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| Development is poll issue in Poonch | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
POONCH, Nov 13: The border district of Poonch goes to polls on Monday and the main issues in the remote district are connectivity and development and simpler procedures for cross-LoC travel.
"The world has reached the moon, but in Poonch, till now there aren't any roads or lanes," said Preetam Singh Kapoor, a local resident.(Watch)
A road in Poonch connects it with the rest of the country. The condition of the road is such that it takes one full day to reach Jammu, which is 250 km away.
So has anything changed here since the last elections? Nothing when it comes to infrastructure, say locals.
"They take the votes and go away and stay in Delhi. We get nothing," said Abdul Rahman, resident, Poonch. However, despite that, Poonch has something to cheer about.
The one big thing that has happened after the 2002 state elections in Poonch is the launch of cross-LoC bus service. Every week there is a festival like atmosphere in the college grounds, people come here to see off and to receive their relatives, but then, there is a feeling that the travel procedures should be made simpler.
Gulshan, a Poonch resident, went to Muzaffarabad to meet her relatives for the first time. Her brother died in the 2005 earthquake, but the lengthy travel procedures meant she couldn't make it to the funeral.
"We want that travel documents should be processed quickly, we really feel strongly about it. We can't go and take part in the marriages, functions when our relatives die," said Gulshan.
Election time is drawing leaders by the dozen in Poonch with fresh promises of development.
The PDP says it wants a hill development council for equitable distribution of funds while the National Conference is talking about more devolution of power.
But no one's talking about infrastructure, making people believe that there is still a tough road ahead. |
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