Avtar Bhat
KISHTWAR, Apr 16: Considering vote a big weapon in their hands to teach lessons to those politicians who betrayed them for years together, the voters of Kishtwar district are all enthusiastic to cast their vote in tomorrow’s election for Udhampur-Doda Lok Sabha constituency.
Though administration has fully geared up for tomorrow’s polling by opening election office and monitoring Cell in District Development Commissioner’s Office Kishtwar and keeping all arrangements in place, the activists of various political parties are also busy in making last minute bid through door to door campaigning and discussing strategy for tomorrow’s polling at booth level.
Sensitive about various issues confronting the district, the voters in many areas of the constituency have grudge against their representatives for not fulfilling their promises made from time to time especially the development and removal of unemployment.
Like other parts of the country the unemployment, price rise and rising corruption as well as terrorism are the major issues before the people here, who said the Government has failed to solve them which have eaten up the vitals of the society.
The worst condition of roads especially Batote to Kishtwar, Kishtwar to Padder and Thathri to Gandoh apart from internal roads in the district has been cause of concern for the people of the area. Expressing his concern over the condition of roads in the district, Jameel Hussian a resident of Gandoh said Thathri -Gandoh road was started in sixties by Ghulam Rasool Azad and since then it has not been completed.
He said political parties exploit people for their vested interests and make false promises in elections never to fulfil later.
Jameel said people should consider the value of their vote and exercise it by keeping their emotions and sentiments under check in favour of the party and the candidate who fulfills promises and also pledges to uproot corruption, a menace, which has ruined Indian economy. “A revolution needs to take place in the entire country through vote,” he added.
However, there seems to be a vertical divide among the communities in Kishtwar following August 9 ,2013 violence in Kishtwar followed by clashes in the district.
Ram Rattan, a resident of Kulhand in Doda district whose three members of a family were killed on May 1, 2001 by terrorist attack when 21 people were done to death, said there is total polarisation in his village and votes will be polled 50:50 by the members of two communities in favour of Congress and BJP.
He said the promises made by Mr Azad after the 2001 attack in Kulhand was not filled later especially the recruitment of local youth in police. Same is case with adjoining villages of Bagla as well as Doda town, said Om Parkash, a local resident.
While some people accept that previous Government of Ghulam Nabi Azad had taken steps for development of the area and betrayal by PDP after removal of support led to abandoning of all projects started by him, others were of the view that he too could not pay proper attention towards the development of the hilly and remote area though he wielded good influence in the Centre.
Rashid Amin, a Government employee of Thathri while strongly advocating that people should cast their vote, said that being citizens of a great democracy of the world “we should never refrain from exercising our right to franchise. Our vote should be for development irrespective of candidate and political parties”.
He acknowledged the developments made in the area during present and previous Governments.
However, the views of Abdul Rashid, a businessman were altogether different . Rashid who is running his small shop at Thathri said his family has 20 votes and they will not cast them as Government has failed to solve the unemployment problem and those who were given jobs were forced to work on paltry sum of Rs 3000 per month which is a grave injustice as they can’t make their both ends meet.
Meanwhile, authorities have made all arrangements for tomorrow’s polling in Kishtwar district for all 225 polling stations. Deputy Commissioner , Kishtwar, Mohammed Javed Khan told this reporter that all arrangements are in place to meet any eventuality in view of detection of mine on Doda road today and last year’s violence.
He said regular interaction is being held by him with police officers including SSP, Kishtwar, DIG, IGP and DG regarding security arrangements. He said 21 companies of Central force have been deployed in the district and out of 225 polling booths 76 are hyper sensitive, 114 sensitive and 35 are normal.
Extra forces have been deployed on hyper sensitive and sensitive polling stations to avert any untoward incident, he said adding, 1125 employees have been deputed on poll duty in the district.
He said Gorrow is the smallest polling booth having 48 voters in the district while the highest number of voters are 1260 in polling booth Kukerwas. Both are in Darbshala block, he added.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel