Alipurduar, April 19 -- With 130 polling booths located in and around forested regions, authorities have intensified preparations to ensure safe and smooth voting in some of the most remote parts of the state ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
The Jaldapara Forest Division has rolled out a series of special measures to facilitate polling in deep forest zones as well as in fringe villages adjoining forest areas. These steps aim to address logistical challenges and mitigate potential risks arising from wildlife presence.
Divisional Forest Officer Parveen Kaswan stated that six polling booths situated within forest villages inside the forest area of Jaldapara National Park have been identified as highly sensitive.
"Polling parties assigned to these booths will be accompanied by dedicated forest personnel to ensure safe movement and to minimise the risk of wildlife encounters," he said.
Apart from these, 124 booths are located in forest villages and fringe areas surrounding the park. The Forest Department has already shared detailed geographical inputs and logistical data with election authorities to aid in planning and coordination.
To prevent any human-wildlife conflict during polling, a nodal officer has been assigned to each booth, with their contact details provided to election officials.
These officers will monitor ground conditions and maintain close coordination with polling teams.
A Quick Response Team (QRT) will remain on standby round-the-clock in Madarihat to address emergencies, while a central control room has also been set up. Officials have been instructed to report immediately in case of disruptions caused by elephants or other wild animals.
Officials said the comprehensive security framework is aimed at ensuring that voters in these remote forest areas can exercise their democratic rights safely and without disruption.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.