Waiting for a flagoff, in the hills

Anjana Pradhan / TNN / May 8, 2006, 02:21 IST

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Voting will begin. Tangta is so far-off that polling officials have to start two days in advance.

DARJEELING: The Romans used them to move and mobilise troops in battle. Airmen use them to signal fighter jets to land and take off. Now, the same 'technology' will come handy to ensure free and fair polls in the Darjeeling hills.
It would seem strange in these days of instant messaging, but at Tangta Primary School and four other booths in Darjeeling, officials will be waving flags to signal trouble, danger or all-clear during voting on Monday.
These are some of the farthest polling stations in the state and come under 23-Kalimpong constituency. On Monday, when the state goes for the fifth and final phase of elections, polling officers at Tangta school will pick up white flags and wave them in wide arcs to signal 'go'.
Voting will begin. Tangta is so far-off that polling officials have to start two days in advance (flags packed along with EVMs) �� and brace for a bone-rattling, energy-sapping journey on bumpy roads and treks through leech-infested trails.

The first day is an exhausting 146-km journey by vehicle to Todai, where the road ends. The next day, polling officers start walking 8 km to reach Tangta Primary School.
"Mobile and wireless services are of no use here, so we devised this (flag) mechanism. There will be different codes for various messages regarding the progress of polling," said Aariz Aftab, district magistrate of Darjeeling.
He would not disclose the colour codes, but revealed that four colours have been chosen. Flags waved in combinations of these colours will have "different connotations", he said.

"When polling ends, the person in charge will wave a flag of a different colour. Likewise, if there is any kind of tension, he will wave flags of a certain combination."
And to convey the message to the sector of that particular polling station, a series of flag points will be set up within visible distance, where the message will be relayed from point to point.
"Once, the polling officer waves a flag to signal commencement of polls, the person next to the booth will wave a flag of the same colour, which will be seen and relayed by the next person. This is how the sector will be in the know of things," he added.

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