Himachal polling stations now traceable on Google maps

In a first, the Election Commission (EC) has sought to help voters in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh to find the nearest polling stations on Internet, an official said Monday.

"Instead of locating the polling station here and there, just visit the commission's website and type your address or place you are interested to visit. Google Maps will automatically provide a list of nearby polling stations," additional state electoral officer P.L. Negi told IANS Monday.

He said information about the direction of that particular polling station would also be provided.

As many as 45.9 lakh voters will cast their ballots Nov 4 at 7,253 polling stations across the state.

Polling information like election officials, number of voters and electoral rolls will also available online, he added.

Election officials said the hill state is to become the country's first state to have this voter-friendly online facility.

Earlier, the polling information was available only on manual maps.

"We had to rely on manual maps to identify the route of a particular polling station but now the information is available online. It's for everyone to use," officer on special duty (elections) Neeraj Sharma said.

He said by next week, information about all polling booths will be available online.

There are many hamlets across Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts where voters have to trek more than 10 km to reach a polling station.

Both districts, populated mainly by tribals, remain cut off from the rest of the state for more than six months in the year owing to heavy snowfall.

India's highest altitude polling station is located at Hikkam in Lahaul and Spiti district. It's situated at an altitude of over 15,000 feet.

Himachal Pradesh will vote for a new 68-member assembly Nov 4 and the votes will be counted Dec 20.