Not a single genuine voter should get left out, Mamata tells DMs
Mamata Banerjee
on Thursday told district magistrates that not a single genuine voter should be struck off electoral rolls, stressing that "absence from home" could not be a presumption for "making a decision".
Senior govt officials who attended the meeting said Banerjee repeatedly told DMs — who are also district election officers — that everyone should be given a fair chance to explain themselves before their names are deleted from the rolls.
The CM also flagged her concern that around 1,000 govt staffers, booth level officers (BLOs) and their supervisors were sent to Delhi for training without even informing Nabanna. "I did not know about it," a senior officer said, quoting the CM.
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The prescheduled meeting with the DMs was timed ahead of Bengal govt's ambitious Rs 8,000 crore Amar Para, Amar Samadhan (my neighbourhood, my solution) project launch statewide on Aug 2. In this project, govt officers will meet people and chart their priorities for work to be done with a budget outlay of Rs 10 lakh per booth. There are over 80,000 booths in Bengal.
Speaking on the electoral rolls issue, Banerjee reiterated that names of voters should not be deleted whimsically, and all should get a chance to defend themselves as part of natural justice.
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BLOs must revisit homes where residents are absent, the CM said, "as people can be out of their homes for days or weeks". BLOs should visit the homes of absentee voters twice or thrice to locate them, Banerjee said. She wanted a proper survey of voters by BLOs and wanted them to work in an unbiased manner.
Banerjee also asked DMs to engage as many migrant workers as possible — who are returning home after being harassed for speaking Bengali in different states — in Karmashree scheme.
The CM had earlier indicated that the state govt was planning to provide jobs to these workers. The rehabilitation of these assaulted migrant workers was also being chalked out, Banerjee had said.
On Amar Para, Amar Samadhan, the DMs were alerted so that trivial issues are sorted out instantly and grievances like potholes or repair of taps are taken care of. As part of this project, Banerjee also wanted drainage solutions in rural areas and flood relief to areas that are marooned.
The CM asked for evacuation of people from low-lying areas where there are chances of fresh floods.
The secretary in the North Bengal Development department, D Nariala, was asked to keep tabs on the flood situation as excess water release from Teesta barrage might worsen the situation. The DMs were asked to keep track of waterlogging, put stress on dengue prevention drives and accelerate shopping mall project in districts where products of self-help groups would be on sale.
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