A week into the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal, 6.56 crore or
85.71 per cent enumeration forms were distributed till Tuesday. With 7.6 crore electorate in the state, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are under pressure to complete the form distribution as soon as possible.
This comes amid the recent death of BLO in the death of one in East Burdwan district. Namita Hansda, 50, suffered a brain stroke on November 8 while on duty and died in a hospital later that day. “She was under pressure to complete 80 per cent of the work by Saturday. I think she died because of the pressure,” her husband, Madhab Hansda, told reporters. The East Burdwan district magistrate has sought a detailed report on the incident from the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
Voters’ dilemma
Not just the BLOs, even the voters are facing issues. “I am staying with my father due to marital issues, so I have a problem getting the enumeration forms. I have to travel from Kolkata to Chinsurah in Hooghly, and I do not know which BLO to contact. If I don’t fill up the enumeration form, my name will be struck off the voter list,” a voter, Isha Majumdar, told THE WEEK.
“My name was on the 2002 SIR list. Though I got married in 2003, my name appears on the electoral list at my parents’ house too. I received the SIR form at my parent’s house in Kolkata, though I don’t live there. The local councillor at where I stay has been asked to submit a certificate within two days, asking me to cancel my name in the other voter list,” another voter, Rina De, told THE WEEK.
Birth certificates and documentation
The number of people queuing up at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation(KMC) office to get duplicate birth and death certificates has increased over the last two weeks. “People in large numbers are reaching KMC for birth certificates due to fear of SIR. If the KMC has records, they will provide the certificates,” deputy mayor Atin Ghosh told THE WEEK. The KMC is raising the daily quota to accommodate more people on a daily basis.
Many have left their houses too, like in Durgapur’s Bhangari Colony, a colony of scrap collectors. The colony wears a deserted look as many have left for their native villages to procure their documents. “They are scared that they would be sent to Bangladesh or detention camps if they are not included in the SIR and NRC (National Register of Citizens). They have gone to Birbhum and Murshidabad districts to get their documents,” according to a resident of the colony, Shiekh Amirul.
Challenges ahead
Many voters are yet to receive enumeration forms. In some cases, voters are unavailable due to their professional engagements and hence have to find ways to connect with the BLO in their Assembly constituency. Many whose names are not there in the 2002 SIR list are concerned about how to fill it up. Though the Election Commission says these voters would be called for a hearing, many, especially elderly voters, are concerned.
Meanwhile, challenges for BLOs will get tougher in the coming months, especially with regard to form collection to tallying data collected from the 2002 SIR list. This process is likely to take longer than the form distribution. The month-long SIR process has a December 4 deadline.
