Poll materials carried through mule track to Bodi hill villages

Election materials being transported by horseback to Central Station, a hill hamlet, from Kurangani near Bodi in Theni district on Sunday.

Preparation works for the second phase of rural local body elections in Theni and Dindigul districts were completed where six and seven panchayat unions respectively are going for poll on Monday.

In Theni district, Cumbum, Periyakulam, Theni, Bodinayakkanur, Chinnamanur and Uthamapalayam panchayat unions are facing elections and in Dindigul district, Palani, Oddanchatram, Thoppampatti, Vesadandur, Gujiliamparai, Vadamadurai and Kodaikanal unions are bound for polls on Monday.

As part of the preparatory works, election materials were dispatched to the respective polling booths. As the Bodi union has more than a dozen hill villages on the Western Ghats, ballot boxes were sent on horseback and jeeps to the polling booths there, on Sunday.

Bodi mettu, Kottakudi, Kurangani, Munthal, Kaaripatti, Central station, Top station, Agamalai, Periyamoongil, Siriyamoongil, Kuravankuzhi, Karumparai, Subramaniapuram, Ooradi and Oothukadu are the villages located on the hills and 12 polling booths have been set up there.

Central station, Ooradi and Oothukadu do not have road connectivity except for mule tracks that lead from Kurangani, Periyar kombai and Arungulam.

Ballot boxes and election materials were carried on horseback through a five kilometre trek to Central station and a 14 kilometre trek to the other two villages. A team of 14 election conducting officials along with four armed policemen trekked through the forest to reach the polling booths. The booth in Top station was reach via Munnar in Kerala.

Similarly, the election materials were transported to the hill villages in Kodaikanal union in Dindigul district. Revenue officials oversaw the preparations and directed officials of the respective booths.