LIKABALI, 13 Apr: Lower Siang District Election Officer (DEO) Rujjum Rakshap on Saturday briefed the sector magistrates (SM) appointed for conducting elections in the district on their roles and responsibilities to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling in the district.
“Be ready by today, rather than waiting for the D-Day to manage poll-related works,” the DEO said during a coordination meeting with the SMs here.
The DEO asked the SMs to collect as much information as they could of the polling stations falling under their respective jurisdictions, “and coordinate with the polling teams, BLOs, local administrative officers and HGBs/GBs of the villages for developing a better working environment.”
He also asked the SMs to remain in touch with the ECIL engineers and the master trainers “as a precautionary measure to avert any kind of technical complicacies of EVM/VVPAT that might crop up during the polling day.”
He said that efforts have been made to appoint younger officers as SMs for the polling stations having no proper connectivity. “Yet, due to shortage of officers, placement of sector magistrates has been done randomly,” he said.
The DEO asked them to discharge their duties efficiently “and carry out compulsory recce of the allotted areas and file reports to the DEO.”
He instructed the PWD, RWD, PHED, power department, etc, “to carry out immediate maintenance of roads, water and electricity supplies for convenience of conducting the elections.”
Later, all the SMs participated in a hands-on training in handling EVMs/VVPATs, in order to be well-trained to support and guide the presiding officers. (DIPRO)
