Despite hurdles, elderly persons and people with disabilities cast votes : Karnataka

In many places, there were no wheelchairs and ramps were too weak

Barring some polling booths here, the others were not really disabled-friendly. In some places, the ramps that were set up were made of plywood sheets and could not support the weight of a person in a wheelchair. 

 

Enthusiastic:Sannamma, a senior citizen, is helped to the polling booth at D. Salundi, near Mysore, on Sunday.

At polling booths 139, 140 and 141 at Urs Boarding School in Chamaraja constituency, there was a wooden ramp but no wheelchair.

When asked why there was no wheelchair, one of the officials said they were not told about it.

A policeman manning a booth at Kuvempu School in Saraswathipuram said a physically challenged person came to the booth in his wheelchair to cast his vote in Krishnaraja constituency. Another man took the help of people there to get to the booth and cast his vote.

At booth No. 8 in Taralubalu School in T.K. Layout here, the ramp was not designed properly.

Venkatachala Gupta (80) and A.V. Shanthakumari (70), residents of Sri Vasavi Shanthidhama, an old-age home at Alanahalli, had a tough time when they went to cast their vote at booth No. 178 set up at Shashwatha Seva School in Chamundeshwari constituency. Ms. Shanthakumari almost lost all hope of casting her vote as the steps of the building were high and she could not climb it. There was a ramp but no wheelchair.

Finally, some residents brought cardboard boxes from a nearby shop and flattened them out so that she could stand on them and climb the steps.

The entire exercise took around half an hour.

One of the voters at the booth said: “Even during the previous elections, elderly persons faced the some problem.” In some places, the distance from the entrance to the polling booth was far, putting persons with disabilities and senior citizens to inconvenience.

An elderly couple, Chamaraja Bahadur, who was physically challenged, and his wife, residents of Saraswathipuram, were ferried in a vehicle up to the booth (no. 137) which was set up at JSS Women’s College in Chamaraja constituency.

When contacted, District Electoral Officer C. Shikha told The Hindu that the sector magistrates had been told to make arrangements to provide ramps and wheelchairs at the booths. “It’s not a problem in rural areas as booths set up in schools there have permanent ramps,” she said.

Visually challenged persons used Braille-enabled EVMs in some places to cast their votes independently.

Source : The Hindu , 6th May 2013