This story is from May 14, 2019

Here, it’s about Balakot’s impact on jobs, not polls

Here, it’s about Balakot’s impact on jobs, not polls
AP photo
Key Highlights
  • Residents living along the border with Pakistan are not feeling too euphoric
  • The way they see it, for the 50 villages along this belt, all governments have failed to fully appreciate the peculiar circumstances of the border villages
ATTARI/WAGAH: Within five kilometres from Wagah border, where an ecstatic crowd erupts hailing the India story at the daily evening parade, many residents living here along the border with Pakistan are far from euphoric. With few days left before they cast their vote on May 19, they identify themselves as residents of villages that are the first to feel the heat of any escalation of tension between the two countries and decisions taken in its aftermath.
Residents say no government has focussed on the peculiar circumstances of border villages. There are around 50 villages along this belt.
The 200% custom duty on Pakistani goods imposed after the Pulwama attack and withdrawal of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status has indirectly taken a toll on the Indian side impacting livelihoods of many – the porters, helpers, transporters and custom clearance staff of private companies. Even local traders say customers from among locals facing financial crunch don’t have enough funds to spare for shopping beyond basic needs.
Coming Sunday, in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the border belt will be a critical constituency in the battle for Amritsar constituency. Punjab defied the Modi wave in 2014 and the 2019 elections will be a test here of the Modi factor and how much it will contribute to write the revival story of its alliance partner Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal). BJP is contesting three seats – Amristar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur and SAD (Badal) the remaining 10. This election is about steering a revival for SAD (Badal) which lost to Congress in 2017 after two consecutive terms in power. As far as the Congress is concerned it is less about its national perception and more of a test of the performance of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
Amristar constituency will be a critical contest for the two main contenders BJP-SAD (Badal) and Congress given its historical significance and its strategic location. The current finance minister Arun Jaitley fought the election from Amritsar in 2014 but lost despite the Modi wave. The people here voted Captain Amarinder Singh in the last Lok sabha elections. In this election BJP has fielded a Sikh faced and trusted BJP union minister Hardeep Puri from here. A first time contender from the seat, Puir faces sitting Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla who won the 2017 by-poll from Amritsar after Amarinder Singh fought and won the assembly elections.
Given the significance of Amritsar, at his rally in Hoshiarpur last week, PM Modi, reminded the crowd about the Balakot air strikes to drive home the point that the government was determined to fight against terrorism. The BJP candidates from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Khadoor Sahib that make up the Majha region of Punjab were present at the rally.
It is in this backdrop TOI visited the Attari-Wagah belt. Attari village is known for being home to the railway station that takes passengers to
Lahore and its proximity to the border. Reach out to people and they tell you that the months following the Pulwama attack have been marked by anxiety.
The very mention of Balakot brings out residents willing to share the problems they face while living along the borders. Coolies (porters) emerge to share that they made their living by loading goods at the border but after the 200% custom duty kicked in on goods from Pakistan porters claim to be living from day to day in the hope of finding some daily wage work. Over 1400 porters assigned temporary cards to work at the border are affected across villages, pointed Surinder Singh who is a second generation porter. In his late forties, his father also worked as a porter and his son in his early twenties also has a card meant for helpers. His son Mandeep Singh hare that another 2000 odd helpers like himself are struggling to find daily wage work. The border area being a sensitive area, there are not many odd job possibilities.
“We go to the border every morning in the hope of getting work but return after a few hours. Earlier around 240 goods vehicles would come daily now the number is down to a handful and that too only dryfruits. Earlier there use to be cement, stone and salt,” Surinder Singh shared.
The transporters whose trucks and tempos were used to ferry goods consignments claim to be out of business. There those employed in custom clearance for private companies trading in goods with Pakistan are working on half salaries while goods lie dumped on the other side.
While most living on the borders and even those at the Wagah evening parade felt the government needed to take a strong stand after the Pulwama attack, people had varied views on the political impact of Balakot on poll results. A family from Madhya Pradesh at the parade said that after Pulwama no matter which government they would have to give a strong response. However, another couple in their 30s felt that PM Narendra Modi’s response was strong and its impact will be felt in the verdict. A family from Odisha responded with a “50 to 40%..” remark while they posed for a photo with the BSF jawans.
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