42 yrs on, donkeys still ferry poll materials to these hilly villages

Dharmapuri: Villages sans proper road facilities are not a rare story in independent India. While politicians woo the electorate with the promise of basic amenities during the run-up to every election, they remain just promises in almost all the cases. The situation isn’t different in Kottur Hills and Yeri Hills near Pennagaram in Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency. But the country wants the people here to exercise their right to franchise at any cost and hence roped in donkeys to transport electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) and other materials to the polling booths atop the hills.

As for the residents of Kottur Hills and Yeri Hills, donkeys carrying voting equipment isn’t anything new. It has been a common sight during the elections since 1977. The sad part is that things haven’t changed for the past 42 years or so.

Election department officials in Dharmapuri constituency has engaged two donkeys each to Kottur Hills and Yeri Hills to ferry the voting equipment.

K Chinraj, of Karakur, said he has been supplying his donkeys to election officials for the past three decades. “Earlier, they used the animals to transport ballot paper boxes. Now EVMs have replaced ballot paper boxes, but they still continue to use donkeys to transport them.”

This time around, he could initially supply only two donkeys for the purpose as he had sold the remaining ones, which had grown old. “Since we faced trouble finding enough donkeys, we asked him to arrange the same,” said another election official, who did not want to be named. Chinraj subsequently purchased four new donkeys to serve the purpose.

“There are 385 voters in Kottur Hills and 285 voters in Yeri Hills. All the election materials, including EVMs and VVPATs will have to be taken back to the plans on Thursday night after polling. We pay Rs2,500 per donkey for a one-way trip,” said an election official who didn’t want to be named.

There are no approach roads to Kottur Hills, which is located 3.5km from the foothills. Yeri Hills is situated another 1.5km from Kottur Hills.

The hill residents have long been demanding the district administration and elected representatives to lay tar roads or approach roads to their villages, but in vain. “We also don’t have proper potable water and drainage facilities,” said K Suresh, a resident of Yeri Hills.