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Bihar Election 2020: Sanitisation in focus as Phase 2 ends
From deep sanitisation of 41,000 polling stations to the meticulous collection of biomedical waste, health and election officials had their work cut out in the second and largest phase of the Bihar assembly polls on Tuesday.
From deep sanitisation of 41,000 polling stations to the meticulous collection of biomedical waste, health and election officials had their work cut out in the second and largest phase of the Bihar assembly polls on Tuesday.
The sanitisation team, consisting of nearly 500 people for the three assembly segments in Sitamarhi, were armed with sanisitisers, sodium hypochlorite and deep cleaning materials and clad in personal protective equipment.
They disinfected 1,189 polling stations ahead of the second phase. According to people familiar with the matter, the spraying equipment was sourced at the panchayat-level and was the same as that used to spray crops.
Other such teams were deployed across the state, and their composition varied according to the density of polling stations, the people quoted above said.
Biomedical waste, discarded masks and gloves, were collected by a PPE-clad waste management teams. The first team started out in Bhagalpur, and made their way to designated polling stations in earmarked vehicles.
In Patna, a team of eight vehicles set out to collect the waste and delivered to the incinerator, in keeping with state’s protocol, near the polling station. In Aurangabad, 36 teams, each with an assigned vehicle, did the collection, while nearly 100 teams worked in Sitamarhi.
“Dustbins were kept at each polling station and waste left behind by the people was collected and disposed to ensure safety and protection against Covid-19,” said a person familiar with the matter. “The Election Commission insisted on tracking the vehicles to ensure all waste is disposed off efficiently.”
Election for 243 assembly seats in Bihar is being conducted under an unprecedented security and sanitation blanket because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Election officials have mandated face masks, hand sanitizers, thermal scanners, gloves, face shields, and PPE during the electoral process while ensuring social distancing norms. The commission also laid down guidelines for each polling station, including sanitization a day before the poll, markers for social distancing, putting up of Covid-19 awareness posters, and availability of hand gloves.
In Sitamarhi, the sanitisation team, headed by Abhilasha Sharma the returning officer , went from booth to booth to ensure the safety of the candidates and the polling staff.
“We managed to contain the pandemic two months ago, but all the precautions are being taken to make sure the guidelines laid down by ECI and the Centre are followeed,” Sharma told HT. “It was heartening to see that there was a 2% jump in the voter turnout, with even senior citizens venturing out to cast their votes.”
Sharma, who participated in two elections before this as a probationer in Darbhanga in 2015 and as assistant returning officer in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, saw a marked difference this time.
“Elections are about gathering polling personnel and shepherding the machinery,” Sharma said. “But this time the preparations started three months before the usual election calendar. Everyone strictly followed the Covid protocol. ”
