Police extend a helping hand to elderly voters

Vimantal police

In a unique initiative ensuring hassle-free voting for senior citizens, pregnant women and PWDs, Vimantal police station arranged for a special battery-operated rickshaw to ferry them to the local polling booths in Viman Nagar.

Vimantal police help elderly citizens into the special battery-operated rickshaw that was used to ferry senior citizens, pregnant women and PWDs to the polling booths

Senior Police Inspector Sanjay Kurundkar, who executed the exercise said, "During Lok Sabha elections, we had not restricted the entry of vehicles near polling booths, and had witnessed heavy rush and traffic jams on polling day.

To avoid a repetition of the incident, today we have restricted vehicles to a distance of 200 metres from the polling booths. But then it would have become difficult for senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disabilities. So for their convenience, I arranged for the battery-operated vehicle."

Viman Nagar and its 16 polling booths and 17,000 voters fall under the jurisdiction of the Vadgaonsheri Assembly constituency. Nearly 600 voters from the area benefited from the rickshaw service that was used to transport the voters from the cut-off line to the polling booths 200 metres away.

Qaneez Sukhrani, the convenor of Association of Nagar Road Citizens Forum lauded the initiative, and said, "It was a wonderful initiative and I was really thrilled to see the joy on the faces of voters who are otherwise neglected. I especially appreciate PI Kurundkar's efforts as he made it possible even though it was not strictly his duty."

600
The number of voters who benefitted from the battery-operated rickshaw in Viman Nagar