Patrolling has been intensified in the districts whose borders were touching with poll-bound Bihar. Borders have been sealed at Sonebhadra and Chandauli districts from Thuirsday morning as the adjoining districts of Bihar Kaimur and Rohtas would go to polls on Friday in the second phase of polling. Around 42 police stations of seven districts of UP including Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Deoria, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli and Sonebhadra share border with Bihar. These districts fall under Gorakhpur, Azamgarh and Varanasi divisions.
While the districts adjoining Ballia and Ghazipur will go to polls in Bihar on October 26, Kushinagar, Maharajganj and Deoria would go to polls on November 1. Election Commission of India (ECI) had already held a video-conferencing with senior officials of UP for checking entry of people during the polling dates in Bihar from UP side.
Inspector General of Police (law and order) Satish Ganesh said here on Thursday that 11 coordination meetings have been held with the commissioners, IGs, District Magistrate and police chiefs along with other staff between August 4 to September 27. It has been decided to set up 73 border posts in these districts to check the entry of anti-social elements in Bihar from UP side during the polling. These 73 border posts 22 each would be set up in Kushinagar and Deoria, 20 will be set up in Ballia, 12 in Chandauli, three each in Ghazipur and Sonebhadra and one in Maharajganj, he said.
Ganesh said video-graphy of every check post is mandatory while at 53 places of public movement, round the clock pickets would be deployed. For patrolling in remote areas, 56 teams have been constituted which would mainly check smuggling of arms and money and movement of notorious elements. The IG said directives have been issued to give names and mobile numbers of nodal officers, ASPs, Dy SPs and SHOs to the officers concerned in Bihar. He added that a video-conferencing would be held with the officials of the Election Commission and further action would be taken as per the directives.