SIR, local body polls: No escape from double duty for numerous BLOs in Kerala
Incidentally, while the deadline for SIR has been extended by a week in Kerala, all work related to the exercise has still to be completed before the local body election.
Incidentally, while the deadline for SIR has been extended by a week in Kerala, all work related to the exercise has still to be completed before the local body election.
Incidentally, while the deadline for SIR has been extended by a week in Kerala, all work related to the exercise has still to be completed before the local body election.
Thiruvananthapuram: A large number of officers are simultaneously engaged in duties related to the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of the voters’ list and the local body elections in Kerala, despite claims by the state Election Commission before the Supreme Court that SIR will not affect the work related to the polls.
Around 3,000 BLOs (Block Level Officers) appointed for SIR were also given election duties. Some of them worked in the office of the election returning officers. Even though a few of them were later relieved of their additional work, the remaining BLOs are still carrying out double duty.
Collectors, who are the chief election officers in a district, and officials working in the Election Section in Collectorates are engaged in SIR work along with their regular duties. Similarly, Village Officers, who serve as Booth-Level Supervisors of BLOs, also have to work as Sectoral Officers in the local body election. The duties of the Sectoral Officers include making the arrangements at polling booths and providing replacements for voting machines which develop any snags. Additionally, as Booth-Level Supervisors, the Village Officers have to organise camps for SIR.
Incidentally, while the deadline for SIR has been extended by a week in Kerala, all work related to the exercise has still to be completed before the local body election. The second phase of polling and the new deadline to return the filled SIR enumeration forms fall on the same day – December 11.
13 lakh voters ‘missing’
Over 13 lakh voters were yet to be traced by the SIR authorities on December 2, nine days before the deadline to return the enumeration forms. The CEO (Chief Electoral Officer) of Kerala said that 13,93,167 people who were enrolled in the previous voters’ list remained untraced till Tuesday. “They are people who are either no more or shifted to some other place,” explained the CEO.
A total of 2.78 crore enumeration forms were printed for voters across the state, of which 2,47,14,494 of the returned forms were digitised till 6 pm on December 2. This figure comprises 88.74 per cent of the total forms distributed. Meanwhile, the authorities will conduct camps to accept and digitise the enumeration forms on Wednesday also.