District Magistrate, Nadia held meeting with district officials on 20th March 2009 evening. Here are some of the important points discussed. Instructions from CEO follows:-
1)Booth Level Meetings-
There will be an elaborate Booth level Meeting at each part, the programme of which will be intimated by the Office of The CEO,WB. This will be an elaborate exercise this time for consecutive few days by way of which the ASD (absentee, shifted & death) list will be prepared part wise. The software generated list of Non-EPIC/Non Image voters, duplicate/multiple voters etc will be supplied part wise for easy identification.
Sector Officers will be supervising the entire Roll audit process and certify to that effect. (Detail order will follow). BLO BLA meetings proposed on 25th March 2009 stands cancelled.
2)Communication Plan
The Communication Plan has already been prepared for all the ACs. There will be a dry run after 25th of March from the end of District and on 1st April by The office of The CEO, WB. BDOs/ Sector Officers must verify the list of BLOs/ Contact persons and their mobile numbers. They can randomly call some of the numbers.
The ECI will also go for trial on random basis at any time after 1st April. All contact numbers, (including ERO’s Help line no.) already furnished requires to be tested before this so that prompt response is obtained without fail. EROs/ AROs must review the efficacy of helpline numbers personally and take corrective measures for shortcomings, if any. Helpline numbers should be helpful to the electors in true sense and persons attending these helpline numbers must be sensitised properly. Public may be encouraged to report cases of wall defacement at the complaint cells at SDO offices and District Complaint cell. Contact numbers can be published on local cable/ website.
3)Vulnerability Mapping
The Vulnerability mapping for all ACs will have to be done and trouble makers to be identified. Sector Officers, BLOs and Sector police officers will be responsible for identification of such vulnerable areas. The exercise should be participatory and transparent. SDOs and Zonal SDPOs needs to coordinate the work to ensure that it is completed in time, latest by 10th April 2009 for all ACs. This has to be completed by 10th April. DEO will submit a report on it to the ECI by 16th April.
4)Campaigning on Educational Institutions
The Commission has allowed campaigning on Educational Institutions subject to the condition that the political party or candidate will have to take prior permission of the Managing committee.
The Managing Committee will give equal opportunity to all and follow “first come – first serve basis”. Please earlier blog copied from CEO.
5)Auxiliary Polling stations
The proposals for Auxiliary Polling Stations have already been sent to the CEO. But it needs to be rechecked in order to ensure that while splitting the Roll no person of the same family are forced to apply his franchise at different booths, i.e, the Notional House Hold No. is to be kept intact while splitting a Roll for Auxiliary and main Polling Stations. A report needs to be submitted to the District Election section in this respect for rectification by return mail (after compilation through SDO).
The Auxiliary booth may be set up at the 1st floor if required, but the BLO will certify that for such booth there is no disabled elector on the sections assigned to the booth.
6)Postal Ballot and EDC.
No polling personnel assigned duty within home PC area will be issued with Postal Ballot, but rather apply for EDC. A Nodal Officer for Postal Ballot will be fixed for the District who will maintain all registers and records in c/w EDC and Postal Ballot. Postal Ballot Facilitation Centres should be well planned so as to organise the EDC/ BP for all including drivers/ khalasi/ police etc. Detailed circular have been circulated to all.
7) Polling Personnel
This time, the head of the office will be designated as the Sponsoring Authority Nodal Officer (SANO) for all Polling Personnel to be deployed from his office/ under his administrative control. The District and Sub-Divisional authorities in charge of The PP Cell will keep liaison with such heads of Offices who in turn will keep close contact with all Polling Personnel of his office. All communications shall be sent to the SANO and it shall be his official responsibility to intimate concerned polling personnel/ election duty official. If any employee under him fails to report for duty/ training as per the intimation SANO shall be held personally responsible. SANO shall be exempted from any kind of election duties/ departmental trainings/ other assignments during the election period. SDOs and ADM PP cell has to do the data entry of detail particulars of SANO like name, designation, office contact numbers, fax/ email, mobile numbers, residence number etc in the pp database.
The Nodal Officer, such designated, will be responsible for giving all information to the staff under his control regarding date, time and venue of training, DC-RC etc.
8)Sector Officer
This time Sector officers will be supervising the BLO-BLA meetings part wise and certify the E-Roll audit. Apart from that, Vulnerability mapping will also be done by them in consultation with all concerned.
They will have to start visiting booths/ booth areas immediately, if not already started and latest by 1st April. There will be no wall painting or any banner of any political party or candidate in any booth. Sector officers will ensure that these instructions are complied with.
All sector officers/ other election related officials under orders of transfer on ECI directive must join their new place of posting by 31st March 2009. New officers joining must be briefed properly about their sectors.
9)Poll Day Issues
The Sector Officer will have to certify that the Mock Poll has been conducted in presence of all political party agents. A report to that effect will have to be submitted by the sector officer through the Communication Officers at The Block Office who in turn will transmit the report to the District Control Room by 6.45AM sharp. The Poll commencement Report will have to be transmitted like wise by 7.15AM. In case of failure, Re-poll might be ordered by the ECI for such booths.
10) Model Code of Conduct
Videography of all major events like meetings, speeches and processions by Candidates and National or state level leaders of political parties are to be done. Un-edited CD of such meetings or processions are to be sent to the MCC Cell without delay. All Violations of MCC shall have to be reported promptly. An order on the issue has been emailed to all concerned today.
