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Elections

Punjab CEO orders to ensure wheel chair facility for voters with disabilities

April 27, 2019 05:41 PM

CHANDIGARH: The Chief Electoral Officer Dr. S Karuna Raju on Friday directed the Rural Development and Panchayats Department to ensure the arrangements of requisite wheel chairs on the day of polling for Persons With Disabilities.

The CEO accompanied by Financial Commissioner Rural Development and Panchayats Anurag Verma held a meeting with all the District Development and Panchayats Officers of State through video conferencing.

While holding a meeting with all ADC (D) through video conferencing, the CEO informed that there were nearly 1.10 lakh Persons with Disabilities voters in the state  and all out efforts should be made to ensure their participation in the ensuing polls scheduled for May 19 in the state. He said that Election Commission had chalked out a detailed plan to facilitate these voters including pick and drop facility, providing wheel chair and a volunteer to help these voters for easy access inside the polling booth. Notably, a demi-official letter has already been written to Rural Development and Panchayats Department on June 20, 2018 in this regard and subsequently detailed directions had been issued to all the DDPOs by the department on July 5, 2018 to implement these directions in letter and in spirit.

 He said that it would also be ensured that there should be ramp facility for these voters so that they could exercise the right of franchise without waiting in queues. The CEO directed DDPOs to procure at least one wheel chair in coming five days for each Panchayats according to the number of Panchayats in their respective districts to provide this facility to voters, who would not be able to  walk. He also informed that Health and Family Welfare Department were being provided wheel chairs at 40 percent polling booths in the state.

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