Prof. Javed Mughal
Rajouri Mains happens to be an industrial town. It is one of the biggest business criss-crosses across the state where the traffic links from all directions like Poonch, Mendhar, Budhal, Darhal, Jammu, Kalakote and now from Kashmir also. One adage used to be prominent about Rajouri town once upon a time “Go to Rajouri Town with one kilogram of milk in the morning and come back home in the evening with one thousand rupees in hands.” It meant to sell it and then multiply the business and generate a thousand rupees even from a very meagre amount of money. Educationally speaking the statistics of Rajouri is better than many districts of our state with about two Degree Colleges, two B.Ed Colleges, one ETT College, two Paramedical Colleges, one Woman College (under construction on war footing) and a couple of sophisticated schools like Delhi Public School, Army Goodwill School, International Higher Secondary School, Panorama High School, Himalayan Higher Secondary School, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Covent School and many others which are no less than any other educational hub of the state in respect to the work quality. All these institutions have succeeded a lot to produce degree, diploma and certificate holders. Their contribution to the literacy rate of this area is praiseworthy. I am hats off to these alma maters that transported our native generation into the world of awareness and awakening. But I have all reasons to say that these institutions have to some extent failed to inculcate a sense of self-realization, a sense of duty towards the common cause, awareness about the rights, the urge to work for the public welfare among the youth of this area. A soldier to make a yeoman’s service to society, a selfless soul to work for the betterment of humanity and a stalwart to work for repairing the cracks in roads, redressing the medical grievances of the poor, mitigating the water crises and subsiding the electricity issues are yet to produced by our educational centers. Merely distinctions and positions printed on the slice of paper are not enough to do the needful. A very small issue of cleanliness has become so serious that the entire town stands converted into almost a wasteland spotted with the piles of garbage even within the town what to speak of the surrounding areas. Rajouri town happens to be the dirtiest one I have ever seen till now. Quite unplanned town, extremely congested and narrow streets and madding crowds of customers adds to the shabbiness of the town’s appearance. The titular Municipal Committee is doing nothing at all. The Chairmen come from time to time spend time in the official comfy Morris chair and then fall into oblivion. None of them till now has shown any concern to the sanitation of the town and public hygiene. City wards are so suffocating that the human life is next to impossible there and how my respected inhabitants are breathing there is still a mystery for me. It means their nostrils have become accustomed to enjoying the stench day in and day out. It all is happening despite the strong and active presence of all big political leaders of all parties in the heart of town pretending to be well wishers of the masses. As a matter of fact, the common citizens are sleeping in slumber making no sign of concern about the atmosphere in which they are upbringing their progeny. If it is true that dysfunctional have become the Notified Area Committee whose job is to maintain sanitation, equally lifeless is the public who neither succeed in activating the concerned quarters regarding the burning issues nor do they, themselves, do something for them. There goes a saying “You can lead a horse to the water but you can’t make him drink. Transpose this to Rajouri, or more specifically to the city wards and outskirts of the Rajouri Municipal area. The Government has failed to provide pick up mini-trucks to remove garbage dumps from the important surrounding installations like hospitals, university, Degree College Rajouri and some others. Despite several communications from GDC Rajouri, the NAC Rajouri has paid no attention to this side. Now-a-days the beauty of campus of GDC Rajouri stands totally spoiled by the heaps of garbage giving rise to the stinking atmosphere all around. The NAC is required to immediately depute at least one trolley each twice a week to remove unwanted material from the college campus and similarly from other important points. At the same time it is obligatory for the masses to understand their duty too. They are human beings not because they are human-shaped but because they have to apply their mind to the situation and do all the best for them and their counterparts. A man or woman, having no civic sense, can comfortably breathe in a malodorous atmosphere but at least a human being who has even a slight tinge of common sense can’t do so. At present to wait for the slumberous authorities to come to our rescue is tantamount to ‘waiting for Godot’ who neither came in the novels of Samuel Backette nor is to come now. We should be concerned about our own well being. Not surprisingly, it has become the nocturnal habits of the people to slyly dump the domestic wastes on the roadsides, which have become a nauseous problem. Small children are in continuous peril and threat to their life. No traffic rules are observed and the traffic police are mute spectator watching merely road shows. Nothing is well in order. The entire life mechanism is out of gear. Yes, the public is living simply because they are left with no other option. But exactly and honestly speaking, this life is no life at all. Let alone densely populated town, even the Gazzetted Staff Quarters are in such a deplorable plight that one’s heart sinks into despair at the sight of it. Teacher selling exams, doctor selling prescription, a line man cashing on water supply, PDD Inspector selling electricity and Neta selling his conscience-all combined together have converted Rajouri Town in particular and state in general into a vanity fair. Public interests are being sacrificed for the personal benefits. Education sans civic sense, degrees sans implementation and life sans purpose are all fertile hallucinations of the fertile mind. Our Colleges must activate their NSS Units and certain other NGOs must come forward to emancipate this town from the instant problems. Our District Headquarter should wake up now and divert its attention to the burning issues which the public is faced with. The greatness does not consist in hoarding up black money, travelling in hi-fi cars and making shallow speeches but it primarily lies in all round progress of the area and a formative change in the approach of people and the system towards life and society.
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