The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to link 70,000 polling stations to Google Maps for the general election 2018, enabling voters to find their respective polling stations with ease. The approval was given in a meeting headed by Chief Election Commissioner, formerJustice Sardar Muhammad Raza. With the help of the app, users will also be able to calculate the distance between their residence and the nearest polling station.

Google Maps app has become very popular and is used to navigate through unfamiliar terrain. The application has an offline navigation feature which comes in handy where internet access is not good. For 2018 general election, Google Inc will create a website to help voters find the location of their polling places by typing an address and clicking a search button. The new mapping service will be launched to assist voters who skipped the general election 2013 because they didn't know where to go for casting their vote.

The ECP also decided to ensure the provision of all basic facilities such as water and uninterrupted electricity to all polling stations across four provinces. It was observed in the meeting that 758 schools in Punjab and 700 schools in Sindh lack advanced system. It was decided that these polling stations would be overhauled before the general election and all basic facilities would be provided in the polling stations.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017