Farming insurance, infrastructure top poll demands for Chenani voters

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.