Imphal, February 23: With the conclusion of the three phase poll today, the Chief Electoral Officer has instructed all the DEOs and Returning Officers at their respective districts/sub-divisional headquarters to make further arrangements for security and regulation of movement of persons at the counting centres.

Counting is scheduled to start from February 27. The important instructions issued to the DEOs and ROs include; each counting centre shall be guarded by adequate strength of CPMF as instructed by the ECI; there will be a three tier cordon around the counting centres; first cordon will be set up around the counting hall and the building containing the halls, the second cordon will be around the office; only those persons authorised by the ECI, the candidates, their authorised agents, counting supervisors/agents and the authorised media persons shall be allowed entry inside the first cordon.

The other instructions include entry inside the second cordon shall be guarded by the State police; proper and effective barricading shall be set up around the second cordon; no mobile phones will be allowed beyond the second cordon; there will be a no vehicle zone outside the second cordon and no vehicle including security vehicles, escort vehicles will be allowed beyond this point, two senior Magistrates will be posted at the entrance of the second and third cordon, no crowd will be allowed to gather at the entry to the third cordon.

A centre for media persons shall be set up at the Counting Centre preferably outside the first cordon.

A senior officer will be deployed by the RO to attend to the media.

No continuous live coverage by any audio visual media shall be permitted inside the counting hall, media persons in groups of not more than 5-10 persons shall be escorted to the counting hall for limited coverage of short duration (not more than 2 minutes at a time).

No static (fixed) camera still or video will be allowed inside the counting hall.

No loudspeakers will be permitted around the counting centres and ROs will announce the results only through the media persons who shall be provided a copy of the trend round wise.