All arrangements made in Udupi for smooth polling; tight security in place

Udupi, Apr 17: The district administration of Udupi, which falls under Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency, has made all arrangements to facilitate smooth polling in the four Assembly constituencies under its jurisdiction.

Deputy Commissioner Hephsiba Rani Korlapati told media persons that there were 15,13,231 voters in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency, including 7,74,674 women and 7,38,503 and 54 others. The total number of polling booths in the constituency, which included eight Assembly segments of Kundapur, Udupi, Kaup, Karkala, Sringeri, Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru and Tarikere, was 1,837.

The administration had made arrangements for setting up 25 Sakhi booths, two booths for differently abled persons and one ethnic booth. The administration had also made arrangements to provide for wheelchairs, magnifying glass, Braille script ballot papers, ramp and other facilities for the differently abled.

The administration had identified the vulnerable and critical booths and there would be additional vigil in these places. As many as 996 presiding officers, 996 assistant presiding officers, 1,367 security personnel, 952 Group D employees, 206 micro observers and 1,972 booth officers would be pressed into service on the polling day.

The administration had distributed voter slips to 99.05 % voters. The booth-level officers would be present at the help desk at polling booths. Electronic Voting Machines along with VVPATs had been arranged for polling in the district. The first and second rounds of randomisation of EVMs had been done in the presence of political parties and candidates.

The administration had received 222 complaints on C-Vigil app. Of them, 178 cases had been investigated and disposed of, while 44 were dummy cases. Action had been taken on 166 cases within 100 minutes.

As many as 1,513 calls had been received on the voter helpline and all of them were attended to. Of the 97 complaints received on NGRS portal, 90 had been disposed of.

Security stepped up

Udupi Superintendent of Police Nisha James said that tight security arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of parliamentary elections in the four Assembly constituencies of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary constituency in Udupi district.

Addressing presspersons here, Ms. James said that of the 865 polling booths in the four Assembly constituencies of Udupi, Kundapur, Karkala and Kaup in the district, 685 were normal, while 36 booths were in the naxalite-affected areas.

Personnel from the Police Department, Home Guards, Forest, four units of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), two companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, were being deployed in the district.

Already the police along with the Anti-Naxalite Force (ANF) had taken up combing operations eight times in the naxalite-affected areas.

As regards firearms, of a total of 3,733 arms, 3,696 have been deposited, while 29 had been exempted, one impounded and while licenses of six arms holders were cancelled and one case was pending as the permit holder was abroad, she said.