As all the five phase of polling this Assembly election in Jharkhand falls in the two months of winter beginning November 30, fog and mist are bound to affect the movement of security forces and the polling parties. The first polling in the State is on November 30 and the combined result of 5 phase polling is due on December 23.
Sources said such is the menace of fog and mist in Jharkhand that railways here start its anti fog and mist operation for safety of its passengers and goods trains both right from November 1.
Station superintendent of Daltonganj railway station under ECR of Dhanbad division A K Tiwary said fog and mist affect railway services most here. Railways are to bite the winter and so now the polling contingents and security forces.
Fog and mist will be in abundance in Jharkhand in these two months. According to villagers’ versions two major rivers Koyal and Amanat are the strong feeders of fog and mist.
State nodal police officer Murari Lal Meena who is additional director general of police here agreed that fog and mist are really a big concern here in this election schedule.
Meena said there are hundreds of booths here in this state which are located in far off areas and there this fog and mist if it appear are bound to create problem in the movement of polling parties and the security forces.
Road side booths or booths situated in semi urban areas are not any problem but booths located in remote and cut off areas are definitely to be well taken care of in the event of fog and mist engulfing the days here on which polling is due added Meena. Day long foggy situation warrants different handling while fog for few hours only in the morning calls for equally different handling as well reminded Meena.
He said State administration has option to fly chopper in such event if it gets any grim since fog and mist reduce visibility which is too hazardous for the security forces.
Sources said fog and mist if it is to affect security forces have the same adverse effect on the extremists too as reduction in visibility is no longer any beneficial to them also.
ADG police said polling parties and security forces are to stay put at clusters and from here their movement is to be chalked out in such a way so as not to get any badly affected by fog and mist.
Meena declined to share ‘arrangements / methods’ for movement in fog and mist but assured “ All will be done for a very safe and trouble free movement.”Like Lok Sabha election here Palamu administration is set to go for P minus 2 here which means polling officials and security personnel to be more hours away from home in the winter.
P minus 2 is no algebraic formula but it means departure of polling parties and security contingents 2 days ahead of the scheduled date of voting.
An advance movement scuttles many unforeseen hazards said sources. SP Palamu Ajay Linda too is concerned about acute winter which is accompanied here by fog and mist.
Sources said election in summer like this 2019 Lok Sabha election polling personnel had had very few belongings to carry with them to spend two days and one night at polling booths but in winter their belongings get far fatter just because of stocking of warm clothes, blankets etc.