BRIEFING THE PRESS: Chief Election Commissioner B. B. Tandon at Raj Bhavan in Chennai on Tuesday. — Photo: V.Ganesan

MADURAI: Chief Election Commissioner B. B. Tandon on Tuesday directed that revenue staff and police officials in the rank of sub-inspector and above, serving in a particular station for three consecutive years or more, should be transferred.

Officials involved in poll-related work, serving in their native districts, should also be shifted.

State election officials were instructed to ensure that polling booths were set up only on the ground floor to avoid inconvenience to voters.

Measures should be taken to provide a ramp in each booth to help the aged and physically challenged enter the stations without difficulty.

Talking to presspersons after reviewing the poll preparedness in the southern and central districts here, Mr. Tandon said the preparation of electoral rolls was progressing "satisfactorily."

Grievance redressal cells

The Chief Electoral Officer, District Election Officers and Election Returning Officers were instructed to set up grievance redressal cells in their offices.

"All complaints ... with regard to electoral rolls will be properly attended to, and the response from officials will be sent to the complainants at the earliest," he said.

The campaign to provide Electors' Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) would be launched by this month-end.

To ensure all eligible voters were provided with the cards, the Commission had not fixed any deadline for completing the work.

The campaign would go on till 10 days before filing of nominations, he said.

Mobile teams

Mr. Tandon said identification of voters at the time of polling was mandatory.

Mobile teams would be dispatched to uncovered villages and areas, where voters had not availed themselves of the opportunity to cast the ballot.

Asked whether the Commission would initiate stern action against MLAs or Ministers against whom cases had been filed for stuffing of names in rolls, Mr. Tandon said: "Registering cases or filing FIR does not attract disqualification."

Agreeing that the average poll percentage was declining, Mr. Tandon said everyone should come forward to vote and there should be no obstruction or intimidation. There was, however, no compulsory voting, he said.

Earlier, Mr. Tandon reviewed the progress of the roll revision in 15 districts, along with Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta and the Collectors.

Meeting with Collectors

In the evening, Mr. Tandon met the Collectors and senior poll officials from the northern districts at Raj Bhavan in Chennai before returning to New Delhi.

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