JCB craze takes leaders, workers by storm in Haryana Assembly poll

As the election fervour catches on, shortage of earth movers (JCB) has impacted realty sector in Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Mahendergarh among others.

Emerging as a hit among politicians cutting across the party lines and workers to shower flowers and draw big crowds during public meetings, JCBs have single-handedly changed the campaign style.

JCB vendors in Gurugram said earlier they were renting out their machines for Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per hour but now politicians were paying them Rs 5,000 per hour.

Vijay Yadav of Gurugram said, “JCB craze has taken everyone by storm. All our earth movers have been booked since the filing of nominations. They do not just take drivers but also people who can shower flowers from the top. We charge extra for it.”

Yadav said, “We have a fleet of 10 JCB machines. Earlier, majority of them were deployed in the construction of housing projects along Dwarka Expressway. We recalled them as we are able to earn three times more.”

Ashfaq Khan of Tauru said, “Majority of leaders in Nuh are talking about bulldozer action. To symbolise it, they need JCBs. We are also renting machines from nearby areas in Rajasthan. JCB machines are a big crowd puller in Nuh. Even after public meetings are over, the people come and make reels with JCBs in the background. We charge Rs 100 for five minutes.”

Such is the craze that several villages in Nuh have used panchayat funds to rent out the JCBs to welcome party leaders.

Officer-bearer of the Home Developers’ Association said, “ There is a shortage of JCBs right now owing to the Assembly elections. We have fixed vendors but everybody is supporting one or the other party and they send their machines in their suport as a mark of strength.”

Even government agencies, including MCG, and GMDA are facing difficulty in sourcing JCBs to remove encroachments and clean drains.