1 week ago
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Chamarajanagar district which has almost 50 per cent of forest cover is a striking example of how elections are conducted to ensure that citizens in remote and inaccessible terrains are not bereft of their rights to exercise their franchise.
For over two months, the Deputy Commissioner of the district C.T. Shilpa Nag, returning officer, and BRT Tiger Reserve Deputy Conservator of Forests Deep Contractor, held discussions to thrash out the arrangements and identify problem areas to ensure smooth polling.
There were polling stations that were in network shadow areas which is where mobile signals cannot be received due to the remoteness of the terrain. Then there are polling booths in areas susceptible to human-animal conflicts.
“After a thorough study of the terrain and the polling stations we listed 78 polling booths to be located in areas coming under conflict zones while 17 booths or stations came under network shadow area,” said Ms. Deep Contractor.
In such places where mobile signals cannot be received, it was decided to make provision for wireless walkie-talkies of the forest department and the local police to the polling officers. The walkie-talkies, in the absence of network connectivity, are a must as there should be constant communication about the polling percentage or malfunctioning, if any, of an EVM, reporting any emergency etc.
But the more complex issue is conducting the elections inside the forests where there are “podus” or tribal hamlets within the core zone of the BRT Tiger Reserve. In BRT itself there are 57 “podus” or hamlets in core or buffer zones.
It is here that the synergy among different departments comes into the picture. While the EVMs are in the custody of the polling officers, the transportation is undertaken by the Forest Department staff who are familiar and experienced in driving in such terrain where ordinary vehicles do not ply.
“We have pressed in most of our four-wheel drive vehicles for elections though some have been retained to battle the forest fires as it is peak summer,” said Ms. Deep Contractor.
Every polling team has been accompanied by armed guards from the Forest Department and a few other staff just in case they need to ward off a charging elephant or a tiger emerging from the thickets while transporting the EVMs.
The entire swathe of land covering BRT Tiger Reserve, M.M. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary are wildlife-rich areas harbouring tigers, elephants, and leopards besides prey species. There are over 40 tigers and 600 elephants in BRT, and about 20 tigers and 700 elephants in M.M. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.
The guards will remain with the polling team till the EVMs are secured after the polling is complete and transported to the strong rooms. In BRT the most remote hamlets have been identified as Nellikatripodu and Gombegallu which come under PG Palya gram panchayat in the Hanur Assembly segment. On the M.M. Hills Wildlife Sanctuary side, hamlets like Indiganatha and Padasalanatha are there in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary area.
In polling booths identified as susceptible to conflict situations, the Forest Department staff are in place to monitor the animal movements and warn the public. Besides, the Forest Department vehicles will ferry them from their remote hamlets to the polling station to enable them to cast their votes.
Manjula, District Tribal Officer said Bedaguli was among the most remote polling stations in deep jungles near Punajanur and 55 km from Chamarajanagar town.
Given the steep and undulating terrain amidst forests teeming with wildlife, it is unlikely if any candidates have campaigned in these areas. But the Election Commission ensures that voting takes place despite the remoteness of the terrain and no citizen was deprived of the right to cast their vote.
