Uri decides 'no relief, no votes'

Jabla (J&K): Jabla and Gawalan are among the worst hit villages in Uri tehsil, where nearly 50 people died in the recent earthquake.

Although situated barely 10 kms away from Uri town, the villagers from the area say that there are no signs of officials having distributed relief in the area.

They are seething with anger that senior officials and ministers in the PDP-led coalition government did not visit them after the quake and whatever little help the villagers have received is from the non-governmental organizations.

The highest official to have visited the villages is a Patwari for assessing damages but his visit, too, has been mired in controversy.

This anger against the inadequate relief work is now taking the shape of a poll boycott movement.

"We will not cast our votes in any elections in the future. We will follow the example set by the residents of Srinagar," says Mohammad Muneer.

"Our minister Taj Mohiuddin (Uri MLA) visited this place several times during the elections in 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2004, but has not set foot in this village since the earthquake struck and almost destroyed our lives," Muneer says.

His neighbours in Jabla echo his sentiments and add that they defied terrorist's threats and braved bullets to cast votes during the last state elections.

Another villager, Ahmed, is furious that the politicians even refuse to reconise them after the elections.

Residents of neighbouring Gawalan village have similar tales to narrate.

"I went to Uri for three consecutive days to collect the relief cheque as my daughter was killed under the debris. The officials said they will come to my village to hand over the cheque. But 24 hours have passed and no one has come," 50-year-old Ruumjan says with tears trickling down her wrinkled cheeks.

Shahid hussain, who lost his wife to the quake, said the government has also not provided them with the first installment of cash relief for construction of the houses.

"I have six children and we have no shelter that would protect us from the winter that is looming large. No tent or waterproof sheet has been sent here," he says.

The apathy of the state government is turning the serene environs of Uri into a minefield for anti national activities that needs to be addressed at the earliest.