Jharkhand’s specially abled won’t face problems in coming to polling booths to vote this Lok Sabha polls, with state chief electoral officer L. Khiangte instructing respective district electoral officers to make free travel arrangements for them from their homes to booths.

In all, Jharkhand has 1,11,879 specially abled voters, visually challenged, deaf-mute or those with mobility problems. Most are in West Singhbhum (8,538) and the least in Latehar (1,512). Districts among the highest number of specially abled voters include East Singhbhum, Ranchi, Dhanbad and Palamau (see box). Those with mobility or sight problems mostly depend on others to reach the poll booths.

To do away with this, Khiangte said the Election Commission of India had made respective divisional commissioners accessibility observers to work with district electoral officers concerned to ensure that all eligible voters with disabilities got free transport from doorstep to polling booths.

“The idea is that the specially challenged don’t miss out on casting their votes. Divisional commissioners (of Kolhan, South Chotanagpur, North Chotanagpur, Santhal Pargana and Palamau) will have to review all facilities such as wheelchairs, ramps and others at poll booths with physically challenged voters. Voter slips will also be given to physically challenged at their doorsteps,” he said.

The state chief electoral officer further said that ramps had been built at nearly 28,345 polling booths, which account for around 96.20 per cent in the state.

East Singhbhum DC Amit Kumar, also the district electoral officer for Jamshedpur Parliamentary constituency, said they had completed the mapping polling booths with disabled voters. “We are making plans for their free transport from home to booth and have enough wheelchairs,” he said.

Kolhan commissioner Vijoy Kumar Singh (who looks after East and West Singhbhum districts and Seraikela-Kharsawan) said district electoral officers would submit details of polling booths with physically challenged voters as well as plans for free transport.

“We will chalk out transportation plans for physically challenged at our own expense based on the number of polling booths and disabled voters at each. All polling booths will have mandatory ramps. Divyang mitras (volunteers below 18 years ineligible to vote) will assist physically challenged to reach booths,” said Singh.

South Chotanagpur commissioner (who looks after Ranchi, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, Khunti) Shubhra Verma said feedback from respective district electoral officers suggested sufficient wheelchairs. “There are sufficient wheelchairs based on the disability mapping of polling booths. We are also training BLOs of booths with visually challenged voters on handing over Braille voter slips and Braille election photo ID cards,” Verma said.

North Chotanagpur commissioner (who looks after Hazaribagh, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ramgarh, Chatra, Koderma and Giridih) Bimal said all district electoral officers were making every effort to provide free commute for physically challenged voters and added they had enough wheelchairs.