Teams leave on foot to set up polling booth in Bara Bhangal

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, May 16

Polling parties have left on foot from Holi area of Chamba district to set up a polling booth in Bara Bhangal area of Kangra district.

Kangra Returning Officer Sandeep Kumar, when contacted, told The Tribune that a helicopter was requisitioned for ferrying staff for setting up the polling booth in Bara Bhangal. However, due to bad weather helicopter could not fly. The polling teams have left through Holi and are expected reach Bara Bhangal through Jalori pass by May 17 evening, he said. The Election Commission would set up polling booth in Bara Bhangal, the remotest village of Kangra district located deep in Dhauladhar mountain range for about 70 voters.

Meanwhile, the district returning officer of Kangra travelled to Raj Gundha, a remote area located about 14 km from Billing, on bicycle to review poll arrangements in the Chotta Bhangal area. Though the Raj Gundha area is connected by jeepable road, it was blocked due to landslides last year. Sandeep Kumar said that the PWD authorities have been asked to clear the road to Raj Gundha of debris so that people there could come for voting to Baragram. There are 345 registered voters in Bara Bhangal. Sources here said since most of people migrate from the village migrate to lower areas in winters there would be just about 70 old age voters left there who cannot come out trekking the mountain passes.

Tucked away deep in the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges of the Himalayas at a height of 7,700 feet, Bara Bhangal is considered to be the remotest village in the hill state.

A polling booth was first set up in the village during the Assembly elections in 2007, after 60 years of independence. The voters in Bara Bhangal boycotted the general elections in 2009 as their demand to exclude the village from the sanctuary area was not met. They had, however, voted in the 2012 Assembly elections. Helicopters were used to lift polling parties to the Bara Bhangal polling booth during the previous three elections.

Before 2007, villagers used to trek 72 km through the 4,654 m high Thumsar Pass or travel more than 300 km via Chamba to reach Bir in Baijnath.