'Ensure no model code violations at any place'

Nellore: District Collector KVN Chakradhar Babu said a period of silence from 4 pm on Saturday till 4 pm on polling day March 13 should be maintained and during that time the model code of conduct should be strictly enforced so that no political campaigns or distribution of campaign material takes place.

Holding a review with the officials at the Collectorate on Saturday, he said that the employees and workers, who have registered as voters should be allowed to go on special casual leave, come to the offices late as required and adjust in shifts so that they can exercise their franchise freely as per directions of the ECI.

All lodges, hotels and function halls in the district should not be inhabited by public representatives, politicians or other persons, who are not related to MLC constituencies. The district election officer made it clear that the teams should conduct a thorough check and those who do not belong to the district should be sent out of the district.

He said appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that the code of conduct was not violated anywhere, and the collection of postal ballots should be completed by 5 pm on Saturday and the voters list marked copies should be segregated from the polling stations. From Sunday, the concerned voters will have to send the postal ballots directly to the Returning Officer in Chittoor, he said.

Chakradhar Babu said all steps should be taken to ensure that primary health centres and sub-centres function 24 hours a day on March 12 and 13, ambulances should be ready and Aarogyasri workers should be alert. Webcasting should be arranged in all polling stations by Sunday evening and connected to the control room of the district, he directed. The polling process, which will be held from 8 am on Monday, May 13, will be monitored through webcasting and said the control room set up with the number 1950 at the district headquarters should be active and appropriate steps should be taken to address the complaints immediately. The Collector said that all the voters should exercise their franchise by showing either the voter card issued by the CEC or any of the 12 types of identity cards issued for identification at the polling station. Joint Collector R Kurmanath, DRO P V Narayanamma, Kandukur Sub-Collector Shobika, Nellore, Kavali and Atmakur RDOs, Election Nodal Officers, Municipal Commissioners, MPDOs and Tahsildars participated in the meeting.