Streamline system of deputing officers on poll duty: activist

Advocate and social activist Vivekananda Paniyala has written to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and also to the governor to come out with a policy and specific rules on streamlining the system of deputation of officers on election duty.

In a representation to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), he said officers in a few government departments/organisations/local bodies including city corporation, municipality and panchayat take undue advantage of the election season to evade their normal administrative functions citing "election duty."

He alleged that some officials even go to the extent of abruptly leaving the office during office hours citing the reason of election meeting with the DC.

Some of the lower rank officers are even giving misinformation to the general public claiming that they are in charge of election duty and therefore unable to attend even simple day to day administrative task causing hardships to the common man.

A few even ask citizens to come after the declaration of the election results. This is nothing but a breach of trust on the part of public servants, he claimed.

He has urged the authorities to display the photograph, name and the designation of the officers who are on election duty with the specified period of such assignment of special election duty.

Special timings of these officers on election duty should be displayed on the notice board for the public to meet them.

Paniyala also urged the authorities to display the name and designation of the officer who is in charge of the particular administrative task in place of the officer on election duty so that normal functions do not get disrupted.