The district administration is contemplating providing transport facility for tribals and people living in hadis (colonies) inside the forests on election day.
The Director of Scheduled Tribe Welfare Development, along with officials of many districts working for the welfare of tribals, is scheduled to meet officials of the State Election Commission on Thursday and discuss the matter.
C. Shivakumar, project coordinator of the Integrated Tribal Development Project, told The Hindu that there were at least 209 hadis in Mysuru district with over 65,000 inhabitants. Among these, 19 are located deep inside the forests where it is difficult to reach in ordinary vehicles, he said. Of the 19 hadis, 14 are in H.D. Kote and five in Periyapatna taluk.
The department is also considering seeking permission from the Forest Department to use its vehicles to go deep into the forests and reach out to people. If the Forest Department does not provide vehicles, other vehicles will be mobilised and permission will be sought from the department to operate them on election day, Mr. Shivakumar said.
He said the Director has had one round of meetings with EC officials on the matter of providing facilities to tribal people and motivating them to vote.
It had come to the notice of the EC that not many tribals or forest dwellers voted in the last elections. But as per EC norms, polling stations cannot be set up in hadis to cater to hundreds of people, he said.
