NewsMeter Impact: EC to transport 92 voters of Adilabad's Bheemangodi to polling station

Adilabad: The Election Commission is likely to provide transport to 92 voters of Bheemangodi village to reach the polling station and exercise their right to franchise in Chorpalli.

The voters had faced the prospect of an over 6 km agonizing trek through steeply rising hillocks to reach their polling station which is not connected by a proper road.

In its report to the Chief Electoral Officer Telangana, the election authority in KB Asifabad district has recommended this measure which will, to a greater extent relieve them of the misery they are facing since elections began to be held here in Independent India. A report was sought by the CEO in response to a news item carried by NewsMeter two days back on the plight of the Bheemangondi voters.

Following a communication from the CEO, the district election officials visited Bheemangondi and assessed the condition of the dirt track that connects Chorpalli with Bheemangondi.

The officials divided the 6 km road into three stretches, the first one from Chorpalli to the Forest viewpoint, the second of the ghat section through a steep hillock, and the third from the base of the curvy ghat to the village.

The photos given here show the sharp gradient of hillocks surrounding Bheemangondi which rise to a height of about 800 ft. The pictures also provide an insight into the sharpness of the climb which the voters cannot avoid if they want to cast their vote.

"If there is no rain we can transport the voters on the first and third stretches. The voters will be left to trek about 1.5 km," revealed an official.

The stock-taking exercise of the officials also revealed that of the nine hamlets attached to the Chorpalli polling station, five are situated over 7 km away. The difficulty in reaching the polling station, however, is much less when compared to Bheemangondi as all are connected by road.

The Asifabad Assembly segment has a total of 304 main polling stations, most of which are located in the hilly interiors of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. Over several elections in the past, the voters, chiefly Adivasis had undergone tremendous hardships to exercise their franchise as they needed to trek through difficult terrain.

"We need to walk all the 6 km to Chorpalli to vote. It is a tiring journey over the hills," said Marskola Manabai, former sarpanch.

Bheemangondi is a 32-house hamlet surrounded by hillocks on all sides. The sight of the dryness of the vast landscape is breathtaking, seen from the viewpoint constructed atop the tallest hillock (estimated to be about 800 ft high) by the forest department.

For outsiders to reach Bheemangondi, they have to go to Chorpalli from Janioor mandal headquarters travelling on a 20 km motorable road. From there, they need to take the 6 km long rugged and treacherous dirt road winding through the now-denuded forest over the plethora of curves on two hillocks.

"This dirt road itself was laid a few years back by R.V. Karnan, then the Project Officer of Utnoor ITDA," recalled Athram Rajesh, a voter.