Over 50 model polling stations have been established in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, equipped with the best facilities to encourage the turnout.
"To increase the turnout and make voting a pleasant experience 53 model polling stations have been established in Reasi district of J&K", District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Shahid Iqbal said today.
"We have established model polling stations with 16 different facilities. There will be no queue in these polling stations. Moreover all the 301 polling stations in the district will have no women queues at all. PS have been equipped with tokens for female voters and will have seating arrangements", Iqbal said.
This move is aimed at encouraging 94,000 women voters of district.
He said, each polling station has been provided with a flat screen television set carrying DTH dish connection for voters' entertainment and more than 10 cultural troupes will be performing live for them.
Services like drinking water bottles and refreshments and first-aid centres, live entertainment, help desks and special facilities for differently-abled and aged voters will be available at the model polling stations.
Voters will also be given a red carpet welcome, with decorated tents, new furniture he said, adding setting up of these model stations took more than 6 months.
The district, which is part of the Udhampur Lok Sabha seat, has 301 Polling Stations with 1.94 lakh voters and it will go to polls on April 17.
Besides, there are 44 hyper-sensitive polling stations and 177 sensitive polling stations out of the total stations in the district, DC said.
District Reasi has three Assembly constituencies of Gulabgarh, Gool-Arnas and Reasi.
The district had recorded a dismal 43 per cent turnout in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections with a meagre 32 per cent women turnout.
