Kusht Ashram voters get poll booth

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 4

Leprosy patients residing at Kusht Ashram in Jalandhar were in a jubilant mood today as they got to caste their votes at a booth made especially for them.

As many as 127 voters of the Lepers’ Colony in Jalandhar didn’t have to walk across to vote for the first time as a polling booth was brought into their colony.

Several voters in the colony wear artificial legs. They were visibly happy, courtesy the Election Commission as it spared a thought for them. Each member in the colony could caste his/her vote today.

Mukhi Devi (40), hailing from Purulia district in Bihar, has been living in the colony for the past 15 years and has voted many times, but says it was her best experience today.

Picking up her sari to show her artificial leg, Devi says, “I used to walk to a nearby booth. It was an ordeal, but since it’s just one day, we used to walk the distance. Many others can’t go as they are unable to walk. But today was different. It was easier to carry those without limbs as the booth was just outside.”

Her husband, Ranjit, also expressed his happiness. He said, “We can’t do jobs because there are none for us. We have voted for good governance so that our issues are also considered. It is good to have a source of living.”

Champa (50) said, “There are 76 quarters here. All of us voted and no one from outside was allowed at the booth.”

While a majority of the lepers putting up in the colony don’t work, some of them beg for alms as a means of living.

Booth-Level Officer (BLO) Shobha Handa said a total of 236 voters were registered from the colony. As many as 18 have died and many others transferred, owing to which only 127 have been left, all of whom voted today.