No way to skip poll duty

For all government employees who are planning to feign illness to escape from election duty, here is some bad news.

For all government employees who are planning to feign illness to escape from election duty, here is some bad news. The district election officer (DEO) has formed a three-member medical board headed by the chief medical officer (CMO) that will conduct health check-up of all such employees.

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If found fit, these employees will have no option but to report on duty. According to the DEO, Dilip Jawalkar, "If an employee continues to skip election duty on medical grounds even after the board declares him fit, he will be admitted to the hospital."

"We will surely give consideration to genuine cases but fake excuses would not work," he added. It has also been observed that employees deputed on election duty stop going to their parent offices, thereby hampering the routine work. To take such employees to task, the district administration has directed the department heads to make sure the employees report to work except for days when they are required for election-related work.

Notably, the district administration needs some 7,500 personnel to conduct elections in 10 assembly seats in Dehradun district. Dehradun district will have some 851 polling centres and 1,431 polling booths, which will be manned by employees of both the centre and the state government.