PUNE, February 16: Divisional Commissioner Arun Bhatia today held a meeting of returning officers and assistant returning officers of Baramati, Pune and Khed Lok Sabha constituencies to ensure safe polling and counting process during the forthcoming general elections.The administrative machinery is all set to ensure smooth process of polling and counting in three Lok Sabha constituencies in Pune district, said Bhatia, after the meeting which took place at district collectorate here.In all, more than 38 lakh voters in the district will exercise their franchise on February 28 for which 5480 polling centres are being prepared.More than 30,000 employees and officials of the State government have been deployed on election duty, said district collector Vijay Mathankar while addressing the meeting. About 570 buses of Pune Municipal Transport, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal into service to ferry election duty staff to their various polling centres.The first phase of training for this election duty staff isover and second phase has begun from today, informed Mathankar further.Special audit officers have been deputed to keep a check on the expenditure of candidates in the fray, while every tehsildar, talathi and circle inspectors have been instructed to keep senior officials informed about meetings, padyatras and expenditure of candidates in the fray.
