It is the election season and the Chennai City Corporation has made sure everyone gets to exercise their right to vote. The city corporation has teamed up with cab aggregator Uber to ferry around 3,000 persons with disabilities to the polling station for casting their votes on April 6. Here's all you need to know.
How can persons with disabilities avail this service?
Persons With Disabilities (PwD) will have to call a dedicated helpline number that the city corporation is set to publicise shortly before the polling day and receive a promotional code that they can use while booking a cab through the Uber app to go to the polling station. They can also avail a drop back using the same code. "The coupon is worth a maximum of Rs 200 and any additional cost should be borne by the respective travellers," a senior corporation official told TNIE, adding that the code is not publicised beforehand since it may be misused and there are only limited codes available.
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Will it be beneficial for people with disabilities?
"We are connecting with disability rights activists who will help us pass on the code to persons with disabilities," a corporation official told TNIE. Disability rights activists across the city have called it a welcome move, but they have raised concerns about the number of coupons available, which they say are not enough. "The chances of death due to COVID-19 is much higher for persons with disabilities below 45 years of age than it is for others less than 45 years of age. The elderly are also susceptible to the virus. When they are willing to come out and vote despite the higher risks, it should be made sure that they are as safe as possible," Vaishnavi Jayakumar, a disability rights activist told TNIE. "It is commendable that Uber has come forward to offer the code and cover a part of the costs but the remaining may have ideally been borne by the election machinery so that every person with a disability and elderly are covered," she added.
What are the concerns?
People are concerned that there had been no information available before this about the facility. The release of the coupons just a day before the polls could create a ruckus and a lot of these individuals might not actually be able to access it.
