Sanjeev K. Sharma
R S PURA/ARNIA, Apr 11: While the youngsters at Indo-Pak border have voted to give their nation in ‘responsible hands’, elders called participation in polling process as their ‘duty’ which ‘should be performed at any cost’ while it was all fun for the children as they have no school for the day because the authorities had announced an election holiday for today in the entire Jammu-Poonch Parliamentary constituency.
It was a spectacular merriment at the otherwise calm Panchayat Ghar of Suchetgarh to which a deserted and dilapidated road full of dust led.
Inside the Panchayat Ghar premises were two queues-one for ladies and another for gents while some security forces personnel were stationed at the main entrance keeping a hawk’s eye on every movement to prevent any untoward incident which is almost absent in this area barring the unannounced bloodthirsty shelling and firing from the belligerent neighbour-Pakistan.
However, the small children roaming outside the Panchayat Ghar were curiously watching the sophisticated guns held by the men in olive and imagining the glamour in using them.
Twenty-two years old Nirankush pursuing Masters in Mathematics was waiting in the queue for his turn to cast his vote.
“I am here to elect a Lok Sabha member and I know very well that this in turn is going to elect the Prime Minister of my country,” Nirankush said adding that he was voting for the first time and his vote will surely be to give the nation in ‘responsible hands’.
“I wish that our elected PM should strengthen our nation and improve Indo-Pak relations so that border people may live in peace,” he further said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Suchetgarh mostly remains in news for frequent incidents of firing and shelling from Pakistan side which has so far resulted in killings and injuries to many border residents, their cattle and damage to their homes.
The firing and shelling at times remains so intense that the people even can’t go to the fields for agriculture purposes and sometimes they are forced to migrate to safer locations also.
Coming to elders of the border hamlet, 85 years old Haveli Ram who is popularly in the area as ‘Lambardar’ said that voting is a very important duty which all of us should perform.
On present elections, he said that they are going to elect a representative for themselves with hope that he will take their border related issues to the Centre for some solution so that peace may prevail in the border areas.
He then listed major issues of his hamlet as those related to damages caused by shelling from Pakistan side for which he claimed that no compensation has been paid by the authorities so far.
The ‘Lambardar’ further mentioned about poor irrigation facilities by canal system and said that continuous use of ground water has lowered the water table in the area.
The village elder also said that government has so far not given them any compensation for the land that came under the border fencing for which he claimed that they have been waiting for the last 11 years.
Another village elder Girdhari Lal, 70, held similar views.
Another polling station at Indo-Pak border was at Government Girls High School Basti Gulab Garh where polling for two border hamlets Basti and Abdal was held.
Thirty-two years old Sikandar, who is a farmer appeared to be answer-ready as he promptly replied when asked why he was voting.
“Sir, I am voting to elect a candidate who will work to initiate the process of recruitment for border youths with concessions in educational qualifications and who will honestly work for solution to the border related problems,” he said adding that the last recruitment held in his area was in the year 1996 for J&K Police.
Sikandar further said: “All the villages at Indo-Pak borders in R.S Pura area do not have telephone signals while the authorities on the other hand are carrying on trade and passenger bus services across Line of Control in Chakan Da Bagh.”
However, the 60 years old Toshi Devi after casting her vote in the same polling station displayed the typical innocence very much seen in the rural women of Jammu and said that she only knew that she had to vote and beyond that she knows nothing.
Similarly, 65 years old housewife-Satya Devi standing besides Toshi Devi said that so far the elected representatives have done nothing and now she hopes that they may do something this time for the betterment of the public of her Abdal village.
Interaction with the people of yet another border village Abdullian in R.S Pura sector brought to fore the determination of elders to cast their votes but there was unhappiness among them against their earlier elected representatives because they did having not come up to their expectations.
The polling station for village Abdullian and Chandu Chack was made at Government Boys High School Chandu Chack.
“We have been voting for long but nothing has been done for us till date,” said 85 years old Diwan Chand of Abdullian expressing resentment against poor development and no help to border-shelling victims of his hamlet.
However, 18 years old Neeraj-a first timer from Chandu Chack said that he has voted a person whom he believes will work for the betterment of his area and people.
He expected solutions to unemployment, border firing and poor telephonic connectivity problems.
Meanwhile, 22 years old M. Com student, Monu Bala while standing in the queue and waiting for her turn to cast vote said that she will be voting to strengthen her country with strong leadership.
“We at local level are in dire need of transport facilities, employment and an end to caste based reservations,” she maintained expecting the would-be elected representative to meet the expectations.
After casting vote, 24 years old Gurnjit Singh-a vegetable trader from Chandu Chack said that he expects a strong government at Centre which may make the nation strong.
Om Parkash, 38, of the same village too held similar views.
Away from all this hectic exercise was 13 years old Ghar Kour-a class VI student at a local government school who said that she was very happy today as there was a holiday for her to enjoy.
The public views of border dwellers in Arnia Sector were almost similar.
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