[Inner-view] An interview with Chairman NDMA Gen.(r) Nadeem Ahmed

Interviewed by: Shamsuddin Muhammad
(Moderator VoH, RDs Time, SRTimes, GBE, Alshams)

Image source:www.spapev.org

Lt.General (ret.) Nadeem Ahmed has recently appointed as Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in the end of second week of June, 2010 following the agitation against former chairman Gen (r) Farooq for negligence over the lake situation. General (r) Nadeem Ahmed has an exhaustive experience of the emergency mandatory response operations during his career in armed forces and aftermath.He was appointed as Deputy Chairman, Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) in 2006, where he undertook the complete spectrum of disaster management. We have managed to get his opinion and steps being taken in his own capacity to cope the challenge rose out of delay in release of an adequate quantity of water from the barrier to reduce accumulation of waer in the barrier at Attaabad. Voice of Hunza has managed to reach chairman NDMA to know about the strategies in wake of blockade during his recent visit to area on June 13. Yet due to constant trouble in the internet service and frequent power failure made it difficult to upload on time . As a response to various emails, the description of this brief discussion is being re-disseminated for readers.

Shams NDMA and NHA made its efforts to discharge water via a spill way with a view to help reduce level of water that submerged upstream areas. Yet the strategy seems to get a partial success for even in current scenario inflow exceeds outflow. What is your plan to tackle the new challenge?
Gen. Nadeem Ahmed: Well, after joining, I have close in touch with the operations for the release of water from the lake. As for as the low quantity of the water was concerned, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and National High Way Authority (NHA) had the only option to paw a way to give a passage that was expected to get widen with erosion of water during spill over. The sole blame for delay to develop a breach over NDMA, FWO or NHA unjustified.

Shams There are severe reservations over the role of National Disaster Management Authority especially over Gen.(r) Farooq Ahmed former Chairman, NDMA who came on nuts in public circles for misleading national government and trumpeting of every thing OK. What would be your approach to enhance trust over this organization?
Gen. Nadeem Ahmed: Well, as for as allegations are concerned, those are rather of political nature. NDMA under the former chairman has done according to the resources available from the fund allocated for such disasters. And chairman alone can not be blame for this. You had your regional disaster management authority which has also a due share in such a case. If , poeple think that the former chairman has done any wrong, they can take up issue before national government. But it was illogical to blame someone whole and sole to be responsible for any mishandling.

Shams There are reports that experts are further planning to undertake controlled explosions using dynamite. In case of explosion how much water is expected to discharge to the optimum?
Gen. Nadeem Ahmed: Referring to a scatch he drew on a blank paper, there are two boulders on the way of flow that was creating hindrance in spill over. Another elbow has gradually reduced to grounds due to fast erosion. Nevertheless , there is a also a heavy boulder in the end of Spill way. We are planning to operate blasting to dismantle resistance in proper outflow.

Shams: Due to bad climatic conditions and technical faults, helicopter service mostly get disrupted. Do you have thought of an alternative to reduce pressure of people stranded on both sides?
Gen. Nadeem Ahmed: See what happens in coming few days. We had a meeting with line departs to construct a jeepable road to the shores of the Western end with proper parking for vehicle. Boat service to be resumer soon to help administration to shift to and from Upstream and down stream areas.

Shams : What about the behavior, level of coordination between military establishment and that of civil administration in the relief operation? Generally it was being observed that military personnel deputed at helipads little bother about the instructions given by civil bureaucracy, and how do you manage to supervise situation at the lake?
Gen. Nadeem Ahmed: Well, every institution is working into its delegated authority under the country’s constitution. If there exists lack of coordination, might be just because of lack of understanding on both sides and utilization of heterogeneous approaches while tackling any issue. Yet, I hope to build better understanding and there is no hindrance in relief work. I personally used to visit every next day to the blockade site. Our personnel were kept high alert to tackle any sort of problems.

Shams: Who has proposed to use explosive to paw further path along spill way, what do you want to do in exception?
Gen Nadeem Ahmed: The idea firstly came to my mind. We would have to use explosions to reduce further rise in water.

Shams: As the widening of spill way is a critical issue for it can be politicized by some elements i.e some in the downstream may agitate to avoid such a move on pretext of possibility of flesh flooding . In such a case what would be your stance to both the government and expected Attaabad disaster hit people on both sides of the blockade?
Gen Nadeem Ahmed: I do not think that controlled explosions in heavy boulders would inflict such a huge destruction in down stream areas. Disaster hit population of Upstream want a way to discharge more water from the lake. In case of any resistance to widen the spill way would not only affect our efforts but also serve to bring trust deficit between the population on both sides. In case of any concern by such elements would be tackled accordingly.

Shams: As a response to lack of will of government, locals have reached blockade site and after negotiations given a week deadline for widening of spill way. What would be your new strategy if NDMA fails to meet deadline?
Gen. Nadeem: I think haphazard blasting is a hazardous approach so we are planning for a controlled blasting at potential points keeping in view the possible damage that may inflict on down stream areas later.

Shams Public complaint against mal attitude of personnel during travel and even ladies are not respected. What can be done to respect all aspects?
General Nadeem: Lo! airlift was not the permanent solution rather people would have to cooperate what the officials say to them. At least they are here to serve public. There is no animosity against someone and if some one has a genuine complaint, he can contact me any time. Legal action to be taken against him.

Shams Population of Hunza, Nagar, Gilgit and Diamer have been evacuated to temporary relief camps. Most of them rely on agriculture as the ultimate source of living. What have you planned to solve it?
General Nadeem: We are consulting local authorities as well as experts to allow population of down stream to work in their respective fields only during the day and subjected to return to the camps due to uncertainty of condition.

Shams: NDMA seems in limbo for many last week emphasizing on still wait strategy,avoid any jerk reaction to low outflow, what would it do if the situation pervails for next many months?
Gen. Nadeem: Well, keeping in view threat posed in case of release of huge water, in-spite of having option for controlled explosions we would like to hear experts' opinion so that better solution would be possible.

Shams Thanks for sparing some time out of your busy schedule and sharing views
Gen. Nadeem :Your are always welcome please.

Water level in lake decreasing; all departments round the clock: Z.F.Taj

RDs Time Report

HUNZA, Karimabad, July 03: Contrary to the figures of the measurement by FOCUS, GNPWD, NESPak who reported still chances of surge in water level since spill over had claimed that water level recding since last week following the controlled dynamite blasting in boulders resisting flow of water over spill way. Talking to Readers Time, here at Karimabad Zafar Waqar Taj, deputy commissioner Gilgit-Baltistan said that all departments were red alert and monitoring the situation closely. He said that essentials like food and other relief items were supplied to the all Internally Displaced Persons in the temporary camps in Altit and Karimabad.He rejected the agitation from various circles of mishandling and mismanagement on part of local administration saying such were the propaganda of certain political elements. He said that efforts by certain elements to defame government's contribution in relief work would not work.
On the other hand, public circles in Gojal have condemned Home secretary Gilgit-Baltistan Asif Bilal Lodhi's statement in which he vowed to take legal action against those involved in opening of spill way by registering First Investigation Report in Gojal. They said, disaster hit people after disappointing from government's strategy to widen spill way have volunteerism initiated their own to escape further destruction. They have demanded of government to make efforts to widen the width by more controlled blasting on spill way.

Corruption behind the walls

RDS Times
www.rdstimes.blogspot.com
By: Shamsuddin Muhammad

According to the media reports, corruption has got its way to every nook and corner of the country during its journey for more than six decades. There is hardly any institution or organizational structure which can be taken as an ideal entity. Despite of efforts of every new government to hinder corrupt practices, any tengible outcome could be resulted from; rather the menace of corrupt practices were given formal justification. On political front, politics its self has become the dirty game as it gets inspiration from the political pattern prevailing in the rest of the country. Majority of politicians have had involved in back kicks and their focus revolves around personal gains as they have their own axes to grind for they know that the voters who support them and get them entered into legislative bodies in elections are nothing but irrational breed who can be tricked using different tools like arousing communal and cultural hatred among
them to achieve their end-that is to preserve their seats. Lets first put a glance over the common observation of prevailing norms in public oranizations. According to a police peronnel, recruitment procedures are being ignored on non-gazatted posts like that of constables and head constables in police department which according to him needs at least fourty thousand rupee as a driving force to get the file approached to the authorities; similarly, the department for a common man is known as currency minting area for it has influence in dailylives of the people. The case with revenue, civil supply, building and construction and rest of the service departments is no different. The patwaries, the legacy of British imperial yolk who come under the command of assistant commissioners even bypass their bosses in dispensation of their services to get extra charges, skillfully; so here too, the additional charges or Nazrana is a minor practice.
There are numerous departments indireclty involved corrupt practices, though few legitimized by powerful establishments. A for as bureaucratical nuances and intrasies in the region of Gilgit-Baltistan are concerned, they can be clearly discerned through a close observation. A German sociologist Max Weber was the first social scientist to coin the term bureacracy in the as a response to the then tyranical and despotic rule in Europe. He identified at least five attributes of such a rule including: individual subjugation, cruelty, subjective judgment, favoritism and unwavering loyality to the sovereign. The presented his own modle that emphasized on division of work, rigid heirarchical system, abidance to the rules and regulations; he described buruatical model as most effective organizational structure against monarchical rule.He attributed bureaucracy with some of its qualities: professionalism, rigidity , importance to structuralism and bossism which proved its defects later. The biggest shortcoming in this model that brought the model under fire or severe criticism was was negligence of human factor as he did not elaborate any thing regarding role of human relations and excessive importance to structure and procedure. The phenomenon of bureaucracy emerged rapidly after second world war due to expansion in the activities of states as the bureaucracy was considered as one of the most efficient and well structure organization as compared to the others.Yet, due to lack to constant check and lack of acumen among political representations, most of the bureaucracies suffered from corruption, nepotism and proto typed rather than proactive attitude based on scientific research. The phenomenon of bureaucracy in the whole country is a complex case to elaborate in few lines, instead we should focus on the irregularities prevailing in Gilgit-Baltistan region.According to media reports, the irregularities and back door accesses are on apex in services structure. According to an official on the condition of anonymity claimed that the recruitment and promotion rules are largely being ignored. According to him, promotion on scale 14 to 16 are subjected to approval of authorities and is based on a particular policy; but what is happening is beyond imagination. An official of grade fourteen, who is affiliated with a national media has been given promotion from grade 14 to 16 within one year of his appointment and now proposed to grade seventeen withing few months which is a tangible evidence of corruption on different levels. He according to him, promotions are backed by communal polarization means a member of a specific community though competent enough may loss if he does not enjoy the backing of a powerful community. There are thousands of cases out of record when deserved were pushed back to give way to one who have some influenced recommendation though incompetent enought to despense his duties. The menace of corruption has infused so rapidly into very fabric of every walk of life in the country in general and and Gilgit-Baltistan in general that there seems no way to get out of it.The review of such cases elucidates that rate of irregularities have been increased rapidly.
Since 1990's, the time of the then Chief Executive of Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, Fida Muhammad Nashad to the contemporary government, despite tall claims the menance continues to dominate
processes from bottom to top in different forms direct or directly. The newly ellected Chief Miniter, Syed Mehdi Shah, like his predecessors has pledged to root out the dillema following his oath. Nevertheless, the cases of irregularities on poromotions and other processes implies the lake of political will. Such cases of irregularities portray where we are heading. In private sector, we can observe numerous examples where Non- Governmental Organizations are hoodwinking doners and donner agencies against fake developmental projects which serves to achieve their end-that is an impressive photography, though not necessarily it relates in order to get economic
incentives in the name of humanitarian work. It seems nothing could work to stop it except a revolution that will change the dynamics of so called development on part of humanity in developing countries in particular. We would like to appeal those on helms of affairs to take immediate notice to the irregularities to ensure appointments and promotions based on merit and competence. We hope the high ups will make efforts to eliminate every source of corruption to create better society and help ensure euality. In the last, it can be expected that federal government will appoint a competent and accommodating local person in either sex having exposure of problem solution abilities in hard times as well as sense of miseries of the poor population of the region.












The writer is editor of Voice of Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan Echo, Rds Times, Silk Route Times and Bi-Monthly Alshams. He can be reached at: jaashams@gmail.com