Bara Bhangal to have polling booth

Lalit Mohan

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Dharamsala, October 31

The Election Commission will set up a polling booth in Bara Bhangal, the remotest village of Kangra district located deep in the Dhauladhar ranges for 100 voters. A team for setting up a booth in Bara Bhangal will leave three days before polling on a helicopter.

DC Nipun Jindal said there were 470 registered voters in Bara Bhangal village. Out of these, 370 voters have migrated down to Bir in Kangra district due to the onset of winter.

A polling station would be set for these 370 voters in Bir. For 100 voters, who are stationed at Bara Bhangal, a polling team would be sent to the remote village in a helicopter. An alternative team has also been stationed in Holi of Chamba.

If the helicopter is unable to take off due to inclement weather, a team will leave on foot from Holi and reach Bara Bhangal after two days of trek through the hills. This way, the team will set up a polling booth at Bara Bhangal on the day of polling, he said.

Tucked away 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 are used to lift polling parties to the Bara Bhangal polling booth during the previous three elections. Before 2007, the villagers used to trek 72 km through the 4,654 metre high Thamsar Pass or travel more than 300 km via Chamba to reach Bir in Baijnath (Kangra district) to exercise their franchise.

Most of the people in this village are nomad shepherds and migrate to Bir in winter.

However, many of them stay in the village, braving the harsh weather. During summers large numbers of shepherds who take their animal stock across the Dhauladhar mountain ranges for grazing use Bara Bhangal as halting and station for supplies.

Remotest village

• Polling staff will leave by helicopter three days before elections
• If helicopter fails to take off, staff will trek for two days to reach the village
• Situated at a height of 7,700 feet, Bara Bhangal is considered to be the remotest village in state
• Before 2007, the villagers used to trek 72 km or travel more than 300 km via Chamba to reach Bir in Baijnath to exercise their franchise.