Mules, motors pitch in to reach remote polling stations

Theni/Dindigul: In a race against time and terrain, election officials in Theni and Dindigul districts have launched a high-stakes logistical operation to ensure that even the most isolated citizens can cast their votes.The polling station at Vellimalai Estate in Varasanadu under Andipatti constituency has just five voters. Officials carried EVMs by vehicles to this tiny pocket in a three-hour journey covering 65 km from Theni. The challenge intensifies in Bodinayakkanur constituency, where Oothukadu and Central Station remain cut off from modern road network. For the 307 voters at Oothukadu and 75 at Central Station, EVMs and essential polling materials are being lashed to horseback and escorted by polling officials through steep forest paths.For Central Station booth, there is no road connectivity from Kurangani, requiring officials to traverse 5 kilometres on foot. The equipment intended for them was transported by jeep up to Kurangani, and from there, transferred onto two horses and carried to Central Station. As the region falls under the surveillance of the Anti-Naxal squad, additional police personnel accompanied the team.In two other hill villages —Top Station and Kolukkumalai—there are 131 and 64 registered voters, respectively. Since there is no road access to these areas via Tamil Nadu, the equipment was transported via Bodimettu, passing through Kerala territories of Chinnakanal, Suryanelli, and Munnar. Recognising the volatility of the terrain, the district administration has accorded these booths ‘priority dispatch' status. Polling teams have already been sent in advance to camp at these locations, ensuring they are positioned well before the first vote is cast.GPS-fitted four-wheel-drive vehicles have been deployed to ferry personnel to the final motorable outposts, after which local guides take the lead to navigate the wilderness. To mitigate the risks of the hilly landscape, all movement of electronic voting machines is restricted to daylight hours. Zonal officers oversee the transport, with a centralised control room in Theni providing round-the-clock monitoring. While police escorts accompany materials to the road end, specialised security arrangements continue into forest tracts.Similarly, at 17 polling booths under Palani, Athoor, Natham, and Oddanchatram constituencies in Dindigul district, EVMs were transported using mules.InsetVillagers block officialsIn Bodinayakkanur constituency in Theni district, more than 10 mountain villages in Akamalai panchayat, including Ooradi and Oothukadu, continue to suffer without basic road connectivity. Despite repeated electoral promises, residents are forced to take long detours through Periyakulam. Frustrated by years of official neglect and citing forest department restrictions as a recurring excuse, villagers launched a protest near Sothuparai dam on Wednesday, threatening to boycott the election.They blocked the path with tin sheets, refusing to allow EVMs into their villages. Periyakulam police mediated with the protesters. After officials assured them that they would coordinate with forest officers to facilitate road construction after the election, villagers withdrew their protest.