Election Day: Disabled get cold shoulder, Inaccessible polling booths

Despite informing Chief Electoral Office, Delhi in advance (Economic Times), despite submitting them list of inaccessible booths (PTI), despite raising the matter of inadequate wheelchairs (TOI), despite complaining to ECI and CEO, despite a notice from Disability Commissioner (TOI), the D-day in Delhi Elections 2015 turned out to be a bad experience for voters with disabilities and elderly.

Delhi election 2015: Little aid as disabled struggle to voteTimes of India, 8 Feb 2015.

NEW DELHI: Persons with disabilities and the elderly had a difficult time voting on Saturday. The office of the chief electoral officer had failed them. The number of wheelchairs available was way fewer than necessary and ramps were either too steep or just not there.

In the April 2014 general elections, the Capital's election office had done better. In fact, the ministry of social justice and empowerment had lauded the "Delhi model" for making polling stations accessible and urged other states to emulate the Delhi's example.

This time around too, EC had directed the chief electoral officer (CEO) to take "necessary measures" to make voting easy for people with disabilities. Yet, the number of wheelchairs at polling stations was cut from 2,600 to 400. Despite media reports on accessibility problems in booths, no action was taken to improve facilities.
The CEO, post the media reports and after the Commissioner of Disabilities intervened hours ahead of Saturday's vote, assured there would be an additional 300 wheelchairs. But most polling stations TOI visited did not have one.

Sample this. Booths 5, 6, 7 and 8 of Chandni Chowk; 155, 156 and 157 Lady Reading Health School and 139, 149 and 154 at MCD Primary School, Bara Hindu Rao of Sadar Bazar; 67, 68, 69, 71 and 72 at Nigam Prathamik Vidyalaya, Malikpur of Model Town; 105, 106, 132 and 133 of Shalimar Bagh and 26, 27, 28 and 29 at Green Park had no wheelchairs.

Kamlesh Baberwal, a polio-affected voter at booth 75 in Ambedkar Nagar complained: "There was a wheelchair last year. So, I came on my scooty this time. I wasn't allowed to take my scooty inside and there was no wheelchair. I can't walk and had to wait two hours before my family got my wheelchair. Last year, we were asked to submit a form allowing us to ask for wheelchairs." Many polling stations in Mundka, Dayalpur in Karawal Nagar, most polling stations in GK, C R Park, Alaknanda, Green Park, and many in Northeast had no wheelchairs.

At Rohini Sector 14, police allowed the severely-disabled or aged to go in with their cars. "They had said they'll have wheelchairs but there isn't any," a policeman said.

Om Prakash Hasija, 80, and his wife were first asked to get out of their car in front of the booth, then asked to drive in. Thankfully, most booths were on the ground floor. Polling officials at Mangolpuri Block A claimed they had wheelchairs and four voters used them. But they weren't anywhere in sight.

NEW DELHI: Model Polling stations in the city failed to impress voters. With basic amenities like wheelchairs for the disabled and elderly and clean toilets missing, voters wondered "what was model about them."

The model booth in Laxmi Nagar near V3S Mall had a few chairs and a green carpet was laid out. At Trilokpuri all the chairs were occupied by cops leaving the voters standing. "Is decoration with flowers, a carpet and a few chairs what a model polling station is about?" asked Vikas Yadav, a voter.

Polling stations in north Delhi too did not have adequate seating arrangements as elderly and disabled voters stood in queues outside the booths. "I cannot stand for a long time. Why have they rolled out a carpet which is not required," said 72-year-old Shashi Devi, who had come with her daughter.

Many centres inaccessible to differently-abled (The Hindu, 8 Feb '15)

It was mixed reaction from the differently-abled voters across the city about the arrangements made by the Election Commission to make polling centres more accessible to them.

While several of them claimed that the ramps, wheelchairs and training provided to the election officials helped them cast their vote without any hassle, others, especially at polling centres in the rural belt, were found struggling for want of support.

Nearly 700 wheelchairs were brought in to facilitate glitch-free voting. Disability rights activist Dr. Satendra Singh of University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi University, said: “Wheelchairs are provided for both the elderly and those with disabilities. We had provided a list of eleven polling booths to the Election Commission where special aid needed to be given. We are happy to note that a majority of voters with disabilities had no problem today.”

A research student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Nripendra Pathak (with disability on the right hand and leg), said he had no problem casting his vote. “The polling booths were accessible. And even my friend who is wheelchair user was given prompt help.”

But facilities for the differently-abled and the elderly were not up to the mark in populous resettlement colonies and predominantly semi-urban localities.

For instance, there was just one wheelchair available at the SDMC Nigam Pratibha Co-Ed Primary School in Tilak Vihar. Here, 92-year-old Jodh Singh complained he had to wait for an hour and a half to exercise his franchise. “First I had to wait near the gate for the wheelchair to be free, then it took me half an hour to cast my vote and finally for the ride back to the gate,” he said.

Gurcharan Kaur, 62, a cancer patient who skipped her morning treatment to vote, was neither allowed to wear a breathing device nor given preference at the polling station.

Navneet Sethi, a wheelchair user, could not cast her vote as the polling booth in Greenfield School, Safdarjung Enclave, had five stairs. Her car was not even allowed to park close to the booth.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Islam and his friend Harkesh Yadav, both of whom are visually-challenged, hired a goods-carrying rickshaw to reach a polling booth in Gopalpur, Najafgarh. “Despite our physical condition, the police didn’t allow us to be dropped near the gate,” complained Islam. He added: “Because of the absence of a separate queue for people like us, we had to keep asking others for assistance to walk us to the polling booth and then back outside.”

Disabled persons turn out in strength to cast vote (ET)

NEW DELHI: As Delhi voters made a beeline for polling stations today, differently-abled people, too, turned out in large numbers to exercise their franchise with Election Commission making special efforts to ensure that there were adequate facilities for them.

While wheelchairs and ramps at most of the polling booths aided these voters, there were, however, a few places where they complained of having inadequate facilities.

60-year-old Ram Lal, who came on a wheelchair escorted by a youth, flaunted his inked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station in Okhla.

"I want a party to come to power which increases facilities for disabled people like us," said Lal, whose lower body was paralysed 38 years back in an accident.

Said 87-year old Mohammed Taquil, who relies on a walking stick for moving about, "Arrangements at polling stations are quite good. I was exempted from standing in the queue and was also escorted to the booth by the officials."

However, one voter complained that she had to wait for a wheelchair to be brought in from another polling booth after she had asked for one at a polling booth in Shalimar Bagh.

Election Commission had arranged for around 400 wheelchairs for disabled persons while volunteers, too, were deployed at voter assistance booths to escort them.

Wheelchair-bound 82-year-old Jitender Singh was seen taking a selfie as he came out of a polling booth in the Vikaspuri area.

"Why should the youngsters have all the fun! Voting is not only trendy but very important to maintain the sanctity of our democratic system," Singh said.

Poorly equipped, model booths fail to impress voters (TOI)

NEW DELHI: Model Polling stations in the city failed to impress voters. With basic amenities like wheelchairs for the disabled and elderly and clean toilets missing, voters wondered "what was model about them."

The model booth in Laxmi Nagar near V3S Mall had a few chairs and a green carpet was laid out. At Trilokpuri all the chairs were occupied by cops leaving the voters standing. "Is decoration with flowers, a carpet and a few chairs what a model polling station is about?" asked Vikas Yadav, a voter.

Polling stations in north Delhi too did not have adequate seating arrangements as elderly and disabled voters stood in queues outside the booths. "I cannot stand for a long time. Why have they rolled out a carpet which is not required," said 72-year-old Shashi Devi, who had come with her daughter.

At the polling station in BB Block Shalimar Bagh, disabled voters were forced to bring wheelchairs from their homes. When asked about the lack of facilities, sector officer AK Das said, "The wheelchair was needed at another polling booth. While there are three booths in Shalimar Bagh, only two wheelchairs were provided."

The situation was similar at Krishna Nagar from where BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi is contesting the elections. "It was literally challenging for us to vote," said a middle-aged voter suffering from arthritis.

However, model polling stations in south, west and central Delhi had good arrangements in place with dedicated waiting lounges, wheelchairs and freshly-painted interiors and exteriors.

The concept of a model polling station was first introduced in the December 2013 assembly polls.