Tuesday, 12 NOVEMBER 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
In preparation for the smooth conduct of the Kedarnath Assembly by-election in Rudraprayag district, the additional director general of police and the State police nodal officer for the election, AP Anshuman conducted a video conference with Rudraprayag’s district in-charge Akshay Konde and senior officers concerned on Monday. The officers gave him an overview of security and operational measures being taken to ensure an incident-free election process. They informed that a total of 162 polling stations and 173 polling locations have been established for the by-election. The district has been divided into 27 sectors and two zones with eight flying squad teams (FSTs) and ten static surveillance teams (SSTs) in place for close monitoring. A security plan aligning with Election Commission of India (ECI) standards has been prepared and the police are ensuring compliance by collecting licensed firearms. They said that the police have collected 95 per cent of such firearms in the district so far. The officials informed the ADG that preventive measures have been stepped up with approximately 210 litres of illegal alcohol and valuables worth Rs 1.95 lakh seized. The police teams are keeping close watch on any anti-social elements and placing them under legal restrictions according to the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Anshuman said in the meeting that all officials and personnel involved in the election process are under the jurisdiction of the ECI and adherence to its directives is mandatory. He also directed officers to draft a force deployment plan and get it approved in a timely manner. He also directed the officials to increase patrolling, ensure border coordination with neighbouring districts, surveillance on social media platforms to prevent the spread of misinformation and secure accommodations for election personnel, including paramilitary and support forces. He informed that candidates’ security will be provided as per the established norms and officers are directed to thoroughly brief all police forces on election duty. Strongroom security will be ensured under the supervision of gazetted officers and CCTV monitoring will be conducted at critical locations, including strongrooms and border checkpoints. Given the challenging terrain of Rudraprayag, disaster-prone polling stations will be monitored with advanced planning and SDRF teams have been briefed to handle any emergencies, Anshuman said.
