Tirupur: In a bid to ensure 100% voter turnout, the district election officer of Tirupur personally visited tribal settlements inside the Anamalai Tiger Reserve and distributed pamphlets ahead of the polls.A total of 294 polling booths will be set up in the Madathukulam assembly constituency, including three in dense forest areas, to facilitate voting by scheduled castes and tribal communities living in remote hill regions of the Udumalpet and Amaravathi forest ranges. At booth number 50, located in a panchayat union primary school at Mavadappu, a total of 766 voters — 368 men and 398 women from nearby settlements such as Kuzhipatti, Mavadappu, Kattupalli and Karumutti are enrolled. Election officials travel nearly 60km through rugged forest terrain via Thirumoorthy Hills and Upper Aliyar to reach the booth from the plain. Similarly, booth number 92 has been set up at Dhalinji for 353 voters (174 men and 179 women). Officials access the location by travelling 8km through dense forest from Chinnar and crossing key tributaries of the Amaravathi dam, including Pambar, Thenar and Chinnar. Booth number 91 at Kodanthur will cater to 398 voters (190 men and 208 women) from Attumalai, Poruppaaru and Kodanthur settlements. It requires a 3km journey through forest roads from the checkpost on the Udumalpet–Munnar road. District collector and election officer Dr Manish Narnaware said additional personnel from both police and forest department will be deployed for security, and only male staff will be assigned duty in these locations. Basic facilities including drinking water, toilets, and ramps for persons with disabilities have been ensured. Though internet connectivity is available, arrangements have been made for video recording in case of disruptions. Officials said all necessary steps have been taken to ensure smooth conduct of elections, with forest authorities instructed to monitor wildlife movement in advance. To ensure 100% voter turnout, Dr Manish Narnaware along with the other officials personally visited all tribal settlements on Wednesday and distributed pamphlets related to the election.
