*Open violations of COVID safety norms during polls
Sanjeev K Sharma
SAMBA, Dec 1: Most of the voters in Bari Brahmana area were jubilant to participate in the maiden District Development Council (DDC) elections in J&K after the country got its independence in 1947 and they called these elections as positive outcome of abrogation of Article 370.
They also raised many problems like bad roads, poor water and power supply etc but pinned hopes for solution to all these issues on the representatives they were going to elect.
At a polling station established in Government Boys High School, Bari Brahamna, Shabnam, 22, a fresh graduate called these elections as a positive outcome of abrogation of Article 370.
However, she expressed dismay that special status of J&K has gone.
Lovely Gill, 29, a factory worker said he was feeling good by participating in the DDC elections as the same are being held for the first time in the history of J&K.
He further said that these elections are possible only after the abrogation of Article 370 and added that entire Bari Brahmana area is confronting the problems of bad roads and streets, poor cleanliness and poor water and power supply.
Gill said he expects that after the elected representatives assume offices all these problems will be solved.
Rajak Hussain, 39, a contractor, at another polling station established in Government Middle School Barjani in Purmandal Zone, also expressed similar views and termed the DDC elections as positive outcome of the abrogation.
Kuldeep Chib brought his mother Koushalya Devi, 75, at the polling station in Panchayat Ghar Meen Sarkar so that the elderly lady may cast her vote.
Talking to this journo, Chib expressed optimism over the abrogation of Article 370 and said they expect more developments in time to come.
Karim Baksh, 70, a voter in the same polling station also said that DDC elections are positive outcome of the abrogation.
However, he further said that time will tell if the abrogation of Article 370 was really beneficial for the J&K people or not.
Apart from all this, there were many voters in the queues who knew nothing about these elections with some of these saying that they were going to vote to elect their MLA.
Shamim, 35, a housewife at a polling station in Government Girls School, Bari Brahmana said she was there to elect her MLA and named Ganga as the contesting candidate.
Similar was the reply of a youth Nakul Gill.
Though the voters braved the threat of deadly Coronavirus to reach the polling stations to cast their vote in the second phase of the ongoing DDC elections today yet they displayed utter negligence by almost completely throwing to winds the safety norms of COVID-19 pandemic.
The long queues outside the polling booths lacked social distancing while there were crowds outside the premises of schools where polling booths were established.
Even most faces lacked masks and those having these had dragged them below their chins and the CRPF personnel deployed there remained busy in instructing such violators repeatedly to put on the masks properly and maintain social distancing.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
