‘Genuine citizen not to be harassed, no illegal voter to be in electoral roll’
Shillong, Sep 10: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has assured of taking a balanced approach in conducting the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls so that no genuine citizen face harassment and no illegal voter is enrolled.
“Let me assure we will do our best to balance where genuine citizens are not harassed and those who are not citizens of the state are not included (in the electoral roll),” Sangma told the Assembly on Wednesday.
The proposed SIR shall ensure that electoral rolls are updated and free from errors, duplicate IDs, and other discrepancies, he said.
Informing that house-to-house enumeration will be conducted during SIR, he said every elector will have to submit an enumeration form.
However, he said, for electors registered in the electoral roll as of January 1, 2003, no further documents will be required to be submitted.
The ECI decided to provide exemptions to individuals, who were registered in the electoral roll in 2003 or before, to minimise inconvenience to aged citizens.
He also underscored the need for SIR to address the significant changes witnessed in the state over the past 20 years, including rapid urbanization and frequent migration.
Sangma assured that the government will provide exhaustive training to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to ensure that they are equipped to conduct the SIR exercise effectively.
The training will cover all aspects of the exercise, including house-to-house enumeration, verification of documents, and resolution of claims and objections.
The Chief Minister acknowledged the concerns raised by members about the potential difficulties faced by citizens in areas where documents are not readily available.
He assured that the government will work with the ECI to find solutions to these issues and ensure that genuine citizens are not harassed or disenfranchised.
