Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday sought a report from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the infrastructure conditions in the polling booths in West Bengal, ahead of the upcoming crucial Assembly polls.
A division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen sought the report from the commission acting on a public interest litigation, alleging poor infrastructure conditions in several polling booths in the state.
The public interest litigation was filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state President and Rajya Sabha member, Samik Bhattacharya.
As the matter came up for hearing, the bench stated that no detailed order in the matter could be given without hearing the ECI’s argument on this matter, and thus, sought a report from the poll panel in the matter.
It observed that the primary responsibility of reviewing the infrastructure conditions of the polling booth lies with the ECI, and the latter can give necessary instructions to the state government in this matter.
Hence, it sought a report from the Commission on what initiatives they have taken to ensure the infrastructure maintenance of the polling booths in the state.
The matter will be heard again next week.
The Election Commission has clear guidelines on the minimum infrastructure facilities that need to be maintained at the polling booths in any state or Union Territory. However, there had been long complaints among the voters in West Bengal that even such infrastructure facilities are not maintained in several polling booths in the state, especially in remote rural areas.
In view of the upcoming Assembly elections, the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), this time, wanted to make state public sector undertaking, Mackintosh Burn Limited (MBL), the implementation agency for maintaining infrastructure facilities, technically termed as assured minimum facilities (AMF) and extended minimum facilities (EMF), for the polling booths in the state.
Initially, the MBL management agreed to that also. But later, they informed the CEO’s office of their inability to take up the task.
(IANS)
