GUWAHATI: An Election Commission (EC) of India team led by its Director General Dharmendra Sharma has reviewed the progress of preparedness for the ensuing Assam Assembly poll.
The team reviewed the follow-up action of the directions given by the Election Commission during its January 18-20, 2021 visit to the State. The team also took stock of the situation and assessed the progress made on the provisions of AMF (Assured Minimum Facilities) at polling stations, creation of auxiliary polling stations and targeted SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation Programme) activities, especially for low voter turnout polling stations.
Special focus was laid on facilitating voting of PwDs (Persons with Disabilities) and senior citizens above the age of 80 years maintaining COVID-19 protocol, vulnerability mapping, training of personnel and ICT platforms, formation and functioning of election cells at the district level, electoral roll update and assessment of the law-and-order situation on the ground.
The first meeting was held with the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and his team on February 14. On February 15, the ECI team visited some polling stations of Nagaon and Kamrup districts, and later conducted a meeting with the DCs/DEOs, SPs and ROs of 11 districts – Kamrup, Kamrup (M), Jorhat, Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Nagaon, South Salmara, Dibrugarh, Biswanath and Dhubri – at Assam Administrative Staff College, Guwahati. On the same day, the team also held a meeting with the heads of the enforcement departments, where senior officers of NCB, SSB, Income tax, ED, CISF, SBI, Post Office, Customs, Excise etc., also took part.
On February 16, the team held a meeting through video conferencing with the Deputy Commissioners, Superintendents of Police, Returning Officers of the remaining 22 districts to evaluate the situation and poll preparedness. Thereafter, the ECI team conducted a meeting with the senior police and CRPF officers to take stock of the prevalent law-and-order situation.
The ECI team concluded its visit with a meeting with the Chief Secretary and senior Secretaries of Personnel, Home and Political, Health and Family Welfare, Transport, Excise, Revenue and Disaster Management, Panchayat and Rural Development departments and senior police officials of the state, a press release said.