CONSTIUENCYSPEAKS: Sangrama voters eye election as opportunity to overcome years of neglect

Srinagar, August 25: As assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir are set to be held for the first time since 2014, the Sangrama Assembly Constituency in Baramulla district is abuzz with discussions, with the major focus being on the resolution of long-pending issues such as roads, improved healthcare, and enhanced connectivity.
Since the Election Commission of India announced the polls, people here have been waiting eagerly to decide the fate of a new representative for the Assembly and discuss the areas that have faced neglect over the past ten years.
Aashiq Ahmad, a resident of the constituency said since the last assembly election was held the local issues have been neglected in total and there is hardly any representation of people.
He said for the people one of the major issues is the dilapidated condition of 13 kilometre Kreeri-Kalantara which awaits macadamization and repair work for nearly a decade.
Residents of many villages of Kalantara and its adjoining areas said the road remains abuzz with vehicular movement and is in dilapidated condition. They accuse the R&B Department for failing to visit the area for ground assessment.
“Travelling on the road has become difficult for people, especially patients. The link road also connects with SDH Kreeri. The patients of villages who visit the facility for treatment suffer the most, especially the pregnant women,” he said.
Aashiq highlighted that another major concern for the people is the poor state of primary healthcare facilities, which has severely impacted the community. He mentioned that the residents of the constituency have high expectations from their upcoming elections so that the newly elected leader will address their issues and establish a fully equipped hospital in the area to meet the needs of patients.
Mushtaq Ahmad, an activist from area said another grave concern of the people of Kandi area that (is part of Sangrama assembly) is Baramulla-Gulmarg Highway via Babareshi, which was declared as National Highway (NH-701) in 2018 by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
However, later the government sanctioned a project and the highway was macadamized two years ago but there is no one to look after the road for people who have raised this issue on several occasions.
“The road project was aimed to upgrade basic infrastructure for developing the tourism sector in the area. The road has been affected by landslides at many places near Babareshi and Chonti Pathri but the cracks and damages have not been repaired,” Mushtaq said.
He said when the road construction started people sacrificed their cultivable land. “We were promised that the NH would have a drainage facility along but it was not done. The road has faced government neglect. We want this highway to become a beacon of tourism development in the area,” he said.
Some young voters expressed that the Assembly Election has been eagerly anticipated by both Kashmir-based mainstream parties and others aiming to enter the Legislative Assembly to address public issues at the local level.
“This assembly election is important as people would be able to send their elected representatives and shape the destiny of their people. This time there will be many surprises and people are expecting that representatives will be real with public issues,” said Rais Ahmad, a young voter.
He said the election has a special significance as it is happening after abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and political agendas are different for political parties. “People want a change. We are waiting for the representative who will raise our voices,” he said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election will be held in three phases, on September 18, September 25, and October 1, with results to be announced on October 4.
In the last J&K Assembly election the Peoples’ Democratic Party emerged the largest party with 28 seats and formed the government in alliance with the BJP’s 25. However, the two fell out by 2018.
In March 2020, a three-member Delimitation Commission was formed for the delimitation of UT of J&K The final delimitation report was released on 5 May 2022 under which additional 6 seats were added to Jammu division and 1 seat to Kashmir division, taking the total tally to 90 seats. The final delimitation report came into force from 20 May 2022.