signals. Some teachers, the officials said were in the habit of sending students to buy them gutkhas from the shops outside the schools. The state government has asked the local education departments to conduct surprise checks and ensure that the teachers do not play truant any more.

FALLOUT OF THE INDO PAK VETERANS' CRICKET MATCH

AGRA:
SHIV SAINIKS taken into custody while threatening to disrupt the Indo Pak veterans' cricket match at the Eklavya stadium are now caught into a trap of their own making.
The Agra police which was expected to release them on Thursday, has sent them to jail under more than seven charges including sedition. "It is clear that the state administration does not want them to be bailed out easily," said a lawyer. Ashutosh Pandey, senior superintendent of police Agra had earlier said "nobody would be spared." If they had stopped after the initial round perhaps the police would have taken a lenient view, but the Shiv Sena activisits continued to repeat their threats and thus have invited the collective wrath of the district administration and the police which does not seem to be in any mood to let them get away easily.
The activists could have been let off if they had been charged under section 151 only. But sedition charge is a serious one which could lead to their confinement for a longer period, explained a senior counsel.

CITIZENS' DEMAND A NEW DEAL FOR AGRA
CHARTER OF DEMAND SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR

AGRA:
OVER 1OO prominent citizens of Agra have submitted a charter of demands to the UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri for the total restructuring and transformation of the grand city of the Mughals which over years has degenerated into a civilisational sink.
PK Jain, a retired PWD engineer who took the intitiative to thrash out a common approach paper with a broad vision of the future, told the Hindustan Times that Agra despite being a top international tourist centre woefully lacked the required infrastructural facilities. "Its growth had remained static and the population was denied basic necessities to lead a decent life," Jain added.
One of Agra's major problems according to Mr RP Singh, an expert in horticulture, is the inadequate availability of drinking water. Under ground water being brackish and unfit for human consumption could not support greenery nor meet the growing human needs.The Yamuna Action Plan had crashed without yielding any tangible results. More than a dozen drains were still releasing untreated water into Yamuna. The factories too had failed to instal treatment plants, Singh added.
The citizens have demanded a comprehensive master plan which took into account the pressures of urbanisation and the growing needs of the over 20 lakh people. The Agra Municipal Corporation, despite the tall claims of the Mayor and the 80 odd corporators, had miserably failed to even solve the garbage problem. Several schemes launched recently for solid waste management have floundered.
Attention has also been drawn to the erratic power supply. Although the Supreme Court has directed the state government to ensure uninterrupted supply of power to the entire Taj Trapezium Zone to discourage use of diesel generators, the Power Corporation has failed to meet the orders. Long hours of interruption force thousands of generators switched on, adding to the overall pollution load in the city. The charter demands opening of two gas based power houses in Agra to take care of the needs of the city.
Poor Traffic management within the city has been a major source of worry for the district authorities, as large number of tourists return disappointed without visiting several historical monuments especially those across the river, says Ashok Kumar Poddar who wants a proper scientific plan put into operation with consultation from Central Roads Research Institute and other specialised bodies. Poddar said several meetings have been held in the past but the recommendations have not been implemented.
Noted theatre personality Dr Jitendra Raghvanshi said the city did not have adequate number of outlets for cultural exposition. "Despite being such an important centre of tourism, Agra did not have a single art gallery, a museum, open air theatre. The state government should develop a multi purpose cultural complex to protect and promote local art forms," Raghvanshi said.
The memorandum wants immediate steps to save the crisis ridden Agra economy which has suffered major blows in recent years as a result of the war on air pollution. The traditional handicrafts units, as also the shoe industry which employs lakhs of people, have to be given a boost, says Ashok Jain of Doctor Soap industries.
Agra needs urgent attention. "A sick city would not be able to provide a healthy ambience for the world class monuments visited by lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists every year," warns social activist Dr Rajan Kishore. In 2004 the least the state and central governments can do is to upgrade the local airport to the international level with direct flights, open the Taj Mahal for night viewing, remove all encroachements within the city and clean up the mess created by years of neglect, suggests noted gynaecologist Dr Shivani Chaturvedi.

SENTENCED TO RETIREMENT

AGRA:
RETIRED SENIOR citizens from a dozen central government departments celebrated the annual Pensions' Day raising a set of demands they think could make their life more bearable in today's "cruel" world.
More than two decades ago the Supreme Court had on this day declared that pension was no "khairat" but a right of the worker and to commemorate this day we hold a programme on December 17, RVS Rana who retired from Central Railways told the Hindustan Times.
The programme organised by the Agra branch of the All India Organisation of Pensioners was presided over by IS Puri who retired from the defence. 77 year old Sri Krishna Sharma of Noori Darwaza who retired from the railways was felicitated for being the senior most retiree in Agra.
A major problem of most retirees according to Virendra Chauhan is the medical expenses. Many government departments do not pay anything. The defence staff gets only Rs 100 a month. "Most retired people do not get proper medical treatment. The dispensaries are far away and are not open round the clock. In case of heart or other serious diseases treatment has to be prompt. Private services are expensive. What should the pensioners do?" asked GS Mishra who retired from the COD.
Another problem relates to the facility of LTC which is not available to all the retirees. The UP government should provide concessions in tickets for roadways passengers like they do in Punjab where senior citizens get upto 50 concession in tickets, Mr Chibber said. In UP old people do not get a seat to sit, he added.
The conference was attended by more than 300 senior citizens who were sad and concerned over the lack of sympathy, both at home and outside.

UP GOVERNOR IN AGRA TODAY
TO OPEN TWO DAY SYMPOSIUM ON RAJA LAXMAN SINGH

AGRA
DECEMBER 17, 2003
A TWO-DAY symposium on the contribution of Raja Laxman Singh to the evolution of Hindi prose will be inaugurated by UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri at the Jubilee hall of Agra University on Thursday.
A number of leading lights of Hindi literature will participate in the programme and read their papers according to the convener of the organising committee Dr Jai Singh Neerad.
A descendant of the Raja's family Kunwar Dinesh Pratap Singh said his major contribution to Hindi Literature included translation of Kalidas' classic Shakuntalam and Raghvansh.
Prof Jitendra Raghvanshi said "another notable contribution of the Raja Sahab was his translation of the penal code Taje Rate Hind as Dand Sangrah and the gazetteer of Bulandshahr. In 1859 Raja Laxman Singh published the Praja Hit from Etawah."
Raja Laxman Singh enriched Hindi literature through his translations from Persian, Urdu and English. As a fellow of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta and later as vice chairman of Agra Nagar Palika.

AGRA
DECEMBER 24, 2003
PRESIDENT APJ Kalam today urged the youth to work with dedication towards his vision 2020. He was delivering the convocation address at the Dr BR Ambedkar University of Agra.
Dr Kalam arrived an hour late as his plane couldn't take off from New Delhi due to dense fog. But the president more than made up for the delay by speaking for nearly an hour and meeting a dozen children and NGO functionaries.
Volunteers of Nari Astitva Bachao met the president and delivered a memorandum to demand banning of sex determination tests which were leading to mass female foeticides. The president keenly listened to Megh Singh Yadav and reacted saying "very important and necessary," promising some follow up action on the list of demands in the charter. Mr Kalam also met two girls from the local convent schools and exchanged greetings.
The university convocation began amidst uncertainty with UP governor Acharya Vishnu Kant Shastri green signalling the start. But just when the organisers and the universities had given up all hopes and despondency had set in, a message from New Delhi brought cheer back. The huge pandal and the tastefully done backdrop by the students of the Lalit Kala Sansthan provided the right ambience for a spirited interactive session with the president who many said was a rare combination of brain and vision.
Mr Kalam charmed everyone with his simplicity and easy accessibility before leaving the university campus for Sefai in Etawah.
The arrangements made for the president did of course lead to a lot of heart burning and inconveniences for the man on the street whose movements were severely restricted for most part of the day.

HIS LATEST ALBUM RAMA RAMA BECOMES A HIT

AGRA
DECEMBER 22, 2003
DEADLY DANCE-MIX is the latest to hit the remix scene, with Rama Rama gazab hui gava re on everyone's lips these days.
With this Agra Telecom's general manager Yash Srivastava makes a dramatic entry into the pop music circuit with a bang. The number is repeatedly being played by most music channels. Produced by Sagarika Music Co., the video album opens new avenues for Srivastav whose earlier album, an instrumental released by Tips didn't catch the imagination of the pop patrons.
Srivastava says music is in his blood and he spends several hours daily on practising the finer nuances of pop music. By training an engineer, (M Tech from IIT Delhi), he joined the Indian Air Force as a flight lieutenant to switch over to the Telecom department in 1981.It was in Jabalpur that he got the real feel of the music which was to be his life and dream in later years.
Excited by the success of his album Srivastava is now working on several new projects, another hit remix album in a couple of months. For the moment he is totally hooked on the pop music.
As the general manager of Agra Telecom his success has been equally impressive. The Agra BSNL circle tops the charts in revenue generation and services.

RS 20,000 HELP TO GIRLS WHO PASS CLASS XII

AGRA:
UTTAR PRADESH Chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's recent promise in the Vidhan Sabha that his government wanted to make free education available to students till class XII, has been widely appreciated, as this has been a long cherished dream of many an educationist in the past 50 years after independence.
Summing up the debate on the Appropriation Bill 2003, the chief minister said, "I personally feel that there should not be a price tag for knowledge and hence we are making sincere efforts to make education till class XII totally free for all sections of society, be it SC, OBC or the upper castes."
Mr Singh said illiteracy was not only the biggest curse for a civilised society but was also a blot on the system. Costly education, he said was the chief factor responsible for the failure to eradicate illiteracy.
UP government has been particularly concerned at the low literacy rate among girls. To address this problem effectively a scheme has been announced under which financial help to the tune of Rs 20,000 would be available to every girl who passes class XII examination to help her pursue higher education of her choice.
Meanwhile, primary school teachers have expressed their resentment at the frequency with which they are being used for non- educational purposes like counting cable connections, election duties, or some area surveys conducted at the behest of government departments, according to a leader of the teachers union.
This year there has hardly been 100 days teaching and the session is about to close in another two months. Primary schools in the villages have been a neglected lot. According to a retired headmaster of one such school the focus of all development and changes so far has been on higher education which takes up almost all of the budgeted allocations for education. "The time for softpedalling higher education has now come. Until the foundation was strong and rooted in the soil we can not take off," he adds.
But the big changes in offing in the CBSE affiliated schools particularly the one relating to passing all students till eighth standard without examinations have been widely welcomed. Many teachers said they saw no merit in conducting routine examinations which took a lot of time and often created psychological problems for the students.
Union Minister of Human Resources Dr Murli Manohar Joshi has already made a statement to this effect. The principals in local schools have yet to receive the orders from the CBSE, but one senior teacher said the change was long overdue. A new grade system would also be put into operation.
In yet another path- breaking decision in UP nursery kids and those studying upto second standard will not have to carry bulky bags. They will only carry tiffin boxes and water bottles. This has come as a big relief to the parents who have long been complaining against the ever increasing size and weight of the bags which several medical practitioners have described as potential health risk for the children.
Government schools run by the Basic Shiksha Parishad in UP are struggling to change their image and the quality of output, particularly in rural areas, says an official of the education department.The lady teachers are the first target. They have been asked to take up their teaching assignments seriously and immediately stop the practice of sulking in the sun and knitting sweaters for their near and dear ones. Any teacher found with wool, knitting needles and other similar material will face stern action, an order of the Principal secretary Education Neera Yadav says. The circular describes the circumstances which guided issuing of this order. "During winter months, lady teachers in primary, junior schools and secondary schools are generally seen sitting outside in the open sun. Their concentration is affected and they pay more attention to sweater knitting."Leaders of various teachers unions say the order is timely. The teachers themselves should have realised their responsibility. "It is just as well that Mulayam Singh Yadav has drawn attention to this practice, having been a teacher himself," a senior school teacher says.
But the state government should also pay serious attention to the acute shortage of teachers at the primary level. In some schools senior chaprasis have been deputed to teach kids. In the Agra city where the Basic Shiksha Parishad has upwards of 180 schools, the number of teachers has come down to just 314 against sanctioned posts of over a thousand. Nearly 40 schools do not have principals or headmasters. In the past few years total focus has been on schools in the rural areas. This has led to the neglect of schools in the urban areas. The demand pressure is being met by more than 2500 recognised private schools in the district. Unfortunately these schools do not follow any norms in respect of fees charged and the salaries paid to the teachers who have to often work for long working hours. The Parishad has now launched a new scheme to train all the teachers engaged in the private schools under a crash programme.
Meanwhile, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan launched by the official agencies has already floundered in its initial stage. When the campaign started in July the official bodies were asked to ensure enrolment of 56,000 new students by December end. So far the figure has crossed only 40,000. The schools that were identified for repairs and fresh constructions are still waiting for work to begin though the funds were disbursed long ago. Over 50 school buildings are lying half finished but there seems to be no sense of urgency or seriousness about completing the civil work in time.The state of primary education in the district calls for some serious ground work, say the teachers. The district officials who have been visiting some of these schools in the far flung areas have been appalled by the disgusting conditions and the low IQ level of both the teachers and the taught. But a beginning seems to have been made at long last. The teachers have been told to stop consuming tobacco and pan masalas in the school premises because children were getting wrong signals. Some teachers, the officials said were in the habit of sending students to buy them gutkhas from the shops outside the schools. The state government has asked the local education departments to conduct surprise checks and ensure that the teachers do not play truant any more.

ANAND MURTI GURU MA INAUGURATES SPIRITUAL CENTRE AT MOKSH DHAM

AGRA:
ANAND MURTI Guru Ma, the favourite spiritual icon of millions of devout Hindus today inaugurated a Dhyan Kendra at the Taj Ganj Shamshan Ghat, certifying that a cremation ground need not necessarily be an unholy or evil place. "He who has not lived a full life can not secure a complete death," she said elaborating on the role of discipline and tranquility in life.
Those who come to the historic Taj Ganj shamshan ghat in the shadow of the Taj Mahal to conduct the last rites of their near and dear ones will return a little spiritually elevated and purged off their baser feelings, so assures the 120 year old Kshetra Bajaja Committee office bearers.
An ambitious programme to beautify the surrounding environs of the Mokshdham, the new name for the cremation ground, has been executed with support from a local industrial house Doctor Soap. The dhyan kendra, costing Rs 18 lakhs can accommodate upto a thousand mourners, according to Mahendra Jain. "It will become a model shamshan ghat in due course," according to Dr Ashok Goyal who has mobilised donors to contribute their mite for a worthy cause. His concern for the crematorium, both electric and the conventional, became intense when he saw hundreds of foreign tourists visiting the site, neighbouring the Taj. Many foreigners took keen interest to learn about the Hindu last rites. Goyal now wants people, tourists and mourners to spend some time and meditate and think about their respective roles in this world.
Already, the committee provides Ganga Jal, for washing the dead body, fire wood at subsidised rates and raised scientific platforms for burning the dead bodies on the bank of Yamuna. Lush green, and hidden from view by tall trees, the shamshan ghat is graduating as a popular spiritual centre.

AGRA
DECEMBER 19, 2003

THE TWO DAY symposium on the contribution of Raja Laxman Singh ended today with a call to Hindi lovers to reevaluate and recognise his steller role in promoting and enriching Hindi language in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
UP governor Acharya Vishnu Kant Shastri called Raja Laxman Singh a pioneer of Hindi prose. His consistent efforts to standardise and translate major works into Hindi were instrumental in installing Hindi on a very high padestal, he added.
A number of leading lights of Hindi literature l participated in the discussions spread over two days, and presented valuable papers according to the convener of the organising committee Dr Jai Singh Neerad.
A descendant of the Raja's family Kunwar Dinesh Pratap Singh said his major contribution to Hindi Literature included translation of Kalidas' classic Shakuntalam and Raghvansh. Singh welcomed the govenor and presented a shawl in his honour
Prof Jitendra Raghvanshi said "another notable contribution of the Raja Sahab was his translation of the penal code Taje Rate Hind as Dand Sangrah and the gazetteer of Bulandshahr. In 1859 Raja Laxman Singh published the Praja Hit from Etawah."
Raja Laxman Singh enriched Hindi literature through his translations from Persian, Urdu and English. As a fellow of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta and later as vice chairman of Agra Nagar Palika.
To coincide with the symposium an exhibition or valuable ancient manuscripts and maps was held at the KM Munshi Hindi Institute.

DK JOSHI, member of the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee on Agra, has charged district officials and state government agencies of squandering away more than Rs 400 crores without discernible changes in the prevailing chaotic civic conditions.
Even after spending crores of rupees the city continues to remain dirty with garbage heaps and choked nullahs, overflowing drains and stinking sewer lines, says Joshi. The number of safai karamcharis has come down to just 2100 from 3500, though the size of the city has increased several fold. "One mayor, three MPs, half a dozen MLAs, over 80 corporators, numerous NGOs, a score political parties and yet the city remains dirty as ever. You gobble up the funds, the karamcharis eat the humble pie and abuses. NO. This can not be allowed to go on like this," Joshi told the Nagar Nigam officials.
Joshi said the vehicles with the corporation were not being properly used and the fuel was being siphoned off to the grey market. Every single lane in the city is dirty. "Where has all the money gone? he asked. The Supreme Court early this year had asked for a report on the state of cleanliness in Agra. Facts were cooked up and a rosy picture presented to the court while the ground reality was vastly different, Joshi claimed. A large number of safai karamcharis, he said were serving private interests or deputed to the houses of the mayor, the municipal commissioner and other senior officials, though they are shown posted at various ward offices. More than 40 lakhs were spent on purchase of hand driven carts for transporting garbage but these vehicles proved a burden and unfit for use.
Many of these problems were raised at the monitoring committee's meeting presided over by the divisional commissioner BK Meena. But, according to Joshi the officials instead of explaining and answering his queries ganged up against him and prevented him from getting valuable information from various departments. He has therefore written to the chief secretary of the state complaining about the unhelpful behaviour of the government officials. The allegations against the officials have not been looked into. Even when documentary evidences were made available to the commissioner regarding bungling by Jal Nigam, Yamuna Pollution Control unit, Nagar Nigam, Agra Development Authority and Awas Vikas Nigam, nothing has been done so far and no inquiry has been set up. Of particular concern is the state of the Yamuna river which even after an expenditure of more than Rs 74 crore continues to remain as polluted as ever.
Other voluntary agencies in Agra have also expressed concern over the coninuing apathy of the state government in dealing with pressing civic problems although a lot of hullaballoo has been raised about celebrating the international year of the Taj Mahal and the 500th birthday of the city.

AGRA, PRESIDENT Abul Kalam will deliver the convocation address at Dr BR Ambedkar University of Agra on December 24,
according to the vice chancellor Prof GC Saxena.
The president is expected to spend about an hour at the university before leaving for Saifai with UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The University considers it a singular honour and has therefore decided to hold a special convocation.
Meanwhile the UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri has agreed to open a special symposium on the role and contribution of Raja Laxman Sing, at the KM Munshi Hindi and Linguistics Institute of the University on December 19.

NEW THRUST TO POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAMMES

AGRA, OVER FOUR thousand doctors from India and some 300 from abroad will participate in a conference at Agra from January 6 to 9.
The FOGSI (Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India) sponsored national convention will focus attention on the problem of population explosion. It will also discuss other vexing issues like AIDS, adolescent problems, complications relating to rural obstetrics, anaemia and the dynamics of demography.
A large number of research papers are also to be presented, according to the conference chairman Dr Barun Sarkar.
FOGSI's president elect Dr Behram Ankleshwaria will take over the new responsibility at the Agra convention with his slogan of modern technology, according to Dr Shivani Chaturvedi who said elaborate arrangements were being made to project Agra's rich history in all its beauty and diversity. "Incidentally this also happens to be Agra's 500th birthday year," she added. An Agra Bazar at the conference venue will display the local products and the delegates will have the facility to book their orders.
Dr Narendra Malhotra, Organising secretary said the conference would be opened by the union health minister Sushma Swaraj. UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and a number of prominent people would also be joining the conference on various days.

Agra, Dec 9 (IANS) It was meant to spotlight this historic city, home
to the Taj Mahal, but now the 500th birthday celebrations of Agra have
been pushed under the carpet after a slew of controversies.

The government in Uttar Pradesh, where the city is located, had even
said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee would give the green signal for
the celebrations a day before Republic Day on January 26.

Even a website, www. agra500years.com, was launched.

The federal ministry of tourism and culture headed by Jagmohan had
announced detailed plans, including the prestigious Aga Khan awards
function at the Agra Fort and the release of a commemorative stamp.

But now these mega plans have been shelved primarily due to
controversies over Agra's age.

Historians, rival tourism bodies, the influential Agarwal community and
the Hindu nationalist lobby all seemed to have put up a collective
fight to sabotage the 500th birthday celebrations of Agra.

For more than a year no one spoke against the idea. But when the actual
time came, what broke out were a virtual war of words and a game of
one-upmanship.

A disillusioned Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Naresh Agarwal decided
it was curtains for the planned festivities.

He has instead agreed to another idea -- the 350th birthday of the 17th
century monument to love, the Taj Mahal.

For that, the city is expected to get tens of millions of rupees to
upgrade amenities and infrastructure with an eye on tourists.

For the occasion, the airport will be upgraded to an international one
and Sahara Airlines will start new flights from Agra to connect major
destinations, according to actor-turned MP Raj Babbar.

But this historic city, it seems, will not get its place in the sun
right now.

Surendra Sharma of the Hotel and Restaurant Association wonders why
people created a ruckus over the birthday of Agra when the issue was
settled more than a year ago and plans were announced and publicised the
world over.

"This is bound to tarnish Agra's image," he said.

The tempo has been lost even as various groups are blaming each other.
The Agarwal community had opposed the event, saying Agra is more than
5,000 years old.

It is now getting ready for a new set of demands, which includes
renaming the city as Agrasen Nagar after erstwhile king Agrasen.

Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's government can hardly afford to
antagonise the strong Agarwal community in Agra.

At the same time it is miffed about the Hindu nationalist lobby's
stance.

A Shiv Sena activist said Hindu chauvinist forces see the scuttling of
the celebrations as a "victory", saying such an event would have
glorified Muslim rule.

Mughal emperor Shahjahan built the white marble monument for his
deceased wife Mumtaz, importing the stones from near and far.

Today, the imposing Taj Mahal is India's biggest tourist icon.

Brij Khandelwal

CITIZENS' DEMAND A NEW DEAL FOR AGRA
CHARTER OF DEMAND SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR

AGRA, OVER 1OO prominent citizens of Agra have submitted a charter of demands to the UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri for the total restructuring and transformation of the grand city of the Mughals which over years has degenerated into a civilisational sink.
PK Jain, a retired PWD engineer who took the intitiative to thrash out a common approach paper with a broad vision of the future, told the Hindustan Times that Agra despite being a top international tourist centre woefully lacked the required infrastructural facilities. "Its growth had remained static and the population was denied basic necessities to lead a decent life," Jain added.
One of Agra's major problems according to Mr RP Singh, an expert in horticulture, is the inadequate availability of drinking water. Under ground water being brackish and unfit for human consumption could not support greenery nor meet the growing human needs.The Yamuna Action Plan had crashed without yielding any tangible results. More than a dozen drains were still releasing untreated water into Yamuna. The factories too had failed to instal treatment plants, Singh added.
The citizens have demanded a comprehensive master plan which took into account the pressures of urbanisation and the growing needs of the over 20 lakh people. The Agra Municipal Corporation, despite the tall claims of the Mayor and the 80 odd corporators, had miserably failed to even solve the garbage problem. Several schemes launched recently for solid waste management have floundered.
Attention has also been drawn to the erratic power supply. Although the Supreme Court has directed the state government to ensure uninterrupted supply of power to the entire Taj Trapezium Zone to discourage use of diesel generators, the Power Corporation has failed to meet the orders. Long hours of interruption force thousands of generators switched on, adding to the overall pollution load in the city. The charter demands opening of two gas based power houses in Agra to take care of the needs of the city.
Poor Traffic management within the city has been a major source of worry for the district authorities, as large number of tourists return disappointed without visiting several historical monuments especially those across the river, says Ashok Kumar Poddar who wants a proper scientific plan put into operation with consultation from Central Roads Research Institute and other specialised bodies. Poddar said several meetings have been held in the past but the recommendations have not been implemented.
Noted theatre personality Dr Jitendra Raghvanshi said the city did not have adequate number of outlets for cultural exposition. "Despite being such an important centre of tourism, Agra did not have a single art gallery, a museum, open air theatre. The state government should develop a multi purpose cultural complex to protect and promote local art forms," Raghvanshi said.
The memorandum wants immediate steps to save the crisis ridden Agra economy which has suffered major blows in recent years as a result of the war on air pollution. The traditional handicrafts units, as also the shoe industry which employs lakhs of people, have to be given a boost, says Ashok Jain of Doctor Soap industries.
Agra needs urgent attention. "A sick city would not be able to provide a healthy ambience for the world class monuments visited by lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists every year," warns social activist Dr Rajan Kishore. In 2004 the least the state and central governments can do is to upgrade the local airport to the international level with direct flights, open the Taj Mahal for night viewing, remove all encroachements within the city and clean up the mess created by years of neglect, suggests noted gynaecologist Dr Shivani Chaturvedi.

AGRA, A NEW website www.agra500years.com was today launched by Surendra Sharma, founder president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association. Ms Sapna Agrawal, an IT professional presided over the function at hotel Goverdhan.
Tarul Gaur and Shikha Narula who have developed the website told media persons that their website contained all the relevant information about Agra including its history of 500 years. The site will be useful for incoming tourists who wish to be acquainted with the city.
Surendra Sharma highlighted the importance of celebrating Agra's 500 birthday in a big way. "This would not only give a push to tourism industry but also inculcate in the people a sense of pride and belongingness to the city," Sharma added.
The site features special sections on architecture, cuisine, culture, arts etc.

Respected Kalam sahab

as you are probably aware, the city of the Taj Mahal, agra is celebrating its 500th birth day in 2004. a number of programmes have been planned to project a new image of the historical city.
we wish to invite you on behalf of the people of agra to spend a few days in this city, at least 24 hours and see all the monuments. your presence will be an encouragement and the celebrations will take a new direction with the involvement of the local people, otherwise the whole exercise might just end up as a formal government show. it is important that people take pride in their history and culture and come forward to conserve the heritage. this sentiment is sadly lacking.
the celebrations thus provide us with an opportunity to get the people involved and make tourism everybody's business.
i do not know if you will accept my personal invitation, but if you show some interest i am sure the state government would be happy to welcome you here.
we hope to get a positive response from you.
with due regards,

yours sincerely
brij khandelwal/
21/22 free ganj, agra-4

AGRA, GOVERNMENT RECORDS in UP will not recognise women who have lost their husbands as widows. They will be called dependents after the death of husbands.
The director of Women's Welfare Harpal Singh gave this information during his visit to Agra. Singh said this decision was taken after several NGOs and women's organisations raised objections to the use of the term widows for women whose husbands had died. A new scheme to rehabilitate disabled women had also been launched recently to train women with physical problems, he added.

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