Electors in peripheral areas of GHMC find Telugu SIR enumeration form a challenge

Dozens of electors were caught unawares when they received Special Intensive Revision (SIR) enumeration forms in Telugu. What ensued was confusion, followed by apprehension.

According to Mohammed Zafar, a resident of Suleman Nagar ward, all electors of booth number 293 in the Rajendra Nagar Assembly constituency received forms in Telugu. While a few persons can speak Telugu, reading and writing in the language is a different matter altogether.

“There are eight voters in my house. All electors in my booth have received Telugu forms. This ward is within the GHMC limits,” Mr. Zafar said. “People are having great difficulty in reading or understanding the form. However, the local leaders here are now helping them.”

In another case, M.A. Kareem, a resident of Jalpalli, a neighbourhood, previously a municipality, not far from Barkas, which was recently made a part of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), also received the enumeration form in Telugu on June 28. “It would have been easier for all if the enumeration form was in English across GHMC limits. A lot of people in the city cannot read Telugu. At least if it were in English, things would have been easier,” he said.

“Not being able to read forms in a language one is comfortable with, whether it is Telugu or English, can lead to problems for the elector,” Mr. Ansari said. BLOs have made it clear to electors that another form would not be supplied, he added. “In this case, it becomes all the more important to have the form in a language the elector understands. I have seen people using translation apps. It may help to some extent, but the larger question is whether any translation by means of an app is truly accurate. Even some people whose mother tongue is Telugu, cannot read or write Telugu. The larger issue is for all electors to understand the form,” he said.

Mohammed Ahmed Vindhani, a resident of Jalpalli, said that his immediate and extended family have received Telugu enumeration forms. “I have come across cases in which those who can speak Telugu have watched YouTube explainer videos and filled the forms. Many people here do not have high qualifications. It is the BLOs who should help. Unfortunately they do not have time or don’t know the process well,” he said.