To make this year’s election theme ‘Accessible Elections in India’ a success, Swabhiman chief executive and Odisha State Disability Network (OSDN) chief convenor Dr Sruti Mohapatra has requested State Chief Electoral Officer Surendra Kumar to provide the relevant documents, notifications and circulars to be shown at the district, block, Tehsil, municipality and panchayat levels for availing the facilities for the differently-abled voters.
Mohapatra in a letter to the CEO has sought the response about the facilities taken for disabled voters like ramps, drinking water, adequate furniture, medical kits, proper lighting and electricity, helpdesks to guide to right polling booths, proper signage boards, toilets, separate queues and Braille facilities for visually-impaired people.
Addressing a Press meet here on Wednesday, Mohapatra said there is not a single nodal person in a District Collector's office or in block offices who would listen to issues and clarify doubts. Will 2019 be another year of lost citizenship opportunity for voters with disabilities, she questioned.
Even if the elections in Odisha would commence in about a week’s time and over 40 lakh voters with disabilities are eligible to cast their vote, this seems a faraway dream as many who are eligible to vote have not registered themselves nor are aware of the existing facilities committed by ECI, Mohapatra said.
She also alleged that no district-level Accessible Elections Committee has been formed and facilities to ensure accessible voting for all are way off the mark. Even 90 per cent of the persons with disabilities (PwDs) are not aware of the theme and there is lack of political commitments for them, she said.
She has also asked the CEO about what steps have been taken to take the message of accessible elections to voters with disabilities in rural areas and interior pockets of the State as there are no hoardings, published materials, special helpline and other facilities as per the RPwD Act 2016.
The CEO was also urged for transportation facilities for PwDs, nodal person at different levels, pickup points in rural areas, list of volunteers who would assist the voters during polling and other issues.
Mohapatra also sought the data of the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) awareness programme for the visually-impaired, how many EVMs with Braille features have been procured by the CEO.
Lastly, she said the relevant documents, notification and circulars provided by the CEO would be helpful for the volunteers at the district, block, tehsil, municipality and panchayat levels to show the respective officers as they are not listening to the issues and clarifying the doubts.