Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 21: The people living in the villages along the International Border have for the first time recorded unprecedented participation in the Assembly elections to give a loud and clear message that new dispensation would have to take all their long pending issues seriously.
This can be gauged from the polling station wise data of the villages prone to firing from across the International Border with Pakistan, which went to polls in last phase of Assembly elections yesterday.
The data clearly reflects that this time border people fully realized the importance of their democratic weapon and utilized the same to make their new representative fully accountable particularly with regard to resolution of their long pending issues.
A total of 32 polling stations of Hiranagar Assembly segment are located within 0-3 kilometer from International Border and out of these 23 polling stations are located within 0-1 kilometer and are prone to direct firing from across the IB.
In 2008 Assembly elections, the voters of these 23 polling stations, which cater to around 50 villages, recorded 58.5% turnout. The figures surged by marginally 2.5% during Lok Sabha elections of 2014 when 61% turnout was recorded. But the figure registered unprecedented rise yesterday when 86% of people living in villages situated extremely on the International Border exercised their votes in these 23 polling stations.
Out of total 16,564 electorates, 14245 exercised their franchise in these polling stations. Ladwal Polling Station recorded highest turnout of 89% among 22 other Polling Stations in Hiranagar tehsil.
The level of participation can be gauged from the fact that 78% turnout was recorded in Londi Polling Station, 82% in Gangoo Chak, 79% in Chakra Mathua Chak, 74% Spalwan, 81% Haripur Brahmna, 85% Haripur Brahmna-B, 76% Mandial, 81% Panser, 82% Chak Devo, 84% Lachipura Polling Station, 88% Chack Dulma, 82% Sadwal, 78% Chann Lal Din Polling Station etc.
According to the official sources, turnout in the villages along International Border in Jammu district also recorded similar trend thereby indicating that border people in this district too were keen to make optimum use of their votes to change their destiny by getting their long pending issues resolved by the new dispensation.
As per the demand of these people, the administration of Kathua and Jammu districts had notified alternate polling stations for use in case of firing or shelling from across the International Border but these plans could not be executed as situation in the border areas was peaceful.
“We have realized that unless we make full use of our votes we cannot get our issues resolved”, some of the border villagers told EXCELSIOR in Hiranagar tehsil, adding “unlike in the past, our new representative would be fully answerable to us as we have voted en-masse with the sole objective that new dispensation would take all our pending issues seriously and resolve the same in shortest possible time”.
The main issue of the people living along International Border is that they are not being treated at par with the residents of villages along the Line of Control (LoC). Their complaint has all the justification as State Government does not have similar yardstick as far as compensation for human and cattle loss in the ceasefire violation on IB and LoC is concerned.
Another issue pertains to percentage of reservation in Government jobs and professional colleges. While residents of villages falling on LoC and LAC are given 3% reservation in Government jobs and professional colleges, similarly placed IB villages have not been granted any such reservation till date despite the fact that they have been raising this demand for the past several decades.
Among the other long pending issues are compensation for 58,547 kanals of land on the International Border which has been rendered uncultivable due to fencing, compensation for the crops on the land, which was acquired for raising border fencing, special recruitment drives and allotment of plots at safer places.
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