Lowest and highest polling booths
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 6 — Voting in the city, its rural areas and slums has been recorded at 48.41 per cent during yesterday's polling for the lone Lok Sabha seat. A total of 2,82,654 votes out of 5,83,936 were polled.

Interestingly, some of the traditionally high turnout areas witnessed some of the lowest voting percentages.

The highest polling was recorded in zone 11 where 54,987 votes (50.33 per cent) were cast. The union territory had been divided into 11 zones for voting purposes. Zone 11 comprised Kishengarh, Bhagwanpura, Mani Majra, Railway Colony, Shivalik Complex, New India Colony, Gawala Colony, Mauli Jagran, Makhan Majra and Raipur Kalan

In terms of percentage the highest (51.70) was recorded in zone 5 comprising parts of Sector 7, Sectors 26, 27 and 28, Grain Market, Bapu Dham, Industrial area (phase I), Sansi colony, vardana colony, Madrasi colony and timber market area.

The lowest turnout was in zone 10, a traditionally high turnout area, where only 42. 89 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise. This is the area from Sectors 37 to 41, Maloya, Palsora, Maloya Colony, Palsora colony, Lal Bahadur colony, Ambedkar Awas yojna, Badheri, Adarsh colony, Dadu Majra colony and Shahpur colony.

Among the all 11 zones the voting crossed 50 per cent only in four zones. Besides zones 11 and 5, these were zones 3 and 7 that polled 50.16 per cent and 50.21 per cent, respectively. Zone 3 comprised sectors 16, 22 and 23. Zone 7 comprised Sector 31 and 47, besides Industrial area (phase II), Bhagat Singh colony and Behlana.

The voting pattern in the other voting centres was like this: Zone 1from sectors 1 to 10 and kaimbwala 45.95 per cent or 5,547 votes. In zone 2 comprising sectors 11 to 15, sectors 24 and 25, Dhanas, Milk colony, dhanas, Sarangpur, Khuda Lahora, Kalayan colony, Kumhar colony, Janata labour colony, Khuda Jassu and Khuda Ali Sher, a total of 30,734 or 46.98 per cent of people cast their vote.

A total of 49.99 per cent or 23,764 persons cast their vote in zone 6 comprising Sectors 29 and 30, metal works area, labour colony No 4, poultry Farm, Raipur Khurd and Darua.

In zone 8 comprising sectors 32, 33, 34, 42 and 43, Burail, labour colony No 5, Faidan, Nizampur, 49.22 per cent or 24,735 persons cast their vote. Zone 9 witnessed lower voting turnout at 45.55 per cent or 37,628 votes. This zone comprised sectors 35 and 36, Attawa, sector 42, parts of sector 43, Kajheri, nehru colony, Kuldeep colony, Mazdoor colony and pandit colony.

The local election authorities said that the complete break up of votes based on rural and urban segments was yet to be finalised. This time the voting has been the lowest ever in the city when compared to poll since 1967 when Chandigarh was made parliamentary constituency.

Grass grabs open spaces
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Sept 6 — Congress grass and other weeds have swept through open spaces of the city and are slowly making progress towards narrow strips in front of residential areas. This is alarming, since asthma is already on the rise and congress grass tends to accelerate such cases, doctors say.

Besides, on vacant residential and commercial plots in the sectors, parthenium has spread like wild fire around the District Secretariat also. The deweeding drive, though planned well in advance of the monsoons, is yet to take off. With the monsoon season on its last leg, the administration is taking initiative to launch the drive against its spread while cleaning the area to the last plant.

The City Magistrate, Mr M.S. Yadav, says, "The meeting for controlling the spread of congress grass was held sometime back with a number of non-government organisations of various sectors. But the implementation of the programme was delayed on account of Independence Day celebrations followed by the arrangements for elections. Once we are through with this, we will plan to organise a meeting of these NGOs again and get down to wiping it out from the city.''

A meeting of 19 NGOs of different sectors was held under the chairmanship of Mrs Saroj Siwatch on July 22. It was decided that these organisations, in collaboration with men from the administration, would submit their day-to-day report to the city magistrate. At this meeting, areas with various NGOs had also been earmarked, though the report of any of these is yet to come in.

Meanwhile, residents in sectors are perturbed by the inaction on part of the administration and associations of sectors which have undertaken the task. Sunita Kakkar, a resident of Sector 8, says, "The vacant plot next to our house has become a nuisance for me. With the profuse growth of congress grass, the plot has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. With the threat of dengue very real, I am scared for my two-year old son who likes playing in the garden every evening.''

A resident of Sector 9, Mr S.K. Bansal, rues, "The adjoining vacant plot is full of parthenium and the growth is so thick that there might even be a couple of snakes holed up here.

After every few months, I get it cleaned of every weed at my own expense. Why should we have to pay for maintaining somebody else's plot. There is need for the administration to step in and come to our rescue.''

With major tasks on hand over, the drive is likely to be relaunched in sectors very soon by the administration.