Kolkata, Dec 11 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, to conduct the hearings on the claims and objections in the second stage of the three-stage Special Intensive Revision (SIR) only at the offices of the District Magistrates who are also the District Electoral Officers concerned.

The Commission has directed that such hearings should not be conducted at the block development offices or the panchayat offices under any circumstances, sources in the CEO’s office confirmed.

“At the same time, the ECI had also directed that the hearings in the matter should be webcast mandatorily, and the footage of the same should be preserved. Following the strict instructions from the Commission, instructions have been sent to all the district magistrates, as well as the district electoral officers, to make all the necessary arrangements on this count,” sources in the CEO’s office confirmed.

The specially appointed roll observers for the state have also been advised by the Commission to be extra vigilant to ensure that the hearings in the matter are conducted at the District Magistrates’ offices.

Thursday is the last day for submission and digitisation of enumeration forms. The draft voters’ list will be published on December 16, thus bringing an end to the first stage of the three-stage SIR exercise in the state.

After the publication of the draft voters’ list, the second stage of the revision exercise, which will involve filing of claims and objections, and the notice phase — which is issuance, hearing, verification, and decision on enumeration forms and disposal of claims and objections — will be done concurrently by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).

After the second stage is over, the third and final stage, the publication of the final electoral roll, will be done. Soon after the publication of the final electoral roll, the ECI is expected to announce the dates for the crucial Assembly elections.

The ECI had already taken strong exception to not receiving a single proposal from the district magistrates and the DEOs, identifying private housing complexes with multiple high-rise towers suitable for setting up polling booths for the crucial Assembly elections in the state scheduled next year.

The Commission had also directed that during the period after draft publication of the Electoral Roll on December 16, all DEOs should immediately conduct survey of high-rise buildings, group housing societies, resident welfare association (RWA) colonies, slums and gated societies having at least 250 houses or 500 voters, with details of available rooms at ground floor level and identify suitable accommodation for polling stations within their premises.

–IANS

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