Collector Sandeep Nanduri inspected preparatory work for the second phase of rural local body elections, scheduled to take place on Monday.
Five panchayat unions are going to polls in the second phase in Thoothukudi district and the Collector oversaw dispatch of election materials and ballot boxes to polling booths.
Of 994 polling booths, 170 have been identified as sensitive in the five unions.
Of these, 80 booths will be monitored by micro observers while the rest will be supervised through web cameras. “Revenue and police officials have been posted in these booths to avoid any untoward incident. In the first phase, 2200 police were deployed and in the second phase 2300 police will be deployed for election duty. Steps have been taken to shift ballot boxes after the polling to strong rooms in counting centres. Ballot boxes from the first phase have been kept in strong rooms under CCTV surveillance,” he said.
He said that candidates could visit booths at any time.
Security has been stepped up in the Velavan Pudhukkulam Panchayat in Sathankulam Union which is bound for a re-polling on Monday. A repoll was ordered as secrecy of voting was compromised. The police have arrested two persons identified as Muthumalai and Paramasivan for violating election rules and are on the lookout for three more persons. He warned that anyone who flouts rules or disrupts elections will be arrested and detained under Goondas’ Act.
Deputy Collector Sankaranarayanan, Assistant Commissioner Sukumar, Block Development Officers of Ottapidaram Union Helen and Valarmathi were present during the inspection.
