The changed face of Turtuk

By Shujaat Bukhari

TURTUK (Line of Control), AUG. 5. The Turtuk of these days is as interesting as its history. Until 1971 it was part of Pakistan and after the war later that year, the boundaries were demarcated with India extending its domain to a cluster of seven villages falling in the Turtuk belt. Since coming under Indian control, the region has not seen any development and being caught in the war between two countries has made things worse. However, things are changing.

The IT revolution is knocking at Turtuk's doors, and a state-of- the-art hospital, a school and a vocational training centre are all part of the development coming through the Army's ``Operation Sadbhavna''.

Till a few months ago, the area was supposedly full of anti-India sentiment. Twentyfour residents were arrested in June, 1999, charged with having crossed to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and acquired arms training. Arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and lodged in the Leh district jail, their families are in distress and the locals strongly deny their involvement.

``Every one was a suspect here, particularly after the 1999 (Kargil) war, but the situation is entirely different now as you can see for yourself,'' says Mohammad Ashraf, a local youth. For the locals, the Army was alien and there was no scope for coming close to its personnel. With the area under Army control, the civil administration hardly bothered with the residents' problems.

The arrival of Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray, general officer commanding, of the Leh-based 14 Corps, changed things. Whenever he drives by, his olive green Maruti Gypsy is greeted with cheers. He stops, enquires about their well-being and receives petitions like a politician. ``Aap theek thak to ho, koyee pareshani to nahin. (I hope you are fine, hope you don't have any problem,'') he asks. ``Nahin saheb aap ki meharbani se sab kuch theek hai. (No problems sir. Everything is fine,'') is the general reply. Gone are the days when the residents ran scared of the Army. Women shake hands with Gen. Ray and children wait for the sweets he brings them.

The civil administration has many offices in the area - a school, a hospital, an agriculture office and an office of the watershed development project - but the system as elsewhere in the State is the same. Sans accountability, inadequate staff and lack of basic infrastructure make the State Government invisible. On the other hand, the Army's efforts, implemented by a handful personnel, are visible.

A hospital with two lady doctors, paramedical staff, a state-of- the-art dental chair, an X-ray unit, free medicines and a pathology lab supported by uninterrupted power supply are some of the tangible benefits.

The Goodwill School is another example. It boasts of 12 computers and a software development engineer, part of a nine- member team from the Bangalore-based NGO, Prakruthi. A Government school in Srinagar cannot hope for such ``goodies'' in the near future. Ms. Lalitha, a teacher from the TVS group of schools in Tumkur, Karnataka, who teaches science with the help of TV, has won the hearts of the children. A Vocational Training Centre and a poultry farm run by local girls and boys fetches them a handsome amount. Gen. Ray recently announced that several more projects were in pipeline.

With a population of 5,000, the area is represented in the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council, but the councillor, Haji Abdul Qadir, complains that is being discriminated. According to the residents, Mr. Basharat Ahmed Dhar is the only Deputy Commissioner they have seen in several years.

The present Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Dheeraj Gupta, does not agree. ``No I do not agree with the view that the civil administration has failed. It has withstood the times,'' he said adding that what the Army was doing was necessary. ``What they are doing is a minuscule part of what the civil administration is doing,'' he claims. ``Against a few schools they are running, I have many hundreds to manage,'' he says.

The General-Officer-Commanding of the Leh-based 14 Corps, Lt. Gen. Arjun Ray, talking to a group of women in the Turtuk area of Ladakh, 700 km. from Srinagar.

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