Srikakulam: ‘Bias’ in allotment of poll duties opposed

Srikakulam : Officials of all departments except revenue are strongly opposing the ‘unscientific’ allotment of election duties. According to details, in the wake of upcoming elections, officials and employees of various departments were allotted to Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and Flying Squad Teams (FST) across the district to maintain strict vigil on all election related activities till polling day.

As per the rules, each team works eight hours shift with three shifts in a day. Normally, officials and employees of various departments are allotted to SST and FST duties at their working places area taking mandal as a unit.

If they are allotted to duties at other than their work place, mandal and district administrations need to allocate funds for their conveyance as the officials and employees of the SST and FST are required to perform those duties in addition to regular duties.

Officials and staff from all departments, except revenue, were allotted to SST and FST duties to mandals far away from their regular working place. But at the same time revenue department officials and staff are allotted to these SST and FST duties in their place of work.

This alleged partiality and disparity was questioned by the staff of other departments. They are also planning to take the issue to the notice of the Chief Electoral Officer and Election Commission as they did not get relief even after submission of memorandum to the district collector Manzeer Zilani Samoon.

These officials are demanding the district administration to allocate funds for their conveyance to attend SST and FST duties, changing of shifts once a week or 10 days, withdrawal of orders issued to women officials and employees allotted to distant places from their places of work.

“We are ready to attend election duties as part of SST and FST but shift system should be implemented for us, we should be deployed in the mandals where we are currently working or conveyance should be paid. We oppose exemption and facilities only to revenue staff,” said panchayat raj engineers and officials K C H Mahanthi, S V A Polinaidu, S V P L Gayathri, Y Hymavathi, K Leela, K Ramu and others.