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Journalism of Courage
VADODARA, Sept 6: The local administration claims to have saved at least Rs 40 lakh by holding a 8220;cost-effective poll8221; for Vadodara Lok Sabha seat on Sunday. The district administration, headed by collector Anil Mukim, reportedly conducted the polls with 8220;the same qualitative job with slightly less than Rs one crore.8221; The administration put the cost of the past two elections at an average of Rs 1.5 crore.
Well-placed sources in the district collectorate said the major cost-cutting was done through a bargain with the city8217;s leading caterers, bringing down charges for tables, chairs and meals from Rs 100 per head to Rs 60 this time. A check on fuel consumption of official vehicles also helped. The sources said although 2,000 vehicles were on poll duty for over a month, their 8220;planned movement8221; cut undue cost. Bargaining with printers of ballot papers and other poll-related material further enhanced the saving, they added.
8220;The main expenditure goes towards remuneration 8212; travelling and daily allowances for the 16,000 officials on election duties 8212; while other charges can be checked if circumstances allow,8221; Mukim said.
Meanwhile, about the final voter turnout for Vadodara seat, Mukim said though the tentative turnout was reported at around 30 per cent till late Sunday evening, late reports from far-flung booths had put the final figure at 41.4 per cent. He said although he had received about 18 complaints, only two cases were found to be genuine. An anti-social element in Gorwa area was detained for a fight in front of a polling booth while about six persons were detained for transporting several voters in a matador. The accused were released later in the evening, Mukim said.
