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Farming insurance, infrastructure top poll demands for Chenani voters

The outlying village, located nearly at a 40-minute drive from Chenani town, is one of the chief producers of fresh vegetables
07:14 AM Oct 02, 2024 IST | KHALID GUL
farming insurance  infrastructure top poll demands for chenani voters
Farming insurance, infrastructure top poll demands for Chenani voters___Representational image
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Jammu, Oct 1: People in Katwalt Gaurikund village in Jammu’s Chennai constituency lined up before a polling station to cast their votes as the polling began on Tuesday.

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“We are happy to vote after 10 years,” said a knot of voters with their faces reflecting a palpable joy.

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The outlying village, located nearly at a 40-minute drive from Chenani town, is one of the chief producers of fresh vegetables.

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On either side of the sinuous road, large swathes of farmland are visible.

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The local farmers each harvesting season transport truckloads of vegetables to Jammu Mandi to earn their livelihood.

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However, the vagaries of weather often spell doom for the produce and in the absence of adequate crop insurance schemes, the farmers incur heavy losses.

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The need for adequate compensation in the event of loss and a crop insurance scheme was one of the key factors, in encouraging the residents to vote.

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Sanjay Kotwal, a resident and student leader said that vegetable cultivators had to bear the brunt of climate fury.

“Sometimes, pea-size hail pellets pummel the crop for 15 to 20 minutes, leaving it completely damaged,” Kotwal said.

He said that in the absence of a comprehensive crop insurance scheme, the hard toil of the farmers through the season goes down the drain.

“We are voting to elect such a candidate who will consider the genuine demands of the farmers,” Kotwal said.

A young voter said that the issues of unemployment and rising costs of living were crucial concerns that spurred them to vote.

A few kilometres from the village is Marothi hamlet.

The absence of a bridge over the River Tawi, which would connect the village to areas across the river, is a significant concern for the residents here.

“The lack of a bridge enhances our travel time by more than 2 hours,” said Jiya Lal, a voter.

Advocate Surjeet, who is running as an independent candidate from the constituency has made the construction of the bridge a main poll plank.

Other candidates in the poll fray are cousins Harsh Dev Singh, a three-time legislator from Ramnagar, and Balwant Singh Mankotia, a two-time MLA.

While Singh is supported by the Congress-NC alliance, Mankotia is contesting on the BJP ticket.

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