Against the backdrop of Varun Gandhis hate-speech in Pilibhit,the administration has appointed 71 video-graphers to video-track public rallies and meetings and sabhas in the district to keep a check on the implementation of the model code of conduct.
Carrying identity cards,the videographers will be recording all the events and handing over the tapes to the election branch. We have given two videographers to the 21 assistant returning officers,10 to the rural police and 16 to the city police and they have been asked to give the videotapes to the respective returning officers in the constituency, said Dnyaneshwar Khillari,deputy collector and head of the election branch. All public meetings of the candidates will be covered and the tapes kept with us. If there is any complaint,it will be easy for us to initiate action, he said.
With just a month to go before the district goes for polling,the election branch has received six complaints for violation of the election code of conduct. These include the objections raised against the transfer of employees by the chief conservator of forests. Former MLA Gajanan Babar has pointed out that the PCMC filled up survey forms for slum rehabilitation programme during this time while the BJP has put up a complaint against the NCPs probable candidate and MLA Vilas Lande for distributing watches to news reporters on his company premises.
Khillari said a thorough inquiry will be conducted in each of the cases. There is a complaint from the primary labour cooperative society against the district deputy registrar for issuing backdated orders to labour union societies as well as another one against a sarpanch for laying a foundation-stone at Talegaon-Ambethan at Chakan. There is also an individual complaint for non-removal of banners. Khillari said the inquiries will be conducted in a week.
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The election branch has also collected 1,028 licensed arms and 10 unlicenced arms to prevent the use of arms in clashes. We have information that 3,635 persons have been issued non-bailable warrants during this period to avoid any problems,he said.
Meanwhile,the department also got 19,626 flex signboards and wall posters removed in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) area and nearly 934 boards in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area.
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