By
Rajesh Mehta
SARD & IIPDEP
Conducted an Awareness
Workshop "Beyond
Nairobi Summit"
(Anti Personnel Landmines)
on 22nd December 2004
at Shimla, titled - Indian
Campaign to Ban Landmines.
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The
Nairobi Summit on a mine free world
is the name given to the first
review conference of the convention
on the prohibition of the use,
stockpiling, production and transfer
of anti-personnel mines and on
their distruction which was held
at United Nations Facilities in
Nairobi from 29th November to 3rd
December, 2004.
Towards
a mine-free world.
Opening
Speech by Lt
Gen. (Rtd.) R. S. Dyal.
Dear Brig. S. S. Brar,
who has been
associated with risky tasks of
the
land clearance in several countries;
Dr. Balakrishna Kurvey, The Director
of Indian Institute of Peace Disarmament
and Environmental Protection, Nagpur.
Dr. Kurvey is known for his untiring
efforts to take the Indian Campaign
to Ban Landmines succeed, since Indian
Officials participated for the first
time at the Nairobi Summit few days
ago. Mr.
Sudhir Bhatnagar, Chief Executive
of Society for All Round Development,
who has been spear heading the campaign
in the Northern States of Delhi,
Punjab, Haryana, Jammu& Kashmir,
Rajasthan and of course in Himacha!
Pradesh. Members of media, The Resource
Persons,
experts and dear participants from
the armed forces and civil society.
My friends Mr. Rajesh Mehta and Mr.
Sushil Kumar, who have dedicated
themselves for the cause of Sustainable
Development of the Hills & Mountains.
I had been hearing some remarks about
the armed forces, that they are opposed
to banning land mines. I hear these
remarks, and laugh over them. I must
make you understand that the Aimed
Forces personnel at all levels love
peace, because they know the ill
effects of war. They can turn out
to be the real protagonists of peace.
I understand that Armies all over
the globe are meant to keep the peace,
not to fight the wars. How, then
one can blame the armed forces for
not supporting the cause of peace
and prosperity.
I
would like to take up another issue
related to landmine use. It
is the insurgency that has lead to
the wider use of landmines. The worst
landmine affected areas are from
those states/nations where the insurgency
is the rule of the day.
We
had faced such situations in
the North-east and J&K.
In fact, landmines used by the armed forces during wars or to prevent invasion/infiltration
of the enemy troops/spies, are used because they are readily available weapons
and are very cheap. They
are easy to lay in. The alternative
arrangements to check infiltration
or sudden invasion are said to
be costlier.
However
if we compare the real costs of
landmines and the alternatives,
the mines are are the costliest arrangement.
I repeat the cost figures, as has
been said here,
a landmine costs $3 to make and over
$ 1,000 to clear. Besides these
apparent costs, the indirect effects
of landmines are colossal. Besides,
there are huge losses of human
lives, large number of disabilities which are to the tune of 24,000
annual victims worldwide, of which,
9,600 people are killed and 14,400
people are maimed. 90% of the victims
are civilians of whom 40% are the
children. If we talk of the impact
of landmines on the environment,
millions of hectares of cultivable
land has turned into wasteland,
and the cost of reclaimation of
such land is too high and the process
is risky.
Even army troops are trapped
unawares, causing unexpected casualties.
Refugees cannot return safely to
their homes. Children cannot walk
safely to school. Mines cause limited
access to critical agricultural land
and limited access to medical seryices.
Reconstruction of buildings and roads
are denied. The victims, or the people
living in the vicinity of the landmine
areas, face psychological strain
daily. Rehabilitation of the disabled
persons
and their agony has become a big
challenge to the society world over.
There are 3,00,000 children who are
severely disabled due to landmines.
These costs can not be calculated.
There are 110 million landmines
in the ground in every continent.
It will cost $33 billion to remove
and 1,110 years to clear, if no
more are
planted. There are 100 million landmines
stockpiled around the world.
Without taking much of your time,
I conclude here with my endorsement
to the Campaign for a Mine-Free World,
which was initiated in the nineties.
Jai
Hind.
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