Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, May 28: District administrations and police departments of both Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts have made elaborate , foolproof arrangements to ensure free and fair gram panchayat election scheduled to be held on Friday May 29.
In Dakshina Kannada district, 2,700 police and home guards staff have been deployed on election duty. Deputy commissioner of the district, A B Ibrahim, and SP, Sharanappa, said in a press conference that regular combing operation is in progress in naxal hit areas to instill a sense of confidence among the villagers there.
Out of 880 polling booths in the district, 65 have been identified as naxal-prone, 139 as super sensitive, 216 as sensitive, and 460 as normal booths. Security arrangements will be beefed up depending on the situation prevailing on Friday. A total of 2,000 policemen will be on duty. In addition to state industrial security force contingents from the city and Bengaluru, Karnataka State Reserve Police, district armed reserve police, and a company of Kerala police will be on polling duty.
61 mobile sector squads and 10 supervisory mobile squads will be keeping an eye on the election proceedings. In selected centres, proceedings will be recorded on video, the SP said.
Deputy commissioner, A B Ibrahim, said that the polling percentage for the 2010 gram panchayat election was 73.51 percent, and all efforts are made to improve this percentage this time.
Government offices, government factories, industrial concerns, educational institutions, schools and colleges located within gram panchayat limits where election is scheduled will remain closed on Friday, a government notification said.
Because of the election, schools will reopen after summer holidays on June 1 instead of May 29.