We appeal to local politicians should not interfere in education matters!!!

01 June 2018: I was talking to an officer in the education department yesterday and asked him why there's a shortage of staff in the upper areas of pahalgam . He said one there's a shortage of staff and secondly, a number of teachers do not return to the far flung areas even afrer the attachment period ends using local political influence. Teachers who are ordered to go to these areas also resist such postings with the help of political influence. He also said that such problems dont exist in areas like Ananthnag and other areas of district ananthnag where teachers are more and students lesser. Sadly the Education department does not pay attention to upper areas like pahalgam aru, mandlana, mamal, ganieshbal, frislan, athnadan, laripora kalan laripora khurad, gujran batkoot, serchen, kicherwan, grendwan hapatnar, reshikulbal, nagbal, khilan, lehandajan, shikhpora, etc where there's a severe shortage of staff. A number of RET and other teachers also don't go these schools at all despite drawing pay from the school depriving poor children going to these schools of education. We appeal local politicians not to interfere in these matters and stop putting the question of their education under duress. They should instead think these are their own children and try to do whatever they can to ensure there's no shortage of staff in schools in far flung areas. The Director Education Kashmir, CEO Education Ananthnag and concerned ZEOs must also ensure posting of additional staff in the 3 education zones of Mattan, Aishmuqam and Srugufwara.

Mushtaq Pahalgami,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

World No Tobacco Day 31 MAY 2018!!!

World No Tobacco Day 31 MAY  2018!!!

Every year, on 31 May, WHO and its partner organizations , mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) to highlight the health and other risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.

This year, World No Tobacco Day will focus on the important link between tobacco and heart disease, under the campaign theme “Tobacco Breaks Hearts”. The campaign aims to increase awareness on the link between tobacco and CVD and promote feasible actions and measures that governments and the public can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco. World No Tobacco Day 2018 will also be an opportunity to bolster commitment and empower the cardiovascular community in the fight against tobacco.

Cardiovascular disease kills more people than any other cause of death worldwide, and tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure contribute to approximately 12% of all heart disease deaths. Tobacco use is also the second leading cause of CVD, after high blood pressure. Despite the known harms of tobacco to heart health, and the availability of solutions to reduce related death and disease, knowledge among large sections of the public that tobacco is one of the leading causes of CVD is low.

Courtesy :
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

Save Pahalgam Save ,The Future Generations

Save Pahalgam Save Future Generations.
April 28,2018:It's a common duty to save and conserve the resources that provide us livelihood and employment. It is incumbent upon us all to happily and dutifully take care of these natural gifts , especially river Lidder which provides employment to thousands of us. We should also similarly, proactively care for Kolhai Glacier and make efforts to save it from melting. We must also keep an eye on anyone destroying our surroundings through polluting, contaminating, dumping garbage, illegal encroachment and construction etc. and must make efforts to stop them. We should form a trust and collect funds from all unions and concerned people to design and implement some program for the conservation of these bodies and work in collaboration with the MCP, PDA, Tourism and Revenue....... departments to save the Surroundings of Pahalgam from being destroyed.

Mushtaq Pahalgami,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

Himalayan Green Award 2018!

April 19,2018:In the Himalayan Green awards, 2018, the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Srinagar Reyaz Ahmad Wani was also presented a letter of appreciation in absentee for doing an outstanding job as director, urban local bodies especially for better sanitation and environmental conservation. Director, Tourism, Kashmir Mahmood Ahmad Shah was also duly appreciated for his efforts for tourism promotion. Both officers will be presented with the certificates in person soon.

Press and Publicity,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

Stop Labour Child!!!

Profound solidarity !!!

April 18,2018:A number of underaged children are employed in the in different  sectors  in Jammu and  Kashmir, especially in Pahalgam,Gulmarg ,Sonamarg and other spots    as pony walas and in hotels, local restaurants,shops  and vehicles driver conductor. These are minors who instead need to be at school and are compelled to drop out of education, mostly due to poverty and lack of accessibility of and acceptability in local schools. We brought up the matter in the time to time and now again we requested industry players to not resort to child labour as a source of cheap labour but to no avail. Both the tourism and Labour departments as well as ministries of education and child welfare need to take immediate cognisance of the problem, have these kids rescued and rehabilitated and sent to schools as well simultaneously punishing the employers and making it difficult for them to employ children as workers, which is legally a punishable crime as per the J&K Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, which "provides for regulation of employment of children in non-hazardous process or occupation .The act also provides for rehabilitation of child workers and providing support to the family on account of loss of income."

Mushtaq Pahalgami,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

Open letter to Chief Executive Officer Pahalgam Development Authority.

Open letter to Chief Executive Officer Pahalgam Development Authority.

April 08, 2018: Private companies who have been alloted/commissioned for ex. JIO Reliance, who was commissioned first in year 2017 for digging whole Khanabal Road from Ananthnag to Pahalgam and local pahalgam town too, second KEI industries Limited New Delhi and now BSNL, digging the same khanbal Pahalgam road, these companies laying underground JIO Reliance Cable, KEA power cableing work in Pahalgam town and BSNL telephone cable esp for Amarnath yatra purpose must not be allowed to use heavy machines JCBs etc. This not only adversely impacts this ecologically sensitive  area but also upsets the already precarious nature-construction balance here.
Without permission of Building Operation Controlling Authority -  BOCA no work is possible here in jurisdictions of Pahalgam Development Authority but I am sure these companieswas not at all by doing this Building Operation Controlling Authority -  BOCA  and Development Act -DA ignored or sidelined which is a biggest crime  the second thing is such kind of projects Environment Impact Assessment - EIA should must do that before work you asked the environment and ecology damage but here they thrown all laws and norms  into lidder river. 😔 😔 😔

We urge concerned authorities to take note of the danger and ensure that simultaneous turfing is carried out and any malba/debris dug out in the process is disposed off outside the Pahalgam Development Authority PDA area. The Chief Executive Officer Pahalgam Development Authority PDA must also ensure that compensation is claimed for environmental damage from the companies have ruined/ damage   here should be punished and booked under law as soon as possible. 

Mushtaq Pahalgami,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO

Lack of public toilets in highway and public places in Kashmir Valley.

March 29,2018:Holes in the implementation of the Swatchta Hi Sews or Swatch  Bharat Abhiyan are becoming too wide to ignore here in the whole National Highway from Jammu to Srinagar, Srinagar To Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg.... The concern department especially Jammu and Kashmir  Tourism ,Rural Development Kashmir, Municipal Committee, Councils and other tourism development authorities are not paying any attention to the problem from where to the common people, tourists also pass  in daily routine basis where people forcing to use open places for toilets...
When toilets should be but they don't built it's the failure of the government they spend crores over the wazwans and flop events but where need they don't spend there.
Non availability of public toilets or defunct public toilets causing much inconvenience to tourists and the people of the region . It's extremely unfortunate and a travesty of the principles of public responsibility and accountability that while these departments make high claims of development on one hand and celebrated the 'Swatch Bharat Weeks ' with much pomp, on the other hand, a problem as basic yet with such grave implications is being neglected. Despite being a world famous tourist destination, Kashmir Valley faces a severe shortage of public toilets and there is an urgent and pressing need for making the new and existing toilets functional and for building more toilets esp in national highway , so that tourists,and general public do not have to face unnecessary inconvenience and the already fragile and sensitive ecosystem of the region is not threatened further.

Mushtaq Pahalgami,
Himalayan Welfare Organization-HWO