A lot done in remote areas to help people

Chamarajanagar district which has almost 50% 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 o¤cer, 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 con¥icts.

“After a thorough study of the terrain and the polling stations we listed 78 polling booths to be located in areas coming under con¥ict 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 o¤cers.

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 bu¦er zones.

It is here that the synergy among di¦erent departments comes into the picture. While the EVMs are in the custody of the polling o¤cers, the transportation is undertaken by the Forest Department sta¦ who are familiar and experienced in driving in such terrain where ordinary vehicles do not ply.