Going that extra mile to help the physically challenged

Vijayapura admn. making transportation, other arrangements at polling booths

Wheelchair and other facilities will be available for those with disabilities at polling booths in Vijayapura during the Lok Sabha polls.

Following the direction of the Election Commission of India to facilitate physically challenged persons to cast their votes easily at the polling booths, the district administration has identified over 16,000 such persons who would be provided transport and other facilities to help them vote. “We have identified over 16,000 eligible voters in 2,010 polling stations where they would be voting,” Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Panchayat Vikas Suralkar has said.

Speaking to The Hindu , he said that as the administration does not have adequate vehicles to pick and drop persons with disabilities, they will be hiring 903 autorickshaws in rural and urban areas to extend the facility to the voters.

“An official would be deployed to accompany each autorickshaw to monitor the transportation of persons with disabilities as they have been given a target to bring at least 20-30 such persons to the booths on the polling day,” he said.

Mr. Suralkar said that they have decided to pay between ₹ 400 and ₹ 600 to each autorickshaw for the work.

“We have submitted a proposal to the Election Commission to provide us adequate funds as we have fixed this rate after consulting Transport Department officials,” he said. With regard to wheelchairs, he said that they need at least 1,050 wheelchairs for different polling stations in the district.

Admitting that the district administration has only 400 wheelchairs, he said that they have asked gram panchayats to purchase one such wheelchair with their funds. “In case we could not arrange for our own wheelchairs, we will be requesting beneficiaries who have received wheelchairs from the government to provide them for the day till voting is completed. Hopefully, they will oblige,” he said.

Besides transport facility and wheelchair, he said that magnifying glass and walking stick will be kept at all polling booths to help persons with disabilities to vote.

Mr. Suralkar said that ramps are being provided at all polling stations for easy movement of physically challenged persons.

“We are doing our best to see that physically challenged persons exercise their franchise as easily as possible,” he said.