‘Lack of honest-truthful leadership at home responsible for J&K miseries’
Sanjeev K Sharma
PARGWAL, Oct 1: In the last phase of the first ever election to the Legislative Assembly of the newly formed Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir, dwellers of border areas in Akhnoor constituency today fulfilled their democratic duty with great enthusiasm and termed PM Modi as the brilliant leader of the nation, but, at the same time these voters expressed dismay over the absence of “honest and truthful” leadership at home to project the burning issues hitting the people of J&K before the PM for better solution which is the root cause for miseries being faced by the people of Jammu.
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At a Polling Station in Government High School Garkhal, which is at stone throw from Indo-Pak International Border (IB), most people remained hesitant to talk but among them one Balwant Singh, 72, a farmer raised the issue of poor roads and unemployment in the area.
“All the problems we are facing locally are due to lack of honest and truthful leadership at our home to properly project our issues before the Union Government for resolution,” he said showering all praises for PM Modi and calling him the best leader our country has ever seen.
In the same village, one Krishan Lal, 80, a retired Army-man said that his hamlet along with many more places fall in firing range and are worst affected during ceasefire violations from Pakistan side.
“Though these ceasefire violations form Pakistan side have almost ended after 2014 but whenever the guns roar they cause devastation in the area,” he maintained adding that apart from the firing and shelling from the other side of the border, the fury of mighty Chenab river also causes devastation in the border villages in these area especially in rainy season as the gushing waters destroys standing crops, houses and kills cattle thereby putting the poor farmers to losses which were never adequately compensated.
Another villager in Garkhal informed that people of these villages at the IB are caught between the devil and the deep sea as on one hand they live in constant fear of firing and shelling from other side of the border while on the other the swollen Chenab causes devastation there especially during rainy season.
He said that the authorities concerned have constructed bunkers for the safety of villagers where they take shelter at the time of firing and shelling from Pakistan side.
However, at a Polling Station established at Government Middle School N.S Pura in Pargwal, a young girl Manisha said: “I have voted to a candidate I felt proper because I was morally bound to perform my democratic duty though I also know that like earlier nothing significant will change this time too.”
Walking with her mother and other relatives through a muddy road covered with bushes after casting her vote for the first time in Assembly elections at the same Polling Station, Shallu, 21, doing Masters in Education said that her village Nar Singh Pura, popular in the area as N.S Pura, lacks proper roads.
“Drainage system in my village is totally absent and the transport system there exists nowhere but still we all have voted once again as in every polling season our people fulfil their democratic obligation despite the fact that the elected representatives have so far never paid their attention to our problems,” she maintained.
Mamta Devi, 25, accompanying Shallu said that N.S Pura has no skill development centre to train the unemployed youth to earn a livelihood with honour.
Similar concern was echoed by Rakesh, 38, a driver from the same locality.
More issues were raised by Rattan Lal, 70, a retired SSB personnel and Sher Chand, 68, a farmer from the village N.S Pura and they claimed that seeds and fertilizers were never distributed among the farmers of the area well in time due to which the farming community suffers and there is none to take a note of this issue.
“Recently we procured potato seeds from the market at hefty prices but still there was no guarantee for the quality,” Sher Chand informed.
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