ECI reviews slow-performing booths in Gautam Budh Nagar, flags gaps in SIR progress

ECI panel examined district-wide progress on voter list purification, new registrations, deletion of duplicate and deceased voters, verification of address-shift cases and basic facilities at booth level

GREATER NOIDA: Senior Election Commission of India (ECI) officials on Thursday reviewed the progress of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gautam Budh Nagar and directed the district administration to expedite the pending work in slow-performing areas and ensure stricter on-ground monitoring.

District magistrate Medha Roopam briefed the commission on local preparations, stating that BLOs, supervisors, electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) had been trained as per norms and frequent meetings were being held with political parties, RWAs, builders’ associations and industry groups. (HT Archive)

The review, conducted at the DM office camp in Noida sector 27, was led by senior deputy election commissioner Manish Garg and Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa.

District administration officials said that the ECI panel examined district-wide progress on voter list purification, new registrations, deletion of duplicate and deceased voters, verification of address-shift cases and availability of basic facilities at booth level.

Garg instructed officers to “accelerate work in assemblies where progress is slow” and ensure that all stages of the SIR are completed within the timeline. He further stressed that data mapping and reporting must be cross-checked before submission to avoid errors.

“Quality of work is non-negotiable,” he said, asking the booth-level officers (BLOs) to finish door-to-door verification and increase outreach among first-time voters.

Rinwa asked the administration to support “weaker or overburdened” BLOs and tighten checks to prevent inaccuracies in the rolls. He added that continuous monitoring of every stage was essential to maintain transparency and reliability of the final electoral list.

District magistrate Medha Roopam briefed the commission on local preparations, stating that BLOs, supervisors, electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) had been trained as per norms and frequent meetings were being held with political parties, RWAs, builders’ associations and industry groups.

She said that media, online platforms and community networks were being used to push voter awareness and encourage cooperation. Progress is being reviewed daily at the district level, she added.

Following the meeting, ECI officials inspected a booth set up at a community centre in Noida sector 36 and interacted with BLOs and members of the local RWA to understand challenges on the ground. They also visited the centralised control room in sector 94 to assess the mapping work being carried out by BLOs and authority coordinators.

Officials from the election registration machinery, including EROs and AEROs, accompanied the team during the field inspection.