Dakshin Kannada district administration making arrangements for specially-abled voters

MANGALURU: As part of Election Commission of India’s aim of ethical, inclusive voting, Dakshina Kannada district administration has made arrangements to enable 10,911 persons with disabilities exercise their franchise on May 12. These include 5,756 physically challenged, 829 visually challenged, 1,006 hearing challenged and 3,320 with other disabilities. The administration has mapped the polling stations to the places where these 10911 persons are residing.
MR Ravi, CEO, DK Zilla Panchayat and president of Dakshina Kannada district SVEEP committee said that while 5756 physically challenged have been mapped to 437 polling stations, the administration will need 310 wheel chairs to cater to their needs because of cluster polling stations. “Health and family welfare department will source 140 wheel chairs, 60 from private medical hospitals and institutions and rest from MRPL that has provided these chairs to the department,” he said.

The taluk health officers (THO) will be responsible for transportation of these chairs to the polling station through the respective sector officers on May 11 with help of booth level officers (BLO) concerned. These chairs will be returned to respective THOs through the BLOs and sector officers after the elections. The vehicles provided to sector officers’ in-charge of 10-12 polling stations will be used to transport the wheel chairs to and from the polling stations, he noted.

To help visually challenged persons to cast their votes in 452 polling stations, the respective gram panchayats have already been directed to procure magnifying glasses that will be used during the polls, he said. The gram panchayats are dipping in to their 3% funds they are even otherwise expected to spend on persons with disabilities, Ravi said adding the magnifying glasses will be the property of respective panchayats post-election for their own use.

To aid physically challenged persons, especially endosulfan victims, who are immobile, instructions have been given to BLOs and panchayat development officers to procure 135 vehicles to transport the voters in 585 polling stations mapped. The BLOs and PDOs have been instructed to obtain pass from respective returning officers with vehicle and driver details, he said, adding these vehicles can be used only to transport these persons and no one else, he noted.