This story is from March 15, 2019

Administration yet to decide on polling atop Kaimur hills

Administration yet to decide on polling atop Kaimur hills
SASARAM: Despite Rohtas district administration’s claim three years ago that Kaimur hills have become Maoist-free, election officials are still undecided whether to hold parliamentary election atop the hills or shift the booths to foothills for security reasons.
The dalit and tribal-dominated villages atop the hills, part of Sasaram reserved parliamentary constituency, have over 6,000 voters.
These voters have to walk down for about 20km to the plains to exercise their franchise as polling booths are not made atop the hills, once infamous as a safe haven for Maoists.
Not a single Maoist operation in the hilly terrain has been reported to the police during the last five years or so. Rohtas DM Pankaj Dixit and SP Satyavir Singh have not cleared the administration’s stand yet. “No decision has been taken yet,” the DM said.
Old-timers recall polling has not been held atop the hills for nearly 30 years. In the 2014 parliamentary election, voters of the hilltop villages boycotted the polls in protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s decision to create their booths 20km away. Only three votes each were cast at three booths while the remaining nine booths had reported zero polling.
Villagers, mostly daily wagers, told this newspaper that exercising their franchise costs them dearly. While almost a day is spent on reaching the booth, another full day is spent on climbing back to their homes. “The entire exercise involves two to three days and we end up skipping work and losing wages for these many days,” said a local.
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