Srinagar, CNI: Voters of Village Kanyari in Sonawari segment of Bandipora district boycotted the voting in protest against the government for not providing land to construct their homes for living.
There were over 500 voters registered in the village. The villagers said in 2014 flood destroyed their houses and had approached the government for providing alternative land for the construction of houses which so far has not happened.
However, the Returning Officer (RO) of Bandipora Shabir Ahmad Wani told “the negotiations with the villagers are going on and cannot offer any assurance in view of Model Code Conduct (MCC)”.
He said “the Deputy Commission is most likely to visit Kanyari to motivate the voters and if possible the polling could be extended till 8 pm”.
Elections are being held for the 40 assembly constituencies for the third and final phase across the seven districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.
“If district administration assures us that 5 marlas of land will be provided to each homeless family we will vote today”, the villager told the media.
In Kanyari village about 175 families have been living since 70 years and most of them had constructed their houses on government land near the Bund area.
“We approached the successive governments of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Congress and National Conference during all these years but our pleas were unheard”, the villagers alleged.
They said even the present dispensation failed to provide 5 marlas of land under the scheme “land for landless”. However, they said the Deputy Commissioner issued documents to 18 families but failed to provide land anywhere in the village so far.
“If DC will assure us to provide 5 marlas of land anywhere in the village we will vote”, they emphasized.
The villagers alleged that 175 families, of which mostly, are living in tin sheds and could not get married to their children, including daughters, resulting in ruining their future.
“We had approached every government even went to Delhi, Jammu and met Member Parliament and Ministers and government officials”, they said and alleged “our files were put in abeyance by the local administration also”.
The village has no proper roads and the villagers claimed that they have themselves collected money and constructed the roads.
However, the Returning Officer (RO) of Bandipora Shabir Ahmad Wani told the negotiations with the villagers are going on and cannot offer any assurance in view of Model Code Conduct (MCC). Wani said. CNI
