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First batch of UP officials leave for J&K poll duty

The first batch of 450 employees of the Uttar Pradesh government left for Srinagar on Saturday afternoon for election duty in Jammu & Kashmir amid fiery protests by a large section of those protesting against the deployment.

The batch consisted mainly of Muslim employees, whose knowledge of Urdu is considered essential in the valley.

They were transported in two Indian Air Force aircraft, each carrying approximately 225 employees.

The employees looked cheerful and confident, in complete contrast to those staging the demonstration.

"I had been to the 1996 election and so I opted for it this time too," said Ashfaq Ahmad, an Urdu teacher from the neighbouring Barabanki district, while waiting to be ushered inside the IAF base at Bakshi-ka-Talab on the outskirts of Lucknow.

Shafayat Khan, a revenue department employee from Barabanki, felt the same: "I see no reason to panic. If I have to die, I could meet my end sitting in the cozy comfort of my house in Barabanki as well."

The absence of any liaison agent from the Election Commission or the state government did not deter the enthusiastic group, who said it felt like going to the war front. A few of them even displayed vermilion marks on their foreheads. A majority of the employees were middle-aged and had come prepared with jungle boots and warm clothes to brave the winter in the valley

Some members of the group were excited at the prospect of the additional pay they would receive for the deputation. Besides a daily allowance of Rs 135, each employee is entitled to a sum of Rs 10,000 for doing duty in any one of the four phases of the election, Rs 12,000 for two phases, and Rs 15,000 for three. (The Uttar Pradesh employees have only been given the choice of doing duty in two or three phases.)

The fourth phase, in Doda district, is to be conducted exclusively by employees of the Jammu & Kashmir government.

The lump-sum payment is a special allowance for the Jammu & Kashmir election. Usually government employees are paid only the daily allowance when they are drafted for election duty.

Meanwhile, there were protests in the state legislature as well against the deployment of the employees. The unions have already flayed the government for forcing its employees to go to the terrorist-infested valley.

Panchanan Rai, a senior leader of the teachers group in the legislative council, demanded that teachers be spared from the poll duty. "It will adversely affect teaching schedules in schools and colleges," he said.

Of the 2,500 employees to be sent from the state, nearly 600 are teachers.

Another senior member of the teachers group, Om Prakash Sharma, sought the immediate withdrawal of a government order, which warned teachers that their salaries would be cut if they declined to go for election duty.

"That is a dictatorial order," Sharma said, asking why the government could not spare the teachers if it could spare engineers.

Earlier, a band of Samajwadi Party leaders had gone to the extent of trying to intimidate Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer Noor Mohammad for sending employees from the state "to die" in Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Elections 2002: The complete coverage

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