CEO directs DEOs to use flying squads effectively for prompt action against erring officials

Chandigarh, April 19, 2014: The Punjab Chief Electoral Officer VK Singh today directed the District Electoral Officers (DEOs) to get enquired complaints against government officials through Flying Squads (FSs) for prompt action along with sending the complaints to their concerned departments for further departmental action.
Presiding over a meeting of all DEOs through video conferencing, Singh pointed out that the CEO office was regularly receiving complaints regarding some lower level civil, police and excise officials, who were indulging in electioneering thereby violating Model Code of Conduct by misusing their position. He said that as the polling day was approaching near it becomes imperative to get these complaints enquired immediately and asked for using Flying Squads for this purpose. He clarified that no police official should be posted in his own assembly constituency or jurisdiction of Police Station, where he was posted, during election duty.
He said that the ECI has categorically directed to ensure that all the polling staff should be facilitated in casting their votes and it could be possible through efficient distribution and submission of postal ballots and election duty certificates.
The CEO asked that all the sensitive polling booths  should be covered through either by Para military forces or micro observers or web casting. He said that he was satisfied with the logistic arrangements being made by the DEOs but in case there was any difficulty, the concerned officer shouldn’t hesitate in approaching CEO Office to get the needful done. He also asked them to make the district level Media Certification and Monitoring Committees more pro active on the front of paid news. He said that the Punjab DGP would be asked to immediately depute DSPs for Lehra and Qadian.
Earlier, each DEO informed the CEO about arrangements being made for identifying one each model polling station per assembly segment with provision of waiting room, drinking water, queue management and appreciation letter for first time voters etc.
B.K. Bawa, IGP/Elections, Supreet Singh Gulati, Additional CEO and Amit Talwar, Joint CEO were also present in video conferencing.