Elephant threat: Tamil Nadu tribesmen are driven by tractors to cast their votes

In order to transport the indigenous people of Alakattu securely to the voting place in Erimalai village on Friday, a tractor was used.

Typically, to go to the voting place at their neighboring hamlet of Erimalai, which is located in the Pennagaram Block of the Dharmapuri district, the members of the Alakattu tribal community must trek almost five kilometers over difficult, steep terrain and deep forest.

Due to the extreme heat and potential danger from wild elephants, the Dharmapuri district government arranged for a tractor to be used for voter transportation to and from Erimalai.

The residents are thrilled with the project. “The EVM and VVPAT machines were brought to our village in tractors on Thursday,” S Pasuvaraj of Allakattu village stated in an interview with TNIE. This was the first time any equipment has ever been transported to Erimalai by car. Voters were transported to the voting place on Friday using a tractor. If not, it will take us more than 1.5 hours of walking to go to the polls. He stated, “We appreciate the administration’s efforts and for making the polling process simpler for us.

“Collector K Santhi had previously been notified about the problems in Vatuvanahalli panchayat, specifically Alakattu and how people had to walk to Erimalai,” Pennagaram authorities told TNIE. Tractors were utilized to carry voters after an alternate route was devised and an inspection was conducted,” they said.