Sambalpur: While most polling booths across the state will be disabled-friendly, the Sambalpur district is planning to have a polling booth manned solely by ‘Divyang’ poll officers.Sambalpur Sadar sub-collector, Pradeep Sahu, said, “We are planning to have a booth that will be manned by disabled people only. However, it is still in the proposal stage. We will require approval for such a polling booth.” He further said, “We will identify the disabled officers in the district and see if they are interested in such a task. Then we will take a decision.”He also said six people, including a presiding officer and a polling officer, were deployed at a polling booth. “If we get the approval for such a booth, we will provide all the required training to the disabled persons who show an interest in the work.”Moreover, he said special arrangements would be made for physically challenged voters during the election. “The objective behind the proposal is to show that disability is not a barrier and persons with disability (PwDs) can manage an election booth,” said an official.As per official sources, there are 8,16,274 voters, including 4,06,679 women, in the district. It comprises four assembly segments — Sambalpur, Rairakhol, Kuchinda and Rengali.The district will have 935 polling booths in the general elections. Of them, 346 have been identified as critical. Of them again, 58 are in the Maoist-affected area of the district. While CCTV cameras will be installed in 39 polling booths, videography will be conducted at 21 stations. Similarly, web casting will be done from 103 polling booths and micro-observers will be deployed at 109 polling stations.A total of 1,999 vehicles will be used for the election. Of them, 1,030 auto-rickshaws will be used to ferry PwDs voters to the polling booths. Four all-woman polling booths will be set up in the four assembly constituencies of the district. The seats vote on April 23.

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