Amid tight security, the first day of polling for panchayat election in Dehradun went off peacefully on Wednesday. Dehradun District Magistrate Dr BVRC Purushottam and Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Rautela inspected polling booths in Vikasnagar during polling.
The SSP said that with the deployment of adequate police force, the polling began at 7 am at each polling booth and went off peacefully in the district. To prevent untoward incidents, security was beefed up around polling bound areas and police force was deployed at the polling booths based on the sensitiveness level. Not a single report of disturbance from any polling bound areas was reported by Wednesday evening. According to him, large numbers of voters were witnessed standing in queue to exercise their franchise at various polling booths till 4 pm.
Rautela said that polling was held at 167 polling centres in Chakrata and 205 polling centres in Vikasnagar. One sub-inspector along with two Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel was deployed at polling booths marked as ultra sensitive. Two PAC personnel were deployed at sensitive polling booths. One constable and one Home Guard or PRD jawan were deployed at each polling booth in the district. He said that he inspected and reviewed security in 40 polling centres on Wednesday. “In order to conduct first phase of panchayat election peacefully, two circle officers seven inspectors, 163 sub inspectors, 75 head constables, 72 constables, 521 home guards, 57 PRD jawans and four companies of PAC were deployed in Chakrata and Vikasnagar,” he added.