Divyang-friendly: Wheel chair facility at polling booths likely

Since the state election department is considering a proposal to provide wheel chairs to specially abled (divyang) voters at polling booths in Rajasthan, the officials are in a dilemma as to how to meet the expenses. They are particularly worried about how to ensure availability of wheel chairs in rural areas which have the maximum polling booths.

To ensure that things go as planned, the authorities have found the solution seeking financial support from local panchayats. According to the latest proposal, it has been decided that wheel chair in rural areas shall be purchased by the local body as it would not only end the worry of the state election department, but can also be used by the disabled of the area on later occasions.

“The department may face hurdles in arranging funds to buy wheel chairs at such large level. Therefore, we have decided to seek support from the panchayats who would buy wheel chairs for the disables. This would help the local disabled voter to use such chairs later if required in future and also serve our purpose to provide such chairs at polling booths. Soon a circular would be issued on this,” said a senior election officer. The election department has kept ‘Sugam Matdan’, as theme of Rajasthan Assembly election slated for December this year. This time the election authorities have set a target to enabling nearly 10 lakh specially abled voters to use their right of voting. Apart from providing wheel chairs to the physically challenged wheels the election officials have also provisioned unique initiative.

With dropping braille literature regarding Assembly election at the residence of (divyang) blind voters, the State Election Department is planning to increase their participation in the festival of democracy. Also it has been decided that a priority lane for such voters would be kept reserved.

PRIORITY LANE

• If any specially-abled person with any disability wants to cast vote first then he or she will not have to wait in the queue for long. He or she would be given entry via a priority lane ahead of the common voters. This time around the election authorities have set a target to make sure that nearly 10 lakh specially-abled voters  use their voting right.