KOLKATA: After a drop in voters’ turnout in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, the EC “flagged off” a tram in the city on Monday to spread awareness about voting. Officials hope the tram, which will ply between Esplanade and Shyambazar from May 1, will send a higher percentage of the city electorate to the polling booth on June 6, the day the city and adjoining areas will go to polls. Anyone can take a free ride on it and learn about the voting process on the way.
The district election officer of North Kolkata, Subhanjan Das, has come up with the idea, pointing out that the tram, which is an integral part of Kolkata, will reach out to a large number of people as it winds its way through the heart of the city.
The chief electoral officer, Aariz Aftab, who inaugurated the tram, pointed out unlike in the rest of Bengal, the polling percentage in Kolkata did not improve, a trend he described as “urban apathy”. He said the aim of the awareness programme was to get more Kolkata voters to polling booths on June 1, when the heat might also subside. Aftab said though Bengal’s polling percentage now was the second highest in the country, Kolkata South and Kolkata North in 2019 had recorded a turnout of around 65%, lower than the national average of 67%.
The tram, with displays on EVM, VVPAT and other poll-related issues and programmes on special features, like voting infrastructure for the disabled and senior citizens, would generate awareness, the CEO said. Stressing equal rights of people with disabilities, handicraft made by them will be on display. Seprate programmes will be held on the tram, focusing on senior citizens and young voters. A blood donation camp will also be held aboard at the Esplanade tram depot on May 3.
The event was attended by KP commissioner Vineet Goyal, who said Kolkata, being rated as the safest city by NCRB for the third term, voters’ safety was their focus, too. He urged citizens to step out and vote. Transport secretary Saumitra Mohan, too, felt it was time for Kolkata voters to vote.
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