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The setting was idyllic, the weather pleasant - a big relief from the sweltering heat of the plains from where the over 2500 poll staff was flown in special planes for election duties in Jammu and Kashmir.
"As I stepped out of the plane (in Srinagar) and looked around, I was smitten by the beauty of the valley," said Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, a government teacher from Hassanabad in Uttar Pradesh.
Several of the officials from outside the state agreed to perform poll duties for the opportunity to visit the beautiful state.
Mohammad Asif from Meerut said, "I volunteered to go to Kashmir for poll duty as I wanted to visit the valley. I had heard a lot about the various health resorts and if time permits, I will definitely visit Gulmarg and Pahalgam."
However, as the employees left the airport and entered a nearby paramilitary camp, the pleasant feeling began to seem like the lull before a storm.
And when the soldiers and police began handing over bullet proof jackets and helmets, the grim reality about the 'paradise on earth' finally sunk in.
"Welcome to the happy valley," says a paramilitary handout detailing the guidelines to be followed by the poll staff during their stay in Kashmir.
'You will be staying with us in our makeshift camps while on election duty in Kashmir. Do not go outside prescribed security zones. Our effort would be to make you as comfortable as possible, within the given constraints', it says.
"In the present security scenario in the state, eternal vigilance and alertness would be essential on your part. However, we assure you that your safety, security and comfort would be our prime concern."
"In any crisis, keep your cool and act as advised by the central paramilitary forces. Be alert and vigilant round the clock. Anything unusual and suspicious noticed by you must be reported to the security personnel," the handout says.
"Now I realize why my family was hesitant when I received the order for the poll duty," Yogesh Tiwari, a health worker, said.
"It took me several days of persuasion before my family finally relented and let me come here. My wife and two children must be worried for me in view of recent incidents," he said.
A police officer revealed that each employee will be richer by Rs 12,000 after the poll duty in Kashmir and also that each has been insured for a hefty sum.
In case any one of them dies during the course of their work, a close relative would be provided a government job, he said.
"We have already received an advance of Rs 9,700 from the Election Commission," said J K Singh, one of the poll officials.
As Shahid Hassan prepares to board a bus, along with other poll officials, which will take him to his destination in north Kashmir, he noted that the guidelines ironically end with the words, "Wish you a very happy and memorable stay, while on election duty in Kashmir."
EARLIER REPORT First batch of UP officials leave for J&K poll duty
Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage
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