By Mayukh Goswami

Mangaldai : Much to the surprise of the voters of the remote river rine ‘char’ areas  of the district of Darrang and even to surprise of officials and staff engaged in the election for 8 Mangaldoi HPC Captain JM Pathania, the Election Observer (General) has used to regularly visit these hard accessible areas for the last of couple days . Commissioner of Transport of Himachal Pradesh Pathania  in these days  has met people of such areas  where  hardly any of the senior administrative officials  not to speak of the Deputy Commissioners over the last several years  could  make their presence felt.

Observer Pathania perhaps had little  idea that on a single day journey  he could experience the rare adventure of  three different  rides –first a motor cycle  followed by a buffalo cart  and finishing on  a machine run country boat locally known as (Bhutbhuti).  On Monday the Election Observer visited three polling stations No. 280 (right), 281 (Middle) and 282 (left) at Gasbari LP School under 67 Mangaldai LAC (SC). But to reach his destination, he had to reach Mayong via Guwahati by road and leave his Innova car there  to board a ‘bhutbhuti ‘ on river Brahmaputra and finally to ride a buffalo cart for his onward journey .  In the Gasbari LP School

premises he closely interacted with the common electorates and practically verified  infrastructure scenario of the polling booths and  other necessary facilities for differently able and age old  voters . On the previous day  Captain Pathania made an extensive journey to  some  fourteen other polling booths from No 191 to No 204  located at the very hard accessed   ‘Char’ areas namely Chaulkhowa, Kirakata and Dholpur riding on a motor cycle.  He expressed serious concern  over the erosion hit  No 201  Kirakara Bazar LP School and No 202 Kirakara Middle LP School and reportedly directed the authorities to make urgent temporary  arrangements of polling booths for the voters of the said polling booths  . Principal of

DIET, Darrang at Dalgaon Madhab Sarma who has been appointed as the Protocol Officer to the Election Observer along with his deputies accompanied Pathani in each of  these journey.

Thus Captain Pathania has also created a record in the election history of Darrang district by becoming the only Election Observer to visit the polling stations at the far flung remote areas of the district mostly in the ‘char’ areas along the  river Brahmaputra which are  without any road connectivity.

Just when  it has become almost a common practice of the Election Observers appointed in Assam to make  tours to tourist places like Tawang and Meghalaya besides Kaziranga National Park etc.

Captain Pathania  has turned out to be a different . Thus Captain Pathania has written a new chapter  in the election history of Darrang district by becoming the only Election Observer to visit the polling stations at the far flung remote areas of the district mostly in the ‘char’ areas along the  river Brahmaputra road connectivity is a distant dream. It may be mentioned here that the authority has identified a total of 43 polling booths ie 29 under 67 Mangaldoi LAC and rest under 66 Sipajhar LAC of Mangaldoi election district as the P-2 polling booths where advanced  polling officials are to be sent two days before the poll