The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ECI gets tougher on absentees

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Friday, May 02, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

ECI gets tougher on absentees

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: Have you ignored the summons for election duty? Then be prepared to face legal action.

Taking a tough stand on government officials who failed to report for election duty in Bangalore, which began with the training session on Monday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday issued notices to thousands of such government servants.

Also, show cause notices were issued to heads of some government agencies — mainly the public sector undertakings either owned by the State or the Union governments — who have failed to furnish the list of officials of working their organisations for deploying them for poll duty.

Arrest, last resort

The notices have been issued as a first step to secure public servants for the poll duty, which is mandatory once the ECI issued an order assigning them for poll duty.

However, the ECI might be forced to issue arrest warrants to secure notified employees if they failed to turn up for the duty even after issuance of notices as Bangalore was facing a shortage of staff for poll duty with the increase in number of constituencies, said ECI sources.

The legal action was being initiated as about 20 per cent of the 15,000 government employees, who were asked to attend the first stage of training programme from Monday, remained absent. Another 15,000 to 20,000 government employees being training in the second stage.

Officials said about 2,000 public servants failed to turn up for poll assignment despite directions issued in this regard. When contacted, District Election Officer B.S. Ramprasad said that under Section 13 CC of the Representation of Peoples Act, the government servants notified for will be under the control, supervision and discipline of the ECI and legal action could be initiated against them if they disobeyed any direction.

Meanwhile, State Chief Electoral Officer M. N. Vidyashankar on Thursday warned officials deputed for election duty that they could face dismissal if they abstained. Mr. Vidyashankar told presspersons here that about 30 per cent of officials roped in for election duties in Bangalore did not attend the training programme on Thursday.

With regard to violation of poll code, he said 662 cases had been booked for illegal transportation of liquor and 532 criminal cases with regard to violation of model code of conduct so far in the State. About children less than 14 years of age being involved in election campaign, he said action would be taken against candidates under the provisions of the Child Labour Act, (Prohibition and Control), 1986. Asked about the use of masks, the CEO an order would be issued to soon to ban the masks of political leaders.

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