Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Voters from Noida’s Dalelpur village travel to polling booth in boat

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration on Thursday arranged a small rowing boat for ferrying voters of Dalehpur village along with cars to transport from the river bank to the polling booth.

After much persuasion and follow-up by the district administration, 21 of the 28 voters from Dalelpur turned up to vote at the Gulawali polling centre near Sector 168 in Noida on Thursday, the first phase of polling in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The villagers had earlier decided to skip voting, angered by the lack of development in the area. Dalelpur is the only village in Gautam Budh Nagar that falls across the Yamuna, closer to Faridabad, and voters used a boat to come and vote.

At least 21 of the 28 voters from Noida’s Dalelpur village turned up for voting at the nearest polling station in Sector 168 on Thursday, on a boat arranged by the district administration. (HT Photo)

However, despite the fact the day was hot, about half the registered voters turned up. Other villagers said they would not be able to vote as a village elder had died, a day before the voting. “We weren’t going to vote anyway as no government has done anything for the development of this village. But everyone later decided that we should at least register our presence and vote. However, now we can’t go as my relative has died,” Neeraj Tyagi, a villager from Dalelpur, said.

The ‘powerless’ and neglected village Dalelpur, in the industrial town of Noida and in the vicinity of the national capital, has no direct road connectivity to its polling booth. The villagers either travel about 70 kilometres by road crossing Faridabad and Delhi to reach Noida or use a boat. The small village also faces issues like no electricity supply since December, and no good educational or health facility.

The administration on Thursday arranged a small rowing boat for ferrying voters along with cars to transport from the river bank to the polling booth. “Our job was to provide facilities so that all voters are able to reach polling stations without any difficulty. We were successful in our effort as most voters came out to vote. We had provided a boat and cab and our staff were also present near the boat to assist voters,” BN Singh, district magistrate and district election officer, said.

Interestingly, residents had earlier said the administration had made such arrangements during the last Lok Sabha elections as well. However, while the boat and security personnel were provided to ferry voters across Yamuna, it was not available for their return journey. This time, however, the boat was there to carry the voters home.