The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : “Only 4,000 in Kancheepuram do not have EPICs”

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Friday, Apr 17, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

“Only 4,000 in Kancheepuram do not have EPICs”

Special Correspondent

— Photo: A.Muralitharan

Kancheepuram Collector Santhosh K.Misra checks an EVM at a meeting with police officers in Tambaram on Thursday.

TAMBARAM: The number of voters without Elector’s Photo Identity Cards in Kancheepuram district is only around 4,000, Collector Santhosh K.Misra said on Thursday.

He was speaking to reporters in Tambaram, where he met policemen from all 15 police stations of St. Thomas Mount Police District. The meeting was organised to ascertain election preparedness and brief the policemen on security and law and order measures to be taken on the day of polling and counting. Mr. Misra said that the number of voters without identity cards was once huge and it was brought down drastically.

Tambaram and Alandur Assembly constituencies once had the maximum number of voters with EPICs, accounting for about 90 per cent. Over nearly two years, door-to-door revision programme, preparation of repeated supplementary rolls, including residual voters with images made it possible to reach out to voters with identity cards.

Compared to the previous elections, several new enforcements would be seen on the day of voting to ensure free and fair polling, Mr. Misra said.

Parties would be allowed to set up booths only 200 m away from the polling station. Polling agents had to be from the respective booth area and compulsorily possess voters’ identity card.

Of 2,909 polling booths - 1,615 in Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha constituency and 1,294 in Kancheepuram (Reserve) - the district administration had identified 358 sensitive booths and 32 hyper sensitive booths. In the hyper sensitive booths, arrangements would be made to take pictures of all voters who come to cast vote.

About 13,000 policemen would be on duty on the day of polling and Central paramilitary forces would be deployed near sensitive and hyper sensitive booths. Steps were also being taken to provide certain magisterial powers to policemen, Mr. Misra said.

Six electronic voting machine disbursal centres would be created for quick and safe transportation of equipment to the polling stations and subsequently, the counting centres.

So far, 4,274 defacements were removed all over the district, 333 notices issued to political parties for violating the model code of conduct and 31 First Information Reports registered in different police stations. Mr. Misra also said that there were 22.52 lakh voters in Kancheepuram district. While 10.57 lakh were in Kancheepuram (Reserve) constituency, 11.95 lakh were in Sriperumbudur constituency.V. Varadharaju, Deputy Commissioner of Police, St. Thomas Mount, A. Nambirajan, District Revenue Officer, Kancheepuram, and T. Munusamy, Returning Officer for Sriperumbudur constituency were also present.

Nearly 80 Assistant Commissioners, Inspectors and Sub Inspectors from St. Thomas Mount Police district attended the meeting.

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