Staff Correspondent
SILCHAR, March 31: Authorities in Cachar district are all set for smooth conduct of the polls tomorrow by taking precautionary measures against Covid-19.
According to the District Election Office, Cachar, 12,78,881 voters, including 6,47,868 male, 6,30,999 female and 14 transgender voters, will exercise their franchise in 1,834 polling stations spread across seven constituencies – Silchar, Udharbond, Lakhipur, Borkhola, Katigorah, Sonai and Dholai – in the district.
However, Covid-19 has posed a challenge before the district administration.
Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said, “Considering the Covid-19 threat, every voter will have to undergo thermal scanning at the polling stations. Thermal scanners have already been given to all the polling stations in the district as per the ECI guidelines.”
“If any voter is found to be having high temperature, the voter would be given a token and he or she would be asked to vote in the last hour of voting when the polling officials will wear PPE kits. As a precautionary measure, voters will be given gloves to wear while pressing the button on the EVM. We will also provide face masks to the voters,” she said.
The District Magistrate further informed that all steps have been taken to ensure hassle-free conduct of the polls. “There will be webcasting facility in 918 polling stations. Sufficient number of CRPF personnel, micro observers and videographers will be deployed,” she said.
Jalli said the district will have 201 all-women polling stations, which is the highest in the State.
The administration will provide free transportation facility to the voters above 60 years and persons with disability in all the municipal wards of Silchar.
ADC Sumit Sattawan informed that boats have been arranged to ferry polling personnel to five polling stations in the district. “We have four polling stations in Lakhipur LAC and one polling station in Katigorah LAC wherein boats were arranged for transportation of polling officials. We have taken assistance of the BSF to help the poll party cross a river to reach the polling station at Katigorah,” the ADC added
