Over 87% turnout of disabled voters in Panaji

PANAJI: Aiming to make Panaji a model constituency for persons with disabilities (PwD), the CEO's office went all out to ensure that PwD voters were taken care of when they came out to vote.
For the first time, booth-level officers (BLOs) tagged persons with disabilities on the electoral rolls, asking them whether they would require a vehicle and at what time.Four vehicles, including a special wheelchair taxi with a hydraulic lift, were sent out to pick and drop them.
As a result, 101 PwD voters of a total of 115 exercised their franchise. North Goa collector and district election officer N Menaka attributed the high turnout to the training sessions conducted for PwD voters, motivating them to vote. "This section registered a high turnout of 87.82%," she said.
This time, based on the recommendations of a pre-poll accessibility audit, the otherwise uneven entrance to the polling station at state commission for backward classes was tarred and grab rails fitted. At the directorate of archives and archaeology, Altinho, special planks were laid from the entrance of the polling station to the booth. At Krishi Bhavan, the otherwise steep ramp was replaced with one with a lower gradient.
Wheel-chair user Frederika Menezes requested for the electronic voting machine (EVM) to be lowered to cast her vote herself. But since this violated the rules, her mother was allowed to help her. Disability rights activist Avelino D'Sa said that overall, this election was a better experience for PwD voters.