Palamu administration has become cautious after the second phase of polling. DC Shashi Ranjan and SP Chandan Kumar Sinha and their team are reviewing preparations for the third and fourth phase of the panchayat elections here.
An unexpected turn of events including one death has made the district administration more cautious and careful.
Two incidents, one of them most tragic, which occurred during the second phase of the panchayat polling in Palamu on May 19, have jolted the administration much.
The first episode is of the death of the polling officer(1) identified as Nand Lal Rajak,53, who did his poll duty under Naudeeha Bazar but fell dead on arriving at the strong room venue in Daltonganj Thursday evening. His death was most sudden and shocking. It came as a curtain down on all the preparations done for the second phase.
Sources close to the deceased person’s family said Rajak had an onset of uneasiness and restlessness on Thursday May 19 the day of voting when he was working as polling officer 1 for the second phase of panchayat election under Naudeeha block and he was said to have told about his being unwell and sick to other of his 4 member polling party but none of his polling party took any serious note of his physical distress and discomfort as he was made to work like others which finally took the toll of the life of Rajak.
They said had any member of his 4 man polling party informed or alerted the BDO or CO or the sector magistrate even about his failing health condition, Rajak would not have then remained without medical aid for such long hours on May 19.
The second episode was more than an hour long staying away of the voters of Kokro from voting in sheer protest against the relocation of their Kokro booth at Akwaniya booth.
Sources said this incident could have caused immense embarrassment to the Palamu administration but for the prompt and swift intervention of the SP the abstention to voting changed into happy voting after 90 minutes of great uncertainty over whether to vote or not to vote.
On the death of polling officer (1) Rajak DC Shashi Ranjan said, “We are too saddened and shocked by his passing away. We stand with the family of the deceased in this great hour of sorrow and grief. We will provide the family his entire dues and ex gratia assistance that comes in the event of death while performing poll duty etc without any delay or hassle.”
The DC said few members of the deceased person’s family met him last night who were assured of all assistance from his side.
Ranjan said they have directed polling officials, security personnel and all other related to the poll works to take any health complaint of anyone on duty in all seriousness and sincerity and to pass it on to the next senior officer for medical assistance like doctor check-up, rushing by ambulance to community health centre or at MMCH Daltonganj.
He said it is our clear instruction to all not to ignore, overlook or suppress any health discomfort of any one on duty as we have enough of a reserve stock of personnel and officials ready to substitute or replace.
Family of the poll official in health distress must be immediately informed, said the DC.
The DC said we are going to reassess relocation of booths as well, as in the third phase 37 booths were relocated but today we will have one more second thought of it.
This extraordinary step to again review relocation of booths has arisen because of the Kokro booth episode where the voters were hell bent not to vote protesting the relocation.
Shashi Ranjan said we will again reassure about the distance between the original booth and the relocated booth and if we find the distance between the two any more exhaustive or tiring or causing problem to health then we will try to set up more clusters to help our polling parties and security forces to negotiate comfortable distance only and not to have arduous and tiresome journey to reach the relocated booth.