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Hindustan Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Prices plummet despite good harvest, Kashmir strawberry growers worried
Despite a relatively good harvest of season's first crop - strawberries - in Kashmir, the Pahalgam attack and subsequent war like situation between India and Pakistan affected the returns of growers. The strawberry farmers, shifting from vegetables and paddy in recent years, are busy harvesting the berries in the valley as the production has been relatively good like last year. Yet, they are not happy. 'The rates are very less, almost half of what were last year. The dealers tell us that the fall was owing to the security situation, both on surface and in air. Good tourist presence in the valley would trigger good demand and we would get good returns,' said elderly Ghulam Nabi from Gussu village who started harvesting the crop from May 5 this year. Strawberry farming is a recent practice in Kashmir. Most farmers in Srinagar and parts of Ganderbal in central Kashmir, who shifted to strawberry farming, used to grow vegetables earlier. Gussu village has the highest number of people growing strawberries. Only few farmers grow other fruits on their land. The annual strawberry production in Kashmir is more than 2,500 to 3,500 metric tonnes and the growers earn more than ₹20 to 30 crore as the fruit is grown over more than 300 to 350 hectares of land. In Gussu village, some 60 farmers and their families harvest crops on around 150 kanals of land. Most of the strawberries in Kashmir are consumed locally. Another farmer of the village, Manzoor Ahmad said that they had a bumper crop like last year but faced a slump in market. 'The crop was good but the Pahalgam attack pushed the market down and the situation turned further bad. In normal times, tourists and locals would come here and buy directly. The exodus of tourists and the closure of schools and colleges (during the subsequent military confrontation) pushed the demand as well as rates down,' Ahmad said. A terror attack on tourists on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists, triggering a flight of tourists out of the valley. On May 7, India targeted terror infrastructure at nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack. For four days, the militaries and airforce of the two nations carried out missile and drone attacks on each other till a ceasefire was announced on May 10. Ahmad, who plants strawberries on 4 kanal of his land, said that he had started harvesting the crop on April 20 and could find a start difference in the rates pre and post the Pahalgam attack. 'Before the attack the rates were touching ₹500 per tray ( 2.5 kg) which came down to around 230-250 per tray. The rates have now stabilised to around ₹300-350 but the harvesting is now almost complete,' he said. Officials also confirmed a good production of strawberries this year except in some hailstorm affected areas. M Amin, technical officer in horticulture department, said that the strawberries have been stored in cold storages. 'The production is good. There were hailstorms in a few areas which, however, didn't cause any appreciable damage. Post harvesting, there were some issues (due to situation) as the fruits were in transit but that was a temporary phase. Now it is normalising,' he said.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Civil defence, sirens you'll hear today & the drill
Noida: Air raid sirens will go off in sync on Wednesday, simulating a war-time emergency as civil defence units ( CDU ) conduct drills in line with govt 's directive to test preparedness amid heightened India-Pakistan tension following the terror attack on April 22 at Pahalgam in which 26 tourists were drill puts the focus on CDU, which is a voluntary force that is deployed during emergencies or disasters and supplements govt agencies like the national and state disaster response forces (NDRF and SDRF), police, etc. The home ministry on Monday directed all states and UTs to conduct coordinated drills on Wednesday. The objective – to operationalise air-raid sirens and train civilians to protect themselves in the event of a "hostile attack". The exercise is set to be held across 244 designated 'civil defence districts' in the Delhi-NCR, Noida (Gautam Budh Nagar) is the only district that does not have a CDU, and so its drill will be different. In Ghaziabad, which has a CDU, the sirens will go off twice, at 10am and is civil defence?In India, civil defence began as a wartime concept to protect civilians from bombings. Over time, its role expanded to cover disasters such as fires, earthquakes, floods, and industrial accidents. Civil defence is not a replacement for other emergency services but an auxiliary force that can be mobilised during both planned drills and unanticipated disasters. Volunteers receive training in casualty care, rescue operations, firefighting, communications, and radiation monitoring, among other does it matter?Civil defence is the first line of organised civilian response in an emergency. Civil defence volunteers are pressed into service in NCR in cases rescue and relief work, like building collapse sites. They were also deployed during the 2023 Yamuna and Hindon flooding and during the Covid routinely conduct drills at schools, malls, public offices, and market areas to spread awareness and reduce panic during actual incidents. They also offer first aid support at events, assist with crowd control, and help manage logistics during mass gatherings or govt Ghaziabad, which has a CDU, their most recent deployment was on April 28. "During the fire at Aditya Corporate Hub in Raj Nagar District Centre, civil defence volunteers helped fire officials rescue over 100 people," said Anil Aggarwal, deputy chief warden of the NCR city's civil defence unit. "During the Covid pandemic, we assisted with delivering essentials, organising vaccination camps, and distributing PPE kits. We are always on duty, whether it's a drill or a real emergency."What is a CDU's shape?It varies. Ghaziabad, for instance, has around 1,600 registered volunteers, of whom 600 are trained as firefighters. Of these, about 650 are actively involved in field operations. The rest serve as reserve staff, according to Ghulam Nabi, assistant deputy controller of civil defence. "While the civil defence unit in Ghaziabad was constituted in 1970, it was originally under the jurisdiction of Meerut. It was only after Ghaziabad became a separate district that a chief warden was appointed," Nabi said. "Our volunteers don't get salaries. This is purely a voluntary service." There are districts that pay a daily allowance, like Delhi does in line with minimum CDU structure resembles a pyramid. The district magistrate is controller of the CDU, while the chief warden and deputy chief warden oversee operations. The hierarchy looks like this – five divisional wardens (each responsible for 2 lakh people), four incident control officers per warden (for 50,000 people each), 10 post wardens under each officer (for every 20,000), and 10 sector wardens under each post warden (for 2,000 people each).Who trains volunteers?CDU volunteers undergo formal training at National Civil Defence College in Nagpur and the Central Civil Defence Training Institute in Lucknow. across a range of activities, from first aid and urban search-and-rescue to handling communication devices like walkie talkies and setting up shelters. The training, said Aggarwal, enhances both an individual's capacity to respond and the collective resilience of a city. "Once someone is enrolled, they are sent for professional courses in batches. These are certified, intensive sessions designed to prepare volunteers for real-time deployment," he happens today?In the structured CDU drill that will happen in Ghaziabad, air raid sirens will be simultaneously activated at 10 schools — four in the trans-Hindon region and six in the city area – at 10am. Following this, students and staff will be trained on how to respond during an air raid, including sheltering techniques, communication protocols, and basic first aid. The drill will be restricted to these locations. CDU volunteers will train students and NCC cadets in evacuation, and first aid. "We do not have pre-installed sirens at schools, so we will be sending the sirens to the schools," said Gambhir Singh, ADM (city), there be a blackout?Wednesday's exercise will be a limited simulation. In Ghaziabad, the sirens will not be followed by a power cut – as a real blackout would entail – but during the evening drill, those locations will be asked to voluntarily switch off power. The evening drill will begin at 8pm. Sirens will be triggered at four condominiums – Landkraft Golf Homes, Saviour Park, VVIP Society and Apex The Floras. During the drill, residents of these condominiums will be asked to switch off all lights, simulating a blackout. All departments have been instructed to ensure public address systems, wireless communications, and medical services are fully functional during the exercise. "The primary goal is to test the functionality of air raid sirens, communication with the Air Force and civil defence coordination, all while fostering citizen awareness and readiness. We have appealed to residents (of condominiums where the drill will be held) to switch off all lights between 8pm and 8.10pm and follow blackout instructions in the interest of national security," said Ghaziabad DM Deepak Noida, drills will also be held, but not in this manner. DM Manish Verma told TOI, "We don't have a dedicated civil defence structure here, so we are activating NCC and NSS (National Service Scheme) units and factory staff to hold evacuation drills. The NTPC power plant, a high-risk zone, will also run a simulation. We are adapting the directive to suit our existing preparedness systems." A drill is also planned at Noida International Delhi, the drills will take place simultaneously at 55 locations across 11 districts. These will include Khan Market, Palika Kendra, Charak Palika Hospital, Vasant Vihar's D-6 residential colony, T3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport, and Kendriya Vidyalaya School in Delhi Cantonment. "A blackout will also take place at 7pm within a housing society to simulate emergency response during a power outage," a Delhi official said. Air raid sirens will go off in Gurgaon at 4pm, and over the next two hours, relief and rescue teams will be deployed at locations, which will be finalised only on Wednesday morning. Between 7pm and 8pm, Gurgaon will observe a "blackout". There won't be any power cut, but residents will be asked to voluntarily switch off all lights in their homes and draw window curtains as part of the to decode a siren?CDU volunteers will inform people about two kinds of siren sounds. Warning of an impending air raid is broadcast through a siren that alternates between a loud tone for five seconds and a low tone for three seconds, repeated over a duration of two minutes. During this time, police, volunteers and others are supposed to communicate this further by blowing whistles in similar high and low tones. When the siren is blown continuously in a loud tone for two minutes, it means the threat has passed. Whistles are blown in the same manner to indicate all is clear. In case of a blackout, people are required to switch off all lights in their homes at nighttime on hearing the warning siren is a piercing one measuring 120-140 dB and can be heard a long distance away. So, if 10 sirens go off during the morning drill, a majority of residents of Ghaziabad are likely to hear defence chief warden Lalit Jaswal said, "We will explain to people that a siren is not just noise, but a code. First siren: sound of danger, be alert. Second siren: immediately go to a safe place. Third siren: danger averted but be cautious."Understanding sirens, he said, helps not only in an emergency but will develop larger understanding in society for timely action whenever needed. "When there is awareness, people will not panic on hearing these siren sounds but take the right steps. This is the real purpose of this drill," Jaiswal do CDU volunteers come from?The enrolment process for civil defence volunteers in India is open to educated and socially motivated citizens, including professionals like doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, teachers, businessmen as well as govt employees, NCC cadets and students. Active politicians cannot are expected to commit at least two hours a week for training and exercises. In emergencies, however, they can be mobilised at immediate notice by the district administration, police, or any other authorised enrolment, a form available with the civil defence office needs to be filled and submitted to the chief warden. A seven-day civil defence basic training module at Nagpur or Lucknow is mandatory. On completion, volunteers are issued an identity card. "The initial term of service is ordinarily three years, though it can be extended for as long as the volunteer is both fit and willing to continue. During their service, members may be called upon for training sessions and emergency duties, for which they are entitled to receive allowances," said CDU chief warden Lalit Jaiswal, who is a Kavi Nagar-based businessman. Volunteers are not required to report to office every day but need to be present for drills. "If a volunteer does not fare well, enrolment can be cancelled," said Jaiswal. On Wednesday, 25 to 50 volunteers will be deputed at each spot where the drill is held.
Arab News
14-03-2025
- General
- Arab News
Fasting on the frontline: Karachi ambulance driver navigates chaos to save lives during Ramadan
KARACHI: In Karachi, where traffic is relentless and sirens are a constant, 63-year-old Ghulam Nabi has spent the past 14 years behind the wheel of an Edhi Foundation ambulance, responding to emergencies in a city where every second can mean the difference between life and death. The Edhi Foundation, one of the world's largest charities, operates nearly 1,800 ambulances, including over 200 in Karachi, where it was founded by the late veteran philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, who passed away in July 2016. Nabi is one of the hundreds of drivers keeping the wheels of these ambulances going. Even during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, he remains committed to his duty. Often, his iftar — the evening meal to break the fast, which most people share with their families at home — happens on the road, between dispatches. 'Whether it's sunny, hot, stormy, rainy, Ramadan or Eid, no matter what, we have to do our duty and serve humanity,' he said in a recent conversation with Arab News. Living in an old apartment in the city's historic Kharadar area, he begins his day by walking to the Edhi headquarters nearly a kilometer away. From there, his shift unfolds unpredictably, sometimes requiring him to attend to road accidents, rush cardiac arrest patients to hospitals or transport the deceased to their final resting places. 'Just yesterday, it was time to break the fast. Five to ten minutes before iftar, we were informed that an accident had occurred on Mai Kolachi Road,' Nabi recalled, adding that he had to leave iftar and rush to the spot. 'On the way, someone gave us dates, and we broke our fast with them,' he added. Nabi recalled that at one point during Ramadan, he was asked to pick up a corpse from a house where it had remained unattended for nearly a week. As he reached the place, he realized it was decomposed and in such a condition that no one wanted to go near it. But Nabi handled it, giving it to the relatives in a casket after completing the required legal procedures. 'We had to carry the body while fasting,' he said. 'FRONTLINE HEROES' Muhammad Amin, who oversees the Karachi Control Room at the Edhi Foundation, holds his team, particularly Nabi, in high esteem. 'He is an excellent driver, and all the qualities required in his job are found in him,' he told Arab News. 'From keeping the ambulance clean to its general upkeep, following driving protocols and handling emergencies, Ghulam Nabi excels in all these aspects.' Amin noted Ramadan always brought unique challenges to the drivers since their workload never decreased. 'There was a fire near Chakar Hotel on the Super Highway [yesterday], where our team, which included the drivers, went,' he said. 'The drivers were fasting, but they worked through the fire and performed their duties.' 'If you look at it, these drivers can truly be called our frontline heroes,' he added. Nabi said his entry into this line of work was unexpected. He used to run a small business that suffered losses, forcing him to shut it down. As he started looking for employment opportunities, a friend referred him to Edhi in 2010. 'Since that day, I have been engaged in humanitarian work,' he said. 'SAVING HUMANITY' Karachi, a megacity with over 20 million people, suffers from broken roads, congested streets and widespread disregard for traffic rules. These conditions significantly increase the challenges of Nabi's job, making him fear that he might not be able to reach people in need on time. Despite such hardships, he said he was proud of his work and found fulfillment in transporting patients and the injured to hospitals for treatment. 'Whoever saves a life, saves all of humanity,' he said, his eyes shining. To Nabi, his work is a continuation of the legacy of Abdul Sattar Edhi, the late humanitarian whose foundation has provided free ambulance services for decades. 'Here, we are carrying forward Edhi Sahib's mission,' he said. 'Humanitarian work will never stop.' As dusk falls and families across Karachi gather for iftar at home, Nabi finds himself away from his loved ones. 'Our hearts also long to break our fast with our children, but our iftar is often on the road or in the ambulance, and we have to break our fast with dates or water,' he said, as he opened his fast with the evening prayer call while sitting on a roadside bench in a Karachi street.
