Hyderabad: Poll staff flout timing norms

Hyderabad: Nearly 100 booth-level officers who are part of the intensive revision of electoral rolls were found to be revising the lists after working hours and in their homes.

Rules do not allow addition or deletion of names after 6 pm on a working day. All changes have to be made in the local polling booths.

The Election Commission has ordered an inquiry. The EC has also issued notices to contractors who supplied tablets and laptops to the officers. Most violators were identified from constituencies in the north and south-central parts of the city. 

It was found that due to the survey extending for long hours, enrollment and deletions were delayed. Therefore, the officers continued the job at home.

The GHMC has appointed 3,879 operators to verify the voters list. This is to be online through tablets and laptops provided to them, at the polling station. Each station has a supervising officer.

GHMC additional commissioner (elections and census) Jayaraj Kennedy said, “We have identified a few booth level officers in Hyderabad, Khair-atabad and Secund-erabad constituencies who revised the electoral list during non-working hours. Through geo-tagging it was found that revision was done while officers were at their residences.”

He then ordered an inquiry. The investigation revealed that as the server was down for a while, one officer noted down details and revised the list at home. Most revisions proved to be accurate and matched the field reports.

“There were a few mysterious additions and deletions in some reports, which have been cancelled and a re-verification has been ordered,”  he said.