Over 1.4 lakh police personnel have been deployed on bandobust duty for the Lok Sabha election on Thursday and counting day on May 23.
Of the total strength of State police, which is now 1.16 lakh, over 90,000 will be deployed, besides 160 companies of Central paramilitary forces. Uniformed personnel from the Fire, Prison and Forest Departments, home guards, NSS volunteers and retired police personnel are on duty in addition to police and Central forces.
A senior police officer told The Hindu , “As many as 160 companies of Central forces reached us and have been deployed to various places across the city. They completed flag marches and area domination work. Now we are dispatching police personnel from the State force to the assigned places and they will commence bandobust duties from Wednesday morning. Over ₹72 crore has been disbursed to them to meet their food and other expenses.”
The Central forces will take positions in the assigned polling stations on the eve of polling day. The personnel should be primarily responsible for protecting the polling stations and regulating the entry inside the polling stations and exit points.
The State police personnel would be responsible for maintenance of the general law and order in the catchment area of the polling stations, as well as inside and outside.
Instructions were also issued to identify and optimally utilise resources for poll duty.
DGP-Elections Ashutosh Shukla has emphasised the importance of uninterrupted communication for effective functioning of law and order machinery during election.
He also instructed all police officials to identify the places that are trouble- prone and to form adequate numbers of Quick Reaction Teams.
