Five polling booths in remote and interior areas of Alipurduar district present unique logistical challenges for Election Commission officials during the ongoing Assembly polls.
Of the five booths, three are situated in the hilly terrain of Buxa in Kalchini block. The other two are located in the riverine “tapu (island-like)” regions of the Kumargram block.
The three booths in the Buxa hills are in the Rajabhatkhawa panchayat. These are booth 234 at Sadar Bazar Buxa Fort Primary School, booth 235 at Adma Primary School and booth 236 at Chunabhatti Primary School.
Polling personnel had to undertake arduous treks to reach these locations because of the rugged terrain.
After leaving the distribution centre on Wednesday morning, the polling teams and security personnel reached Santalabari by vehicle. From there, they trekked approximately 5km to reach the Buxa Fort booth, which has 744 voters and the Chunabhatti booth, which has 220 voters.
To access Adma Primary School, catering to 430 voters, they had to cover an even longer distance of around 8km.
Along the route, the teams had to cross rivers and streams like the Dima and Adma, adding to the journey’s complexity. Porters were engaged to carry electronic voting machines (EVMs) and other polling materials to the remote booths.
In contrast, polling teams assigned to the two booths in Kumargram block — Jaidebpur Tapu (384 voters) and Dhantali Tapu (441 voters) — faced a different set of challenges. These areas are surrounded by the Rydak river, making them accessible only by boat.
Kumargram BDO Sandeep Dhara said special arrangements had been made to ensure their safe journey.
“We arranged boats to carry polling personnel and the security men safely to the polling booths located in the ‘tapu’ areas,” he said.
The district has nearly 200 polling booths in the fringes of the forests. “Polling teams have reached these booths with the support of forest department personnel,” said a source.