Imphal, December 27: Acting on the instruction of the Election Commission of India, the State Government has set into motion process to take up stringent action against those IAS, MCS and SDC officers who do not go to their place of posting after being transferred ahead of the upcoming 9th Manipur Legislative Assembly election which is slated to be held sometime in February next year.

Disclosing this to The Sangai Express, an official source said that officials have been transferred in accordance with the instruction of the ECI.

The instruction lays down that the officials should be posted at a place for a minimum period of three years and that an employee should not be posted in his own district.

With the Commission taking serious note of the failure of the State Government employees to obey the transfer order, Additional Chief Electoral Officer PK Singh has today directed the Department of Personnel and Revenue Dept to submit the related status report within December 29.According to the written directive given to the Department of Personnel and Revenue Department, the related transfer order of the SDC is 16/11/2006 and that of IAS/MCS is 11/12/2006.Prior to the latest directive issued by the Additional Chief Electoral Officer, the State Election Dept was asked to provide the status report of the same, the source said, adding that all the status reports have to be forwarded to the ECI.

On the other hand, State Election Department has requested for requisition of five helicopters for transportation of polling and security personnel who would be deployed to man the polling stations located in remote areas where there is no proper road communication facility.

Consequently, the State Home Department has written to the Union Home Ministry in this regard.