The intensive electoral roll revision work has almost crippled the day-to-day functioning of city corporations and many Government departments.

With over 35,000 employees drawn from urban local bodies and many Government departments diverted for ongoing revision work over the last few weeks, some of the important works of these Government agencies - like revenue collection, teaching in school and distribution of new ration cards - have come to a standstill.

Sample this: Around 1,500 employees have been diverted for voters’ list revision work in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits alone. These include all 12 deputy commissioners, almost all revenue inspectors, teachers and others.

There are 1,424 block level officers (BLOs) on election duty in Bangalore. For every 10 BLOs, one nodal officer is appointed, and for every three nodal officers, one supervisor.

 Supervisors report to assistant electoral revision officers (around 26), deputy commissioners (12) and the district electoral officer, said BBMP District Electoral Officer B S Ramaprasad.

The State Electoral Office has empowered the deputy commissioners of all districts - who are also district electoral officers - to divert the required staff from any Government department to the revision work, he added.
“It being year-ending time, revenue inspectors are supposed to be on the field collecting tax. Inspectors have to sift the revenue records, list out defaulters, issue notices to them and collect the tax. Similarly it is examination time for teachers. But they are all have been diverted for the revision work,” said a BBMP official, who do not want to be named.

This diversion may even affect achieving the revenue targets set for 2007-08.

Ration card

The distribution of ration cards. has also been hampered. The Food and Civil Supplies department, which has drawn criticism for not being able to provide new computerised ration cards and BPL cards, was conducting its own survey with the help of employees of urban local bodies. But this has been stalled with work on the revision of voters’ list, officials pointed out.

The problem is grim this time round, as extensive door-to-door revision is being done twice in three month’s time.
The Central Election Commission ordered re-revision of electoral rolls recently after finding large number of errors in the voters’ list.

Ramaprasad agreed that day-to-day work has been affected the revision work. “We have no other option. BBMP staff are diverted following instructions from higher ups,” he stated.

“To ensure that teaching is not affected during examination time, most teachers on election duty, have been sent back. Instead, we have drawn from other Government departments like child and women welfare, and others,” he said.

 CRIPPLED

* Around 35,000 State Govt employees diverted for electoral revision work
* Most of them from urban local bodies
* Revenue collections by ULBs hampered