Karnataka   

They have to walk 5 km to vote

CHAMARAJANAGAR: As many as 160 voters of Upkar village and Upkar colony in Gundlupet Assembly constituency will have to walk for 5 km to exercise their franchise on Saturday.

The nearest polling booth for them is at the government lower primary school in Heggavadi village.

There are 68 families in this remote village and the colony. Of them, 25 families are of tribal people and the remaining of the Scheduled Castes people. Most of the tribal families were shifted to the colony nearby after houses were built for them under the Integrated Tribal Development Programme.

However, the residents are living in a pathetic condition as the colony and the village lack basic amenities. There are no motorable roads to the village, which is about 14 km from Bomalapura hobli.

There is no electricity, school nor healthcare centre in the village.

There is no bus service to the village and people have to walk for about 6 km to reach the nearest bus stop. Collecting forest produce is the prime occupation of most of them.

The State Government has taken steps to level the land near the colony to provide at least two acres of land to each of the family for taking up agriculture. They have been provided below poverty line cards and have to go to Kundakere to buy foodgrains from the fair price shop.

Following a report submitted by the District Monitoring and Vigilance Committee members, the Chamarajanagar Zilla Panchayat has sunk bore wells in the colony. There are 160 voters in the village and the colony.

However, none of the candidates contesting from Gundlepet have approached them to seek votes.

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