300 polling stations to be manned by women
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 28 2019:
Chief Electoral Officer Manipur PK Singh has conveyed that for the coming Inner and Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency elections, 300 polling stations will be managed only by women adding that all the polling stations in Yaiskul and Churachandpur Assembly Constituencies will be operated by women only.
PK Singh, while addressing media persons at his conference hall in Lamphel today, mentioned that 38 polling stations in Yaiskul AC and 74 polling stations in Churachandpur AC will be managed by women, which will be the first of its kind in Manipur.
Informing that one model polling station will be installed at each Assembly Constituency of the State for which necessary fund has been sanctioned, he noted that the total number of voters in the State (including 20,185 service voters and 45 third gender voters) has reached 19,59,429 .
The CEO further informed that there are 2862 polling stations in the State out of which 283 have been identified as critical polling stations (Outer-227, Inner-56) and 225 have come under vulnerable polling stations (Outer-171, Inner-54) and added that polling parties will visit 200 polling stations two days before the election day while 56 polling stations will be visited by the polling parties three days before the election.
He further conveyed that as per the instruction of ECI, 7699 differently abled persons in the State have been identified or marked in accordance with their respective polling stations while five vehicles per Assembly Constituency have been arranged for their transportation to ensure that they cast their vote in the election.
The CEO went on to state that geo-tagged photos of differently abled persons will be taken in order to ensure that all PwDs cast their vote.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has appointed four senior IAS officers of the State, Principal Secretary JC Ramthanga, Commissioner cum Secretary M Lakshmikumar, Commissioner cum Secretary Th Gopen Meitei and Commissioner cum Secretary Gyan Prakash, as members of Accessibility Observer.
The CEO office will be disseminating awareness on 'voter guide' to every household included in the electoral roll, PK Singh said and added that the Home Ministry has approved deployment of 15 Companies of IRB of the State along with 90 Companies of Central Armed Forces as well.
All 90 Companies (CRPF, BSF, RPF and State armed police of Mizoram and Assam) will be utilised in the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency while 44 Companies will be utilised in the Inner Parliamentary Constituency, he added.
The officer went on to state that the ECI has appointed two general observers in the Outer PC and one observer for Inner PC adding that one police observer and two expenditure observers have also been appointed in the Inner and Outer PCs.
The polling officials along with the polling material will be transported using three helicopters to a total of 124 polling stations of Churachandpur, Tamenglong, Ukhrul and Chandel, he said adding that cashless treatment will be available for security personnel, police, polling officials etc at hospitals including private ones in case of emergencies, as per the direction of ECI.
PK Singh further maintained that live webcasting or static video recording will be carried out at the critical and vulnerable polling stations.
He added that ECI has been requested to approve installation of 34 counting halls.
Central control room will be opened at the CEO office to keep a close watch on the EVM and VVPAT machines, which will be carried in reserve by Sector Magistrates while control rooms for EVM will be opened at respective DC offices as well, he added.
The officer further stated that necessary steps have also been taken up at each polling station for supply of electricity, drinking water, furniture, toilets etc.
In connection with the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, the Income Tax has mopped up Rs 10.27 lakh while police and Excise Dept have seized Rs 32 lakh worth of liquor while Customs Dept has seized Rs 1.12 crore worth of gold and narcotics and drugs worth Rs 4.33 crore and poppy plants worth Rs 19.25 crore have been disposed/destroyed.
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