[ James Dado ]
SEPPA, 25 Apr: The re-polling under 8/40 Sario police station in Bameng in East Kameng district was indeed an ordeal and an accomplishment.
The presiding officers’ polling team proved capable of handling the assignment, and all the issues were handled tactfully. The police protection detail was inspiring and provided a sense of security to the entire polling team and the voters present.
Everyone in the 400-strong polling team performed admirably. The process entailed eight hours of to-and-fro
uphill walk on muddy footpaths while it was raining nonstop, without food or sleep, but nobody gave up.
The ALCs thankfully made it to the place, carrying full loads, without any complaint. Most of us ate only two pieces of bread for dinner and breakfast in the past 36 hours, but made no issue about it.
The management was extremely challenging and had reached its breaking point. It was beyond anyone’s ability to provide shelter and food for a 400-strong contingent in a place that is a four-hour uphill march with only four thatched houses and a little space to sit, let alone cook. Many could only sleep in a sitting position due to lack of space, and others slept in the chicken coop. Yet no one from the civil and police teams raised concern, and the comfort everyone sacrificed was motivating.
On the next day, we had to make a vital management decision to minimise labour, since we couldn’t cook enough food for everyone in the small kitchen, and dry firewood had also run out. Most of us, including the ALCs, survived only on bread.
We had to make a decision, and I took the decision of cutting manpower. Thus, instructions were given and more than half of the hungry ALCs were asked to depart and wait at the base camp. Also, in the back of my mind, I realised that crossing the river with such huge manpower would add extra 1.5 hour, which was very critical. It would have become dark, and traversing the hanging bride without illumination would have been extremely dangerous. Thus, we were left with no choice but to carry the items on our own.
Most of the officers carried the EVMs and others loads without complaint. This aided us in crossing the bridge before dark, and allowed the hungry ALCs to go down and eat something.
Fortunately, things worked out well and we could cross the river before it was dark, and the ALCs had eaten and were already waiting for us when we reached the base camp.
Amid all these grave challenges, it was indeed brave of everyone to have controlled not just their mental self but their inner strength, in the literal sense.
There was only one toilet for 600 odd people, which included the voters and the polling personnel. Here too, everyone put up a brave face, and waited hours in queue to answer nature’s call, without complaining. (The contributor is DIPRO, East Kameng)
