MANGALDAI, March 18 - The Darrang District Election Department has made all arrangements for a free and fair poll in the four Assembly segments in Darrang scheduled in the second phase on April 11. The notification for elections in all the four LACs namely 65 Kalaigaon, 66 Sipajhar, 67 Mangaldai (SC) and 68 Dalgaon were issued on March 15.
Briefing the media in his office chamber on Thursday, the Deputy Commissioner-cum District Election Officer of Darrang, Manoj Kumar informed that till date the flying squad already formed with the constituency magistrates and police have seized a total amount of Rs 19,58,300.00 in cash but after verification the seized amount was returned to the concerned persons while three illegal firearms were also seized. A total of 1138 licensed firearms were also deposited in the concerned police stations, he added. Taking a serious note of the flourishing business of illegal liquor, both country made and IMFL, the district administration has taken a strict initiative to make a reshuffle in the Excise department here and formed special squads headed by a Magistrate. Briefing media persons, the Deputy Commissioner said that for the first time the District Election department has made a special arrangement to transform ten polling stations in the district as model polling stations to provide required facilities like wheel chair, medical facilities for the elderly citizens, expectant mothers, ailing and differently able electorates. These model polling stations are: Kalaigaon HS School (right and left), Sipajhar BJ Girls High School and Sipajhar Academy, Mangaldai Town High School, Bhebarghat LP School (left and right) and Mangaldai Collegiate High School, Sailabala High School (right and left) in Kharupetia.
Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar also informed the media that for the first time in Darrang district, the district election department is going to introduce four all women polling stations where all the polling officials and security persons will be women. The polling stations at Kalaigaon HS School in Kalaigaon LAC, BJ Girls High School in Sipajhar LAC, Bhebarghat LP School in Mangaldai LAC and Sailabala High School at Kharupetia in Dalgaon LAC will be the �all women polling stations�- he added. For smooth and effective functioning of the Flying Squads to check the transportation and transaction of unaccounted money and other objectionable materials, the vehicles of the Flying Squads have been fitted with GPS for continuous monitoring by the central monitoring system.
District Development Commissioner Ranjit Kalita, Additional Deputy Commissioners Nara Narayan Nath and Dharmananda Barua, Election Officer Rahul Chandra Das, DIPRO Samar Kalita and Assistant Commissioner Antara Gogoi were also present during the press briefing.
