In a move to involve all voters in the electoral process, the Election Commission (EC) on Thursday directed States and Union Territories to provide transport facilities to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) on each and every polling station on the day of polling.
The Government vehicles are to be used for this purpose. The move is aimed at ensuring wider participation by people with disabilities as there have been instances in the past where such people could not vote.
“The deputy electoral officer and returning officer should be responsible for entire transportation exercise for PwDs,” the EC order said. The Commission also directed chief electoral officer to appoint a transport nodal officer for each district. “Each and every PwDs should be tagged polling station wise and he/she should be picked up from his or her residence and be dropped back there, after he or she has cast her/his vote,” the EC said. The EC is also working to provide attendants to PwDs on the day of polling.
EC has for the first time appointed ‘accessibility observers’ to check and ensure that people with disability are able to cast votes. The observers will ensure that necessary infrastructure is available at each booth where people with disabilities come and vote. As a part of making the polling booth more accessible to disabled people, centres will have ramp, where wheel-chair bound voter can cast his vote.
Disability Coordinators would be appointed at the levels of Assembly Constituencies, Districts and States and a mobile app would be developed in-house for the such people with disabilities to facilitate them participate fully in election processes.