The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Residents yet to have a glimpse of Draft Photo Electoral Roll

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 11, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Residents yet to have a glimpse of Draft Photo Electoral Roll

K. Manikandan

Voters have time till June 19 to appeal for corrections

TAMBARAM : Almost a week after the release of the Draft Photo Electoral Roll for the Alandur constituency, residents and civic groups have appealed to the State Government to give more time for carrying out corrections.

The roll was released on Monday last and officials of the Election section of the Kancheepuram district administration said copies were kept at the respective polling booths, the Alandur municipal office, offices of other urban local bodies, zonal offices of Chennai Corporation, and post-offices apart from the taluk office and the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer, Chengalpattu.

However, residents in Chromepet, Pallavaram and Nanganallur complained that they were unable to have a glimpse of the roll so far.

They complained that staff in local bodies were simply not aware of the programme.

Senior citizens' plight

``We have seen similar programmes in the past. I have given several application forms for corrections, but they are never done,'' said N. Ananthanarayanan, 72, a resident of Lakshmi Nagar Fourth Street, Nanganallur. He said he walked into the Alandur municipal office and the Nanganallur post-office to have a look at the roll, but he was asked to check either his polling booth or visit the Tambaram taluk office. It was not an easy task for senior citizens like him to trek all the way to Tambaram for this purpose, he said.

Officials said the Draft Photo Electoral Roll for the Alandur constituency consisted of images and names of existing voters whose records were already available with them. In addition, the number of residual voters (those without Electors' Photo Identity Cards) in the constituency was identified after door-to-door verification and preparation of four checklists and they were included in the roll. During the Assembly elections in 2006, there were 4,31,704 voters in the constituency and the number had now come down to 3,25,605. The names of about one lakh voters were removed after corrections and deletions.

And of 3.25 lakh voters, the images and records of close to 3.1 lakh find a place in the draft roll. While assuring that problems relating to availability of this draft roll in polling stations, post-offices and local bodies would be sorted out immediately, officials said voters had time till June 19 to appeal for corrections and deletions.

Various forms

There are various forms: Form 6 for change of address to a different constituency: Form 7 for deletion of names: Form 8 for correction of details in the roll and Form 8A for change of address within the same constituency. All these forms would be available at all polling stations.

The forms would be scrutinised till June 29 and included by July 7.

The final Photo Electoral Roll would be published on July 20, officials said. Civic groups in different areas of the constituency have appealed for more time to submit the application forms to appeal for corrections.

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