Sanjeev K Sharma
RAMGARH, Dec 10: Though most residents of Ramgarh border belt in Samba district talked about the dire need of safety bunkers in their villages to protect themselves and their families from senseless shelling and firing by Pakistan on residential areas here, yet, they claimed relief as the “changed regime has ensured strong political backing to the mighty Indian Army to crush enemy designs.”
Absence of facilities for higher education remained another issue among these border residents while they voted to the candidate of their choice today during the fifth phase of ongoing maiden District Development Council (DDC) elections to form the third tier of rural local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Clearly as our Army now enjoys perfect political backing, a tit for tat reply is being given to the enemy guns at border,” Kamaljeet Singh, 32, an Engineer by profession said after casting his vote at a polling station established in Government Primary School on Kamore Camp area near Indo-Pak border.
However, he expressed concern over the lack of bunkers, in his hamlet, where people could save themselves during firing from other side of the International Border.
Singh also said that no compensation has been paid to the farmers of his hamlet for the damage caused to their crops in rainy season.
“The enthusiasm among the voters was very high and they started visiting polling station exactly at 7:00 in the morning,” said Gurcharan, Presiding Officer at a polling station established in Government High School Kesso Manhasan adding that the rush decreased by 11:00 am after which voters visited the polling station slowly till the polling concluded.
Braving old-age complications, centenarians too visited at a polling station to vote the candidate of their choice with hope to have more safety bunkers in their hamlets. “I was told by someone that these (DDC) elections are being held for the first time in J&K so I wish to see unprecedented developments from these local bodies for which I have voted today,” said Ram Rakhi, 101 after casting her vote at a polling station in Kamore near Indo-Pak border.
Similar were the views of Giano Devi, another centenarian at the same polling station.
Giano Devi also said that she has been casting her vote for the last many decades without missing even a single election.
Pallvi Chowdhary, 23, a student at Kamore said she too wish to see her village developed in all regards and for that she has voted the candidate of her choice.
Manjeet Kumar, 55, another voter at yet another polling station in Babral, less than a kilometre from the dividing line, said his village has no safety bunker where the locals could hide themselves to safety from senseless and dreaded Pakistani firing and shelling.
Jeet Kour, 80, an elderly lady in Babral counted number of houses damaged during shelling and firing from Pakistan side.
“In absence of safety bunkers we have to migrate to safer locations during shelling from Pakistan side,” she maintained.
However, Preeti Chowdhary, 21, a college student rued lack of transport facilities and informed that she has to travel about 2 kilometres from her place to get an auto to Ramgarh from where she catches another vehicle to reach her college in Samba town.
More locals of this hamlet talked about bad roads, lack of implementation of proposed toilets at each household and demanded a degree college at Ramgarh.
Forty years old farmer, Vinod Chowdhary casted his vote at Government Boys Primary School Karalian with high expectations to get seeds and fertilizers at subsidised rates from the Government established depots.
He informed that a degree college at Ramgarh is the burning demand of the people of the area as the students have to either visit Samba or Jammu for higher education.
Chowdhary also said that Karalian village was dropped from the list of border villages selected for reservation to border people though some villages far from his village were included.
Interestingly most of these people pinned hopes on the upcoming maiden rural local bodies for which they voted today.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
