Lack of vehicles sends officials in jitter
Source: The Sangai Express

Lamka, January 25, 2012: Non availability of adequate transport facility has threatened the largest ever deployment of poll personnel here as the deployment enters its second day forcing top officials from the district to position themselves on the road-side in as far as Imphal, the state capital, for requisition.

Polling personnel for 39 booths, along with heavily armed security personnel left for their destination today in 37 vehicles.

Personnel for 27 remotest booths had already left for their respective destination yesterday.

Overseeing the deployment exercise, DEO Jacintha Lazarus said some of the Tipaimukh sub-division bound personnel have to travel by boat for a day and will have to walk again on foot for 10 kms to reach their destination after travelling for days on trucks from here.

The remotest polling booth would likely be Phaikholum J in Thanlon sub-division as polling personnel have to walk 35kms on foot to reach the village, she said.

With the lack of vehicle, overwhelming authorities here, Assist Com Maniram Sharma, an IAS officer has positioned himself on the road-side of Imphal along with officials from the Transport and Health Department to personally requisition the much needed vehicles.

Similar exercise was undertaken in the district by the State Police and the Transport Dept.

Meanwhile, the election environment here remains subdued by the ECI's code of conduct with almost nothing substantial landing on the public domain as the local media establishments remains overguarded on publishing any election related development.

Despite it, atleast two newspapers have been served a show cause notice for carrying advertisement without any official authorisation.

This in turn has made the already-guarded media to take the defensive step all the more, thereby disseminating only limited information to the public.

An evident case was the Press Conference call by CT Lian, a candidate from CCpur with due permission from the DEO.

His intention was to make the public aware of his manifestoes and the reasons he has opted to be in the fray.

The following day, a photo of the press conference and a brief note on the venue and that the candidate has hold a press conference sans what had been said, was all that was printed.

Other candidates, probably aware of the futility in holding similar conference here has so far refrain from calling one.

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