 "ALCs: Poll time bridge between people and government")
Trekking the rugged and almost inaccessible terrains of mountainous Arunachal Pradesh, the Agency Labour Corps make polling possible by carrying polling material to remote polling stations and transporting EVMs.
The ALC or porters were first appointed by the British for transporting material.
Even 67 years after Independence, the importance of the ALCs remains as there are no motorable roads in several districts where only porter tracks and mule paths exist.
The election office here has hired 2100 ALCs to carry poll materials to remote places for the April 9 twin elections to the two Lok Sabha seats in the state and 53 assembly constituencies, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer D J Bhattacharjee said.
"We are dependent on them for transporting election materials to inaccessible polling stations and even during the time of declaring results," he said.
Declaration of results gets delayed in several seats as EVMs are transported by ALCs to the counting centres, which generally involve more than three days of arduous trekking.
In the initial stage, the existing porter tracks were being improved for easy movement of poll officials and porters from one place to another.
In the 2009 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Arunachal Pradesh too, around 1400 ALC were deployed.
After Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state in 1987, regular appointments of ALC have been stopped and they are now recruited only on a temporary basis.
The ALC or porters were first appointed by the British for transporting material.
Even 67 years after Independence, the importance of the ALCs remains as there are no motorable roads in several districts where only porter tracks and mule paths exist.
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Services of ALCs are required at the time of transporting public distribution system materials, opening new administrative centres, natural calamities and during polls
The election office here has hired 2100 ALCs to carry poll materials to remote places for the April 9 twin elections to the two Lok Sabha seats in the state and 53 assembly constituencies, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer D J Bhattacharjee said.
"We are dependent on them for transporting election materials to inaccessible polling stations and even during the time of declaring results," he said.
Declaration of results gets delayed in several seats as EVMs are transported by ALCs to the counting centres, which generally involve more than three days of arduous trekking.
In the initial stage, the existing porter tracks were being improved for easy movement of poll officials and porters from one place to another.
In the 2009 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Arunachal Pradesh too, around 1400 ALC were deployed.
After Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state in 1987, regular appointments of ALC have been stopped and they are now recruited only on a temporary basis.
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