‘Candidates can check strong rooms’

GHMC Commissioner directs ROs to make election payment to staff. The Bhagyanagar Municipal Employees Union (BMEU) general secretary, Vinay Kapoor, alleged that the authorities did not make appropriate arrangements for the poll staff in carrying out their assigned tasks.

The Hyderabad District Election Officer (DEO) and GHMC Commissioner, Somesh Kumar said that the candidates could visit and check the strong rooms where the EVMs have been kept for safe custody till the counting day.

The candidates could check the strong room from a little distance from inner circuit of security and the Returning Officers were directed to send written intimation to them about this. The officers were also instructed to set up monitors to transmit the CCTV visuals from the strong rooms so that those outside the building could also watch the status.

At a review meeting on Monday, Mr. Somesh Kumar instructed the Returning Officers to make the election payment to the election personnel as per the norms and training day payment to other polling staff on self-declaration.

The meeting which was attended by M.K. Meena, District Collector and Returning Officer, Hyderabad Parliamentary Constituency, Rahul Bojja, Special Commissioner, GHMC and E. Sridhar, Joint Collector and Returning Officer, Secunderabad Parliamentary Constituency, discussed distribution of TA/DA to election staff, postal ballot and compliance of strong room security arrangement among others, according to a press release.

GHMC staff plan protest

A section of GHMC employees, who were drafted for election duties, are contemplating a strike protesting against the alleged ‘hardships’ faced by them during the poll related work for the last month. The employees say that they were not provided with basic amenities and also food and water during the poll duties. The Bhagyanagar Municipal Employees Union (BMEU) general secretary, Vinay Kapoor, alleged that the authorities did not make appropriate arrangements for the poll staff in carrying out their assigned tasks and even the petrol charges that were paid to them during last elections, were not given to them now.

“The employees who were on election duties are vexed up and we are meeting in next couple of days to decide on the protest,” he said.

Flyover

The GHMC Commissioner, Somesh Kumar, on Monday inspected the new link road between Begumpet and Balkampet and instructed the engineers to complete the work by May 25.

The link road which has flyover, Road under Bridge and a road, was sanctioned in 2005 and work started in 2007 with an estimated cost of Rs.42 crore. However, the project was delayed due to property acquisition at Customs Basthi, Indira Gandhipuram and Suprabhat nagar, delay in construction of RuB by the Railways and shifting of utilities, the release said.