As the sun set on the 1st of June, and the last of voters trooped back home, helicopter crews of the Indian Air Force (IAF) continued their work of ferrying polling material and men back from remote places. India celebrated the end of the biggest elections held till date, globally. The men and women of helicopter fleet of the forces and the Border Security Force (BSF) added another feather to their caps; this time one of the facilitators of the world’s largest elections.
The helicopter, with its unique ability to reach almost anywhere, especially where no other machine can, and at speeds not surpassed by many, have delivered where others won’t even have dared.
This election season the helicopters of the air force, army and BSF flew a total of 1,750 sorties for well over 1,000 hours taking polling officials and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to some of the most desolate parts of the country. From the small French-designed, domestically manufactured Chetak, to our very own Dhruv, not to be left behind the huge Russian Mi-17, all were pressed into service for Indian voters.
Most people think of the elections in terms of the numbers of voters alone, but very few perceive the huge range of activities that goes along backstage to make them successful. By law, no voter should be more than 2 km away from a voting booth; barely a 15-minute walk. Many of these places can only be effectively reached by choppers. There are poll booths in India with literally a solitary voter on its list.
For many, not just in India but also abroad, the helicopter provides hope. Be it an unwell soldier in the high Himalayas or those trapped by floods in Kanyakumari, it is the sound of rotors that brings a sense of relief and security. Helicopters, used in the worst of catastrophes, have also been used in the past for elections. Choppers have now become an indelible part of the electoral process; a process where every single voter is to be catered for.
The motto of an IAF helicopter unit sums up the dedication of the men and women who man these machines: “We do the difficult as a routine, the impossible may take a bit longer.” At this rate it seems, not much longer.
Dhruv Yadav
