The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : ORS packets for polling booths

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

ORS packets for polling booths

By Our Staff Reporter

Officials verifying names on the electoral rolls in the city on Saturday. — Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

COIMBATORE, MAY 1. As a matter of abundant precaution and as directed by the Election Commission of India, the district administration has kept 1.25 lakh Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) packets ready for distribution at polling stations.

These packets were meant for helping the electorate, polling personnel and those on bandobust duty, if they suffer due to dehydration because of the soaring mercury levels.

With the elections being scheduled for May 10, when the summer would be at its peak, the Election Commission directed the returning officers to have 40 ORS packets ready in each polling station.

The Coimbatore district has 3,121 polling stations of which 1,417 came under the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency, 987 under the Pollachi Lok Sabha constituency and 717 under the Mettupalayam, Avanashi and Thondamuthur Assembly segments that form part of the Nilgiris Lok Sabha constituency. All these polling stations would be provided with 40 packets of ORS each.

The salt would be mixed in water and kept ready for the consumption of those suffering from de-hydration. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation has supplied these packets to the administration.

Postal ballots

The Coimbatore district accounts for a total of 15,035 Government servants besides 3,455 presiding officers and 260 officers in the zonal election team. To enable these officers on poll duty to exercise their franchise, they were being given the postal votes.

These officers were being provided with Form 12 which calls for serial number in the electoral rolls in which the Government servant has his vote. If the details provided by the Government servant tallied with the electoral rolls, he would be sent a ballot paper by post.

The ballot could be filled in and then sent to the Returning Officers by post or the same could be brought in person and could be dropped into the postal ballot boxes kept in front of the office of the returning officers at the Collectorate.

Central force

The Central paramilitary forces sanctioned by the Election Commission for the purpose started arriving to their places of deployment.

The first batch of reinforcements arrived here from Andhra Pradesh.

The three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men with 90-odd personnel in each company arrived here in the early hours of today.

The men who arrived at the Salem Junction by a special train from Andhra Pradesh were brought to Coimbatore City and Tirupur in police vehicles by road. One company consisting of 94 personnel meant for the Coimbatore City have been provided accommodation at a Corporation school in Crosscut Road in the city, while one company with a similar strength meant for the Coimbatore Rural District had been accommodated in a kalyana mandapam in the hosiery town of Tirupur.

While one more company of CRPF men meant for deployment in naxal-infested pockets of Dharmapuri have also reached the district headquarters.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

ORS packets for polling booths

Vote to oust BJP-led Govt.: Bardhan

`Education's mission is to improve quality of life'

NSS to create model villages

SIMA-CDRA takes up seed-based contract farming

Research Chair in `Tamizh isai' to be set up

Language learning centre inauguration on May 6

Award for TNAU VC

Action against commercial establishments

Around The City

In Coimbatore Today