The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Measures for smooth polls discussed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Measures for smooth polls discussed

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MAY 7 . The Collector, B. Chandra Mohan, today convened a coordination meeting of zonal officials and police officers and briefed them on the measures to be initiated for the smooth conduct of the May 10 Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting held at the Collectorate here underscored the importance of making concerted efforts by the zonal officials and the mobile police parties for holding free and fair polls.

He directed the zonal officials to report for duty at 8 a.m. on May 9 before the tahsildars and Assistant Returning Officers concerned before commencing the chores.

The zonal officials should undertake joint visits with the police patrol parties and inspect polling at the polling stations at least four times.

They should also ensure the election materials were handed over to the polling staff in time and collect the EVMs and other related materials immediately after the polling concluded.

Besides, the officials should ensure that all personnel drafted for election duty were present at the respective polling booths in time and make sure there was no shortage of polling material.

The polling should commence sharply at 7 a.m. on May 10 and the information on the time of commencement of polls should be communicated to the AROs without delay, he said. The officials should strictly enforce the norms centring around campaigning and also on establishing election booths. The political parties, the Collector said, should not be allowed to campaign within 100 metres of the polling stations and no candidate or political parties should establish their booths within a distance of 200 metres from the polling stations.

The officials present on duty at the polling stations should display endurance and clear the doubts raised by the voters. The polling should come to an end at 5 p.m. and at this time the presiding officer of the polling booth should sign and distribute poll slips from the last person standing in the queue and permit only those voters who had been provided with the signed poll slips.

The District Revenue Officer, K. Ayyanar, the Project Officer of the District Rural Development Agency, Krishnaswamy, and Collector's Personal Assistant (General), M. Anbazhagan, the District Supply Officer, Murugesan, and the PA to the Collector (Election), S. Kuppusamy, were among those who participated in the meeting, according to an official release.

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