DEO warns of strict action in case of dereliction of poll duty

Ludhiana: District election officer, Ludhiana, Pradeep Kumar Agrawal urged all government officials deputed on various election related duties to perform their duty with utmost devotion and honesty and warned that any dereliction of duty at their end would attract strict immediate action. He said this while addressing the election staff during the training-cum-workshop regarding the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections at Government College for Girls on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said the governent officials on election duties should visit all the vulnerable areas at least twice a week and also interact with the area voters and educate them to vote in a free and fair manner. Assistant returning officers (AROs) were also advised to do so. He said that 10 EVMs and VVPAT machines each have been provided for all Vidhan Sabha constituencies so that people are made aware about them.

He directed the sector officers to visit all polling stations under their respective areas and ensure presence of at least minimum facilities there. He said special emphasis should be given on setting up model and Sakhi polling stations in all Vidhan Sabha constituencies.

Agrawal also said, “A mobile application has been launched by the Election Commission of India through which any person can file a complaint related to the violations of model code of conduct. Once the complainant submits a photo/video evidence of the violation on the application, it would reach the District Complaint Centre (DCC) along with its location.”

DEO also said once a resident submits a complaint, the nearest flying squad would be dispatched to investigate that particular complaint. He told the officials to ensure that they reach the spot (based on GPS location) immediately and take action within 40-45 minutes. He said that if an FIR is to be lodged for any complaint, the police counterparts would register the FIR and the civil administration official would intimate about it to the DCC immediately. He said that the entire process would be video graphed as well.

Agrawal said nine flying squads have been formed in each Vidhan Sabha constituency. He said that the static surveillance teams would set up checkpoints in different areas falling under the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency.