The Hindu : New Delhi News : Special arrangements for a hot polling day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 10, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Special arrangements for a hot polling day

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 9. In view of the heat wave like conditions that is expected to prevail in the Capital on polling day, the Election Commission has decided to keep four earthen pitchers -- of 15 litres each -- instead of the usual two for drinking water purposes.

More than 37,000 pitchers and equal number of tumblers have been purchased by the three civic agencies -- the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Cantonment Board -- for the polling day on May 10. This is likely to cost about Rs. 14 lakhs to the Election Commission. Besides, another few lakhs would be paid to the Delhi Jal Board by the Election Commission for providing tankers at its polling stations and ensuring regular water supply on Monday.

In fact, the Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for protecting the electors of the Capital from scorching sun and to ensure that people do not stay in their homes because of the high temperatures. Not only has special provision been made to provide sheds to the voters while they are standing in queues by erecting tents at hundreds of polling booths, packets of ORS solutions and sugar and medicines have also been kept at all the polling stations to be provided to the voters in case of any necessity.

As many as 25 water emergencies have been set up by the DJB and at the request of the Election Commission; the water utility has agreed to give regular supply in the areas around the polling stations from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening on Monday. The civic agencies would be deploying one daily-wager at each of the polling booths to distribute drinking water to the polling officials and also to the voters.

The Election Commission has also issued specific instructions to the civic agencies, which are responsible for setting up the booths and providing necessary infrastructure, to ensure that the electric fans were in working conditions at the polling booths. At places where fans not available, pedestal fans have been taken on hire. The Chief Electoral Officer for Delhi, Arun Goyal, has written to the three discoms to ensure that there was no load-shedding at any of the polling booths, the list of which have been provided to them. At several polling booths, where electricity was disconnected due to non-payment of bills, as an exception, the discoms have given them power supply on polling day. On a day, when maximum temperature is expected to be around 40 degrees Celsius, officials said a working fan was a must. Pedestal fans have also been provided to more than 100 polling booths, which would be in tents.

Also, a group of health officials would be moving around the Capital on mobile vans to provide medical care to voters and polling officials in case of heat stroke or any other medical emergencies. "I hope all this arrangement will help in attracting the voters to the polling booths in large numbers and the rising temperature would not be a deterrent," Mr. Goyal said.

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