Dist admins asked to set up help desks, special camps for homeless
Shillong, Oct 6: Over 94 per cent of the notice cases of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Meghalaya have been completed as efforts are on to dispose of the remaining cases before publication of the final voters’ list on October 26.
Chief Electoral Officer BDR Tiwari on Tuesday reviewed the progress of the SIR with Deputy Commissioners, District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and other election officials.
Of the 6,51,735 notices generated against the 21,69,243 electors in the draft roll, 6,51,391 have been delivered. Hearings have been completed in 6,13,512 cases, or 94.14 per cent of the notices issued.
So far, 1,510 electors have been found ineligible for inclusion in the final roll, while 19,96,297 electors have been cleared for final publication.
The exercise has flagged 2,22,786 electors under the “No Mapping” category, while another 4,28,949 cases involve mapping discrepancies.
The Election Department said the remaining cases would be taken up on priority, with officials instructed to ensure that eligible voters get an adequate opportunity to establish their eligibility.
BLOs to visit voters
In a move aimed at making the process easier for voters, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of electors who have received notices for being unmapped or having logical discrepancies.
Such voters need not ordinarily visit the ERO or AERO office. BLOs will collect the required documents from their homes and upload them on ECINet for consideration by the Electoral Registration Officer.
Hearings will be required only in exceptional cases. Where necessary, the Election Department said they should preferably be conducted online.
The department has also asked districts to set up help desks and special camps for homeless people, labourers, people living in night shelters and economically disadvantaged sections requiring assistance.
23,259 applications received
The department has so far received and digitised 23,259 applications during the revision process.
These include 12,624 Form 6 applications for inclusion of names, 1,616 Form 7 applications, 1,590 Form 8 applications for shifting of residence and 7,429 Form 8 applications for corrections.
Political parties are also participating in the exercise through 1,814 Booth Level Agents (BLAs). The NPP has appointed 736 BLAs, BJP 393, VPP 320, Congress 186, UDP 121 and AITC 58.
The CEO held a separate meeting with recognised national and state political parties and briefed them on the progress of the revision, notice and hearing cases and voter-facilitation measures.
The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 26.
The Election Department has urged voters contacted by BLOs to cooperate and submit the required documents, and to check their names in the final roll after publication.
