Team Herald
PANJIM: The figures available from Election Commission of India (ECI) reveals that there are more than 10,000 government employees have been excused from their regular duties to remain a part of world’s biggest democratic process – Lok Sabha elections and also the by-polls in three Assembly Constituencies at Mandrem, Shiroda and Mapusa. The polls are scheduled on April 23 in all these constituencies.
Against that backdrop, in Goa, several government offices are wearing a deserted look since last fortnight as the staff have been deputed on various election duties, leaving the work stranded and general public in lurch.
The manning of all the 1,652 polling booths across the State has been mandate of government servants, who are working in different teams under District Returning Officers.
Depending on their location and capabilities, the government servants have been posted with various Flying Squads, which also include round the clock duty. They are assigned different constituencies where they have to keep watertight vigil.
The government servants have also undergone stringent training to make sure that the entire election process is incident-free and held within the guidelines of Election Commission of India. “We have drawn nearly 10,000 employees from different government departments. They have been given training to carry out the allotted task on the polling day,” an officer attached with the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer said. Besides field duties and assignments at polling booths, they are also helping functioning of Chief Election Office at Altinho in Panjim.
As a part of investigations, Herald went around the government offices to find that more than 50 per cent of the staff has been pulled out for election duty. “The circumstances are unavoidable because the government employees, as a part of the election process are often roped-in for the poll-related duty. They also get incentives for this period,” an officer said.
Even the teachers have not been spared from the election duties. It has come to the fore that out of the total number of staff pulled in for election duty; the biggest group constitutes the teaching and non-teaching staff who were amongst the first to be allotted electoral duty, whereas negligible number of employees from the ‘essential services’ like hospitals, power and water departments, etc are roped in considering their requirement during emergency situation.
What has further crippled the government functioning is that the vehicles attached to various departments, civic bodies and semi-government organizations have been assigned for election duty. Several offices are left with lone vehicle or without any, curtailing the movement. “Vehicles are also temporarily drawn from various departments for hassle-free movement of observers and poll officers on duty,” the officer further said adding, “Subject to the CEO order, the staff will return to their respective parent department after April 23. So also, the vehicles will be returned to the respective departments.”
