J&K is gradually simmering down though interested elements are trying to keep the pot boiling. The unreason, violence and cultivated effort to foster hatred and divisiveness in both the Valley and Jammu have caused a setback to the patient restorative process of rebuilding peace and harmony in the State.Yet, to conclude that all is lost and India should contemplate not whether but how and when to throw in the sponge is not merely defeatist but betrays a poor understanding of the underlying realities.

The upsurges in both parts of J&K have fed on one another and metamorphosed from regional to anti-national manifestations. The mere fact that some Valley disruptionists waved Islamic or Pakistani flags and shouted "aazadi" while their Jammu counterparts went on the rampage, tricolour in hand, does not necessarily make them either "Pakistani" or "nationalist". Among them were urchins, hooligans and frustrated youth, mobilised and instigated by religious zealots and separatists/fundamentalists. The Yatra and "shrine board land" were total non-issues and provided a fig-leaf to agitate other more sinister agendas.

The issue on all sides was and remains the forthcoming general elections in J&K which are due in October-November. Pakistan and the Valley separatists are afraid that another fair and free election could mark the end game. Pakistan has tried every trick in the book but failed and faces the backlash of its sponsorship of Talibanised-jehadi terror. The long-suffering people of Pakistan and POK/Northern Areas know they have been cruelly used and are paying an increasingly bloody price for the follies, ambitions and venality of the feudals, mullahs and military who have ruled the roost. The people of the Valley are no longer prepared to accept death and destruction to serve the same kind of false ambition, bigotry and venality of the separatists. The Hurriyat, a confused and squabbling conglomerate, has not provided positive ideas or leadership, being content to seek inspiration in and from Pakistan.

In Jammu, the Parivar, donning the mask of the Amarnath Shrine Sangharsh Samiti, has seized the opportunity to crank the Hindutva agenda for both the State and national elections. Its frenzied agitation has hurt the national interest. Yet Advani is determined to pursue his sankalp yatra, hitting out at "appeasement", "weak government" and hardy annuals like Ram Sethu and abrogation of Article 370, though Ayodhya appears to be on the back burner.

We now have two pretenders-in-waiting, the other being Geelani, the Kashmir demagogue, who stood before a crowd in front of the UN Observers' office in Srinagar and proclaimed himself its leader, only to be challenged by other Hurriyat leaders, the two factions coming to blows a day later! The Hurriyat has now formally resolved to oppose elections and seeks "aazadi" through self-determination. Syed Salahuddin, Chairman of the United Jehad Council in Muzaffarbad, believes he is the supreme leader and has called for an end to all militant activity in the Valley, opening of the Muzaffarabad road and participation by his armed cadres in a "peaceful people's movement for freedom."

Several questions arise. Who is hesitant to open up more routes for trade and movement between J&K and PAK/NA? Those seeking "aazadi" in J&K need to ask what degree of self-determination prevails across the LOC and why they are silent on the subject. Has there been any mapping of and protest against demographic change in POK/NA, especially in the latter, in a bid to neutralize Shia/Aga Khani preponderance in certain districts? Why have there been so many ceasefire violations across the LOC in recent months, many in support of infiltration efforts? It is also necessary t reaffirm that there is not going to be a second partition and India's established boundaries are not negotiable.

Turn to Jammu. The refusal to admit an attempted economic blockade during the early phase of the Samiti agitation is belied by contemporary news reports and statements and pictures of trucks lined up awaiting passage either way. At least one Punjab BJP Minister was found directing the blockade of the national highway beyond Pathankot, disrupting the Army's lines of communication beyond Jammu to Srinagar-Kargil-Leh and along the LOC. To argue that this was only a routine "chakka jam" that brought economic loss and public distress to the people of Jammu as well is no extenuation but only compounds the crime. Resurrection of a history of 60 and more years of Jammu's regional grievances was mistimed and mischievous in the effort to convert a regional grievance, partly real, partly imagined or exaggerated, into a religious divide. This was evidenced by attacks on innocent Muslim Gujjars. The VHP's Pravin Togadia meanwhile announced a countrywide jail bharao programme demanding "return" of the Shrine Board land, continuation of the Yatra and recall of the Governor, all hugely irrelevant, as there is no land to restore as none was given, the yatra is over and cannot be kept going for ever to sustain a political agenda, and the Governor has handled a difficult job well and is not going to be hounded out by hoodlums.

The notion that all of Jammu and the Valley are aflame and on the march is an illusion. When the dust settles, it will be seen that trouble has been largely confined to parts of Srinagar, Sopore and other towns and certain districts or parts thereof.. Likewise the Amarnath agitation is confined to Jammu, Kathua, Samba and certain other pockets. The numbers involved, other than those always ready to join or watch any tamasha or indulge in some private rowdyism and loot, runs not into tens of lakhs but a smaller though distressingly large number. The bulk of the people of the Valley and Jammu have stayed out or have had their fill of ":fun" and are anxious to resume their lives and livelihoods.

Any further agitation must be handled firmly though not brutally leaving no doubt that the State has not withered away. The way forward is threefold: resume the current dialogue to resolve immediate problems and grievances; press ahead resolutely with the peace process, both internal and external based on the emerging consensus on the Manmohan Singh formula; and hold absolutely fair and free elections as scheduled. Some may boycott the poll while others threaten violence. Disturbed pockets can be isolated and provided special protection. If the turnout is low for fear of intimidation, the onus will be on those responsible to explain their unwillingness to face the people they claim to represent. Four of the five task forces earlier set up by the PM have reported and if the Shaghir Ahmed commission on internal autonomy has stalled, wind that up and proceed on the basis of the ideas and demands already on the table, taking relevant regional issues on board. All parties should be invited, including the Hurriyat and separatists provided they eschew violence.

Elections need not await conclusion of this dialogue and none should be allowed to veto either process. Talks with Pakistan too must be taken forward. If Islamabad is too troubled to engage, that should not stall the internal dialogue and implementation of whatever is agreed upon. Finally, work must proceed apace on the Jammu-Baramulla Railway, the new national highway, the operationalisation of the Srinagar international airport and power and transmission projects. Development, opportunity and connectivity will help change mindsets.

This is the way forward. Take it.

India's petroleum policies are getting curiouser and curiouser. The latest report on the oil sector by former petroleum secretary B.K. Chaturvedi has proposed a phased raise in oil product prices so that eventually, domestic retail prices are brought on a par with international levels. This is surely an Alice in Wonderland proposal.

In the past, even a small increase in prices of kerosene, diesel and gasoline has taken months to implement, with numerous inter-ministerial meetings, followed by talks with the prime minister and finally ending with an approval by the cabinet.

The reason is simple. Oil prices are a political hot potato. Every politician knows that even a small hike in prices could prove suicidal for poll prospects. In such a scenario, for an official panel to blithely recommend a monthly rise in oil prices appears to be somewhat unrealistic, to say the least.

Besides, the panel must surely know that this is an election year and inflation is already raging at much above the 12-percent mark.

The chances of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government accepting any suggestion to impose further hike in fuel prices on the common man appears fairly remote.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora has thus taken no time at all to reject outright the report's recommendations. Apart from the political angle, it also does not make much economic sense to talk of passing through international levels of oil prices to the domestic market right now as this would definitely create further inflationary pressures.

In the long run, of course, it is a desirable aim that domestic prices of oil products are not subsidised and there is a linkage to world oil prices. At the same time, given the volatility of the international oil market, a system has to be put in place that would provide stability to consumers instead of exposing them to rapidly changing fuel prices.

It would definitely be a more fruitful exercise for the government to ponder over the need for a long-term policy that would provide a modicum of stability for consumers while ensuring that subsidies are transparent and built into the system.

Some interesting proposals on the subsidy issue have already been made by the C. Rangarajan panel, which had suggested that smart cards be issued to those below the poverty line so that they can avail themselves of kerosene at subsidised rates.

This would replace the existing system of providing kerosene at subsidised rates through the public distribution system, where inefficiencies and the corruption it has generated are legendary.

Even representatives of Left parties who have fought fiercely to protect the supply of subsidised kerosene to weaker sections concede there is tremendous leakage and adulteration in the existing mechanism.

While evolving such a policy, it would be useful to look at the existing oil pricing system in a realistic context.

First, despite the talk of huge under-recoveries - retailing fuel products at below cost - the same entities are making higher revenues by what are known as refinery margins.

This represents the amount oil companies make by processing crude into several different products. The refining margins go up along with the price of crude. So oil refining and marketing companies are also making some gains along with the losses on sale of products at prices below production costs.

Second, all oil products are not being sold below international market levels. Prices of industrial products like LSHS (low sulphur heavy stock) and bitumen as well as aviation turbine fuel are reviewed every fortnight and the prices are altered accordingly.

And finally, the country does not import all its crude requirements.

About 25-30 percent is still being produced within the country. The national oil producing companies like Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd are paid international prices for this crude, which explains their soaring profits.

This does not mean to say that the domestic oil companies are not facing a crisis. It simply means that there are many facets to oil pricing and all this needs to be studied in depth, preferably by industry experts rather than by bureaucrats, before reaching any final conclusions.

The Chaturvedi Committee has certainly examined most of the key issues but oil companies are opposing proposals like the one on export parity pricing, as it would reduce refining margins.

In the past, the then petroleum minister Mani Shankar Aiyar had formulated a band system of pricing, which envisaged domestic prices going up or down automatically in case of volatility in international markets.

Unfortunately, the entire plan had to be peremptorily abandoned when world oil prices far exceeded projections. It really means that it is time for the government to look at the long run, taking into account the fact that world oil prices may continue to remain in the region of 80 to 100 dollars per barrel for quite some time.

The other issue that is not being talked about lately is the need to step up indigenous exploration efforts. Normally, high oil prices spur exploration efforts since this makes such high cost projects more viable than ever before.

Despite the sector's regulator, the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), insisting that the subcontinent is highly prospective as far as petroleum is concerned, there has been a relatively poor international response to various oil exploration bidding rounds in India.

In fact, Indian companies like ONGC and Reliance Industries have made the maximum effort in this area. Even the huge gas discoveries off the Krishna-Godavari basin in Andhra Pradesh and off the Gujarat coast do not seem to have lured the oil majors to our shores. The reasons for this lack of interest need to be examined as well as the validity of the reports claiming high prospects in our region.

As for the Chaturvedi panel report, it is clearly not acceptable to the petroleum ministry or the oil companies in its present form.

It could, however, serve as the basis for another committee to look at the entire oil scenario and present proposals for a long-term energy policy. Such a policy is urgently needed, given the vagaries of the international oil market.

It is true that no strategy can cope with world oil prices reaching heights of $150 dollars per barrel. It is also equally true that a policy is essential to review the country's overall energy deficit and consider ways to overcome this shortfall over the next decade.

Madam,

It was interesting to read in your editorial column dated14/7/2008 and 17/7/2008, the thoughts of one Mr/ Miss/ Mrs K.M.Lyngdoh and F.Nongrum, and the concern the said persons had about the workings of M.T.D..C and the politics within. We all are equally concerned as citizens by the said politics going on in the corporation .Therefore out of curiosity I tried to find out more about this murky situation in M.T.D.C.

Has anyone given a thought as to where and why this politics has started? This politics, it was found out, started when the erstwhile Managing Director of the corporation, Shri K.L.Tariang was in-charge. The nepotism and dictatorship shown by him in the running of this corporation (in this democratic country of ours), has put this corporation in the turmoil it is in, rather than taking it forward, and for which he should take moral responsibility.

It also came to be known that the employees union of the M.T.D.C had put an RTI, questioning the working of the Managing Director (Shri K.L.Tariang), especially in the case of irregular promotion of some of the officers and staff of the corporation, in a very selective basis, without following the proper promotion procedures. An example of this improper promotion was the putting of a person named Kumar Lyngdoh(a Muslim hailing from somewhere in Bihar), whose educational qualification is just PUC pass, to be the Manager of the personnel division and also the confirmation of one Shelly Baruah(a Bengali or does the name sounds tribal) as assistant manager accounts, without proper procedures and also violating the state reservation policy and in the process depriving many qualified local boys and girls to get a job in their own state. Nepotism! Just being the MD does not mean that his workings cannot be questioned, if found to be leading the corporation into turmoil and destruction.

As regards to the appointment of the Manager of Orchid Hotel. This person, who is also a hotel management graduate, as found out, has been with the corporation for more than four years now and whose mother by the way is a khasi, has done justice to his appointment by bringing up the status and business of the hotel which at one time was down in the dumps and the Tourism department was contemplating to privatize it. This change can be seen by anybody who has visited the hotel recently.

Why can't we people set aside our petty differences and sometimes appreciate people who are willing to work hard and bring progress to the department and the state likewise by doing something constructive. As far as MTDF is concerned, it is a group of hoteliers and likeminded businessmen who have got together to do something extra for the state, in matters of tourism, in collaboration with the state tourism department, under the able leadership of the former tourism minister R.G.Lyngdoh.

It is therefore my very kind request to our Dynamic Tourism minister to put somebody in charge of M.T.D.C, who can take it forward towards progress instead of regression, and give more opportunity to people who are willing to work hard and bring up the corporations name.

In conclusion I would like to request K.M.Lyngdoh and F.Nongrum, who seemed to be very concerned about the workings of the corporation, that kindly look at the picture as a whole instead of parts and be better informed in the future before writing anything, and not to go about writing fiction. You can deceive people once but not all the time. Don't take people of Meghalaya to be fools.

Yours etc.,
R.S. Lyngdoh
Via e-mail

Madam,

BSNL Services in Garo Hills, especially in Tura is deplorable these days. Far from being serviceable and customer friendly, it is a source of mental anguish and tension. While the billing comes through sms regularly, it is rare when one can talk business till the end in one dial. BSNL came to Garo Hills first and today, many are subscribers also of Airtel and Reliance, not for status symbol but because BSNL is no longer reliable and cost effective. It is also very surprising that the network coverage also has diminished. The areas where there used to be a good network connection earlier, now has no network. It pains me to hear my friends from others parts of India lament about the network here, when they want to communicate with us. Complaints in this regard have been far too many, but all these have gone into deaf ears. Is the Government-sponsored company showing its step-motherly treatment to this part of the country, just because the people here are too tolerant ?

Yours etc.
J.Sangma
Tura

Madam,

My telephone No. 2537859 remains non-functional for the major part of any month. When a complaint is lodged, the line man restores the connection temporarily and the telephone becomes operational for 3 to 4 days after which it becomes dead once again. For years the lineman has repeated the same story of non-availability of proper materials (good quality cable, junction boxes etc.) and hence his inability to keep the telephone functional.

Ours is one of the oldest telephone connections in the locality and it astonishes us to see this level of inefficiency especially in the 21st Century when there have been so many advances in communication technology and considering BSNL's oft repeated slogan "BSNL BEST HAl."

On the other hand, the billing department of BSNL is over efficient as the bills arrive with amazing regularity. Needless to say, all the bills are duly paid adding to BSNI/s swelling coffers.

It appears that the department does not have the necessary means, ability or inclination to provide proper service. I make this final, fervent appeal to BSNL (through your esteemed daily) to do something about this sad state of affairs. Failure to do so will leave me with no option but to disconnect my telephone.

Yours etc.,
K Sooting

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