Buses to ferry voters,copters an eye in sky

District Magistrate N S Nigam said the administration has made necessary arrangements so that the voters of these areas can exercise their franchise on Thursday. The buses will run between the villages and booths at Lalgarh and Ramgrah to ferry the voters from 6 am onwards.

But the villagers,who had organised the movement against police atrocities,expressed their reluctance to go out to cast their votes. Netai Mahato,a villager of Katapahari,said we are living well here for the last six months without the police. The police have been posted at Lalgarh around the booths. So we should avoid the police,said Netai.

Chhatradhar Mahato alleged that the administration has asked the buses to run only on main roads. These will not enter the villages and it will be difficult for voters to come up to the main road to catch buses. Only 10-15 per cent voters can use the buses and cast their votes,Mahato said.

The administration is also trying to overcome the vote boycott call given by Maoist outfits in forest areas of Jhargram and its adjacent areas. Posters of some Maoist groups urging people to boycott polls have already appeared in Lalgarh and Belpahari. The district administration is not sure about the turnout of voters in these areas.

Thirty companies of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the areas of Lalgarh and Belpahari police station.

But district police administration has not deployed the forces in villages where the tribal committee allowed the police to be posted for 12 hours during poll day.

Nigam said the polling personnel will reach the booths located in most sensitive areas like Belpahari early in the morning with security forces. The election will be conducted from 7 am to 3 pm. Pulin Bihari Banske,CPM candidate from Jhargram said,polling is likely to be less in Lalgarh and Belpahari.

Today police resistance committee also blocked road s at Banspahari under Belpahari police station,protesting against the alleged excesses of BSF jawans last night. They alleged that several jawans ransacked two shops.

Meanwhile,helicopters continued the aerial survey on the Maoist-dominated areas of West Midnapore on Wednesday. A helipad has been set up at Lalgarh on the instruction of the EC,said a district official.