BASAR, Jul 9: Leparada Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (DEO) Himani Meena on Thursday reviewed the progress of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with emphasis on the distribution, collection and digitisation of Enumeration Forms.
The meeting was attended by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) whose digitisation pendency remained above 30 per cent, along with officials of the Election Branch.
During the review, the DEO interacted with the concerned BLOs to understand the reasons for the delay. The BLOs cited challenges such as the death of registered electors, migration, change of residence, untraceable voters, migration of non-APST electors and disruption caused by incessant rainfall and landslides.
They also informed that access to several areas, including Ichi village under Dari circle, had been cut off due to flash floods, hampering door-to-door verification and collection of Enumeration Forms.
Acknowledging the field-level challenges, DEO Himani Meena directed the BLOs to record appropriate remarks in cases where forms could not be collected due to death, migration or untraceable electors, stressing that proper documentation is essential to maintain the accuracy and transparency of the electoral roll revision.
She instructed all BLOs to complete the digitisation of Enumeration Forms well before the Election Commission of India's deadline and intensify house-to-house visits and voter awareness activities to ensure that no eligible voter is left out.
Clarifying the provisions relating to electoral enrolment, the DEO said the decision to change the place of enrolment rests solely with the elector. In cases of duplicate enrolment, the elector must be given the option to choose the constituency where he or she wishes to remain enrolled, in accordance with Election Commission guidelines.
The BLOs were directed to submit daily progress reports from July 10, furnish reasons for genuine pendency, seek additional manpower wherever required and complete digitisation of all Enumeration Forms by July 13.
Another review meeting has been scheduled for July 13 to assess progress and address any remaining bottlenecks. The DEO expressed confidence that the district would complete the Special Intensive Revision within the stipulated timeframe through the dedicated efforts of election officials and BLOs. (DIPRO)