Polls apart — Posh sectors, rural areas

Amit Bathla

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, December 27

The “model polling booths” in posh sectors showed a seamless voting experience, while slums and rural areas exhibited a different picture altogether.

As opposed to various sectors in the city, where polling booths were equipped with all paraphernalia in view of Covid-19, polling stations in regions with economically weaker population, especially Budanpur, Maheshpur and Abhaypur, lacked arrangements such as sanitisers, temperature check, clean drinking water and wheelchairs for the specially abled.

On the contrary, the polling station at Saarthak Government Integrated Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 12-A, had laid down a red carpet with flowerpots on each side for voters. Voters in urban sectors were approaching their respective polling booths in a harmonious manner after sanitising their hands, proper temperature check and entry details. Such sectors even had attendants assisting those on wheelchairs. Baljeet Singh, a block-level officer on poll duty in the school, was on his toes throughout the polling hours. From greeting voters to showing them the way towards their polling booths, the official left no stone unturned to please voters.

“We had seven polling booths in the school. All arrangements were intact to ensure a smooth voting experience for everyone,” he said.

Voters shared similar experience at Little Flower Convent School in Sector 14.

However, in Sector 17, the polling station set up at Government Model Primary School lacked basic facilities such as drinking water and wheelchair for the specially abled, leave alone Covid-related arrangements. In Maheshpur, a polling booth was set up at an an under-construction school.

In Budanpur, people in groups were allowed to gather outside Government Primary School with no police intervention whatsoever.

Here, too, an official was deployed at the entry gate, but he was taking little or no interest in checking voters’ temperature before allowing them to enter the premises.

Haves & have-nots

As opposed to various sectors in the city, where polling booths were equipped with all paraphernalia in view of Covid-19, polling stations in regions with economically weaker population, especially Budanpur, Maheshpur and Abhaypur, lacked arrangements such as sanitisers, temperature check, clean drinking water and wheelchairs for the specially abled.