Batticaloa Local Polls:

Largest ever manpower deployment for Batti polls

Rasika Somarathna in Batticaloa

BATTICALOA: The Police and Election authorities are to undertake the largest ever manpower deployment for a single district, in the history of Local Government polls to ensure a free and fair election in Batticaloa set for the March 10. The poll is be ing held after a lapse of 14 years.

According to DIG (Elections) for Batticaloa, H.M.D. Herath 6,425 officers are to be deployed for duty on the election day, out of which 1,800 officers are from outstations, in accordance with a request by several political parties.

Five officers are to be deployed to provide security for every polling station, in addition to mobile patrols which operate 24 hours a day.

Police will also set up 12 roadblocks for all the counting centres in addition to special security arrangements to transport ballot boxes on election day. Election authorities have planned to set up 285 polling stations to cater to 270,471 registered voters in addition to special arrangements for displaced voters numbering 11,000.

Twenty six counting centres are also to be set up. According to Assistant Commissioner for Elections (Batticaloa) M. Krishnandalingam 4,200 officers would be used on the polling day out of which 1,400 are to be deployed at counting centres.

According to Krishnandalingam additional manpower has been sought from outstations to overcome the lack of qualified officers from the district, with comprehensive training being provided to all officials.

Batticaloa consists of 12 local bodies out of which elections were held for three Pradeshiya Sabhas in 2006.

The elections slated to take place on March 10 is expected to complete the process by electing representatives to the rest including the Municipal Council.

A total number of 831 candidates are in the fray out of which 101 would be elected. Six political parties are contesting the polls with 22 independent groups too joining the contest.