Officials brave rugged terrain to ensure polling in remote hamlets in Erode district

Braving rugged terrain and mediocre roadworthy connectivity, predetermination officials person enactment successful spot elaborate arrangements to scope 3 distant hamlets successful Erode territory and guarantee that each elector exercises their franchise successful the Assembly predetermination connected April 23.

Kuttaiyur connected the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka borderline and Kathirimalai, some nether Bargur Panchayat Union successful the Anthiyur Assembly constituency, and Malliamman Durgham successful the Kadambur hills nether the Bhavanisagar Assembly constituency are among the polling stations successful the territory identified arsenic hard ones. Officials said the efforts bespeak a committedness to guarantee that nary elector is near behind.

Reaching Kuttaiyur (with 173 electors) is simply a travel that winds crossed forested stretches, State borders, and stream crossings. Officials question 83 km from Anthiyur, including 54 km wrong Tamil Nadu and 29 km done Karnataka, earlier crossing the Palar stream and entering the village. Though Makkampalayam, conscionable 5 km away, is the nearest habitation, the lack of a motorable roadworthy done the reserve wood turns the abbreviated region into a strenuous trek, said a resident. The boulder-filled way is utilized lone by two-wheelers, making it unsafe for transporting predetermination materials. As a result, a mini-lorry is deployed done Karnataka to ferry equipment. A projected roadworthy from Sengulam successful Kongadai West Bargur Hills, which could trim the region by implicit 40 km, has not materialised, a nonmigratory said.

Similarly, Malliamman Durgham, with 404 electors, is located wrong the dense forests of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, wherever accessing the polling presumption requires traversing a nine-km rugged agelong with steep gradients. Vehicular question is highly hard on the rocky incline. “Both ascent and descent are risky connected this stretch,” said an authoritative who was portion of the polling squad during the 2024 Lok Sabha election, noting that akin challenges were faced successful erstwhile elections. The hamlet is near successful acheronian aft dusk, and residents beryllium connected kerosene lamps arsenic astir star lighting systems person go defunct.

Another situation lies successful reaching Kathirimalai (with 173 voters), located astatine the foothills successful Kolathur artifact of Salem district. Officials traverse an 8.1-km rain-battered mud way to entree the polling station, that is located 52 km distant from Anthiyur. A tractor with a trailer is utilized to transport predetermination materials. Earlier, donkeys were utilized to ferry instrumentality to the booth situated astatine an elevation of 1,200 metres successful the Chennampatti Forest Range, said a resident. The hamlet, which has 76 families, received grid energy lone successful February 2026. Residents said they were keen to enactment successful the polling contempt the difficulties.

Forest Department officials volition coordinate with the predetermination machinery during question done wood areas, and indispensable information arrangements person been made, officials said.

District Election Officer and Collector S. Kandasamy told The Hindu that arrangements were successful spot astatine each 3 polling stations to guarantee elector participation. In Malliamman Durgham, generators and star powerfulness would beryllium utilized to run web cameras owed to the lack of electricity, helium said, adding that four-wheelers would beryllium deployed to transport materials. Permission has besides been obtained to prosecute section unit for canvass work successful these locations.

The arrangements, officials said, basal arsenic a reminder that the antiauthoritarian process reaches adjacent the astir distant corners, nevertheless hard the journey.