E-Paper
Civic Polls: 34 out of 1180 polling booths declared ‘highly sensitive plus’ in Prayagraj
Most of the ‘very sensitive’ and ‘very sensitive plus’ booths are in old city areas and in those localities which have a huge mixed population including Chakia, Atala and Kareli.
With the polling for urban local bodies elections set to take place on May 4 here, the district administration has categorised sensitive polling booths into three categories.
Apart from sensitive and very sensitive booths, the administration has identified ‘very sensitive plus’ booths as well in both the municipal limits of the district as well as in the eight nagar panchayat areas.
The administration has also formed special teams comprising sub divisional magistrates (SDMs), additional city magistrates (ACMs) and assistant commissioners of police (ACPs) ranked officers for the smooth conduct of elections.
Most of the ‘very sensitive’ and ‘very sensitive plus’ booths are in old city areas and in those localities which have a huge mixed population including Chakia, Atala and Kareli.
Thus, out of 1,180 booths, 34 have been declared as ‘highly sensitive plus’ booths that include 25 booths in the municipal limits while the rest are in nagar panchayat areas. Besides, there are also 98 ‘highly sensitive’ and 126 ‘sensitive booths’ this time around. Apart from deploying paramilitary personnel on these booths, the administration will be conducting videography during polling at all the highly sensitive plus booths, informed district election officer/district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Khatri.
Apart from this, micro-observers, sector magistrates and zonal magistrates will continue to keep a close vigil. Similar security arrangements will be there in sensitive booths where PAC will be deployed, he added.
The most sensitive booths are in the urban limits which include those in Allahabad South and Allahabad West assembly areas.
The highly sensitive plus booths include Yadgare Hussaini Inter College Chakia, Hamidia Girls Inter College Nakhas Kohna, Lekhpal training centre Gaus Nagar Kareli, municipal corporation school Roshanbagh, district panchayat primary school Karelabagh, Sahara public school Kareli etc. Along with these, Purushottam Das Tandon Inter College Mahewa West Patti, Purva Arya Kanya Vidyalaya of Peepal Goan, Savitri Devi Shankarlal College Kajipur Naini, Ranjit Pandit Inter College Naini, MNNIT-Teliarganj, Cholera Hospital in Allapur, Bal Vidya Mandir in Chak Imam Ali, Naini besides Masuriadin Inter College etc are also among ‘sensitive plus’ booths.
The ‘highly sensitive plus’ booths in nagar panchayat areas include Ram Pratap Inter College in Sirsa, Bharatganj Janta Inter College, Daniyal Primary School in Lalgopalganj, Chaini, Islamia School in Mauaima, Vijay Laxmi School in Phulpur, Dr Ambedkar Junior High School in Handia etc.
Meanwhile, gross negligence of the officials has come to fore in the civic elections due to which 5,942 voters are now out of the voter list of the urban local bodies polls. The total number of voters for elections for municipal corporation was 15,69,774 in the list issued by district administration but the same has now changed to 15,63,832.
The voters of the gram panchayats, which were included in the municipal limits, have been accommodated in other wards due to which there has been a partial change in the voter list.
Some voters of Nibi taluka Khurd are in the gram panchayat. When the voter list was prepared, due to the negligence of the employees, these people were shown in the municipal corporation limits. As a result, not only the number of voters but the number of booths stands changed. Earlier there were 1184 booths in urban body polls which is now reduced to 1180. Apart from these, 127 booths are of eight nagar panchayat areas.
