JALANDHAR: A day after
Jalandhar deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma warned of slapping show-cause notices and initiate legal action including lodging of an FIR against the officials, who did not report for poll duty for
Shahkot assembly byelection, more than 150 employees reported for duty in the district administrative complex on Tuesday.
Sources said more than 300 out of total 1,700 employees had not turned up for the poll duty during the first rehearsal of polling officers, presiding officers and assistant presiding officers on May 13. Taking strong note,
DC Sharma had asked the officers to issue a show-cause notice to erring employees and subsequently lodge FIRs against them if they were not able to give any satisfactory reply.
Sharma had said besides lodging FIRs against erring employees, the administration would start disciplinary proceedings against them under Section 134 of the Representation of the People Act.
On Tuesday morning, the DC called a meeting of the heads of departments (HoDs) of the various branches involved in the election process in his office and warned them of serious repercussions if their employees don’t report for election duty. Sharma said this was a national duty and nobody could dare to skip it on any pretext.
The DC also warned the HoDs that the administration would also fix their responsibility for failing in their responsibility to send their staff on poll duty. He said in case the officers/ officials who had been deployed on election duty have superannuated or transferred, then the department concerned must supplement it with new staff. He also told the HoDs that he doesn’t want to penalize the staff, but any sort of dereliction of poll duty won’t be tolerated at any cost.