SHILLONG: The pressure groups have said they do not believe the statement of the Deputy Commissioner, Sanjay Goyal that the public hearing for a group of people from Lyngkhat village under Pynursla constituency in the Deputy Commissioners’ office has been cancelled.
“We suspect that the Deputy Commissioner is trying to mislead us,” KSU employment cell chairman Lamboklang Marngar told newsmen on Wednesday.
Informing that he had personally gone to meet the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) Ms EB Suja at her chamber on Tuesday, Marngar said that she had made it very clear that the hearing would be held as scheduled as it was not possible to cancel the public hearing since everything has been finalized.
According to Marngar there is a clear indication that the Deputy Commissioner is trying to save face in the eyes of the public.
“Goyal fully understands that his decision to conduct the hearing at his office chamber is totally against the assurance given by the Government to the pressure groups. This is also the first time that the hearing is being held in the Deputy Commissioner’s office. In the past, the hearing was being held in the village itself,” he said.
Meanwhile, KSU Pynursla unit president Ennocent Khongstia said that this is the third occasion that the eight people who have been asked to appear for the hearing are trying to get themselves enrolled in the electoral rolls of Lyngkhat village.
“During the hearing conducted in the village in 2012 and 2013, the application of these eight people who originally hailed from Bangladesh was rejected since they had failed to produce the necessary documents to prove they are genuine Indian citizens. In fact, there are many other Bangladeshis whose application was rejected during the hearing held in the village. But now it is only these eight people who have come all the way to Shillong to get themselves enrolled,” Marngar observed.
While revealing the names of the eight people who have applied for enrolment, the KSU Pynursla unit president said that the names as per the notice served by the ERO, EB Suja on March 23 includes Nintu Kuri, Rabita Kuri, Nidho Kuri, Jumpi Kuri, Anjum Kuri, Niren Kuri, Ram Prasad Kuri and Dipali Kuri.
Meanwhile, the Minister in charge of Border Area Development (BAD) Prestone Tynsong, who is also the MLA of Pynursla constituency said that he has asked the Deputy Commissioner to conduct the hearing in Lyngkhat village itself since this has always been a practice in the past.
“The process to verify the applicants should be done at the villages, not only for the areas under his Pynursla constituency but for the areas in other constituencies as well,” Tynsong told newsmen on Tuesday.
He said that now the matter has been left to the BDO of Pynursla Block who is also the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) to conduct the hearing adding that the AERO will fix the next date of hearing
Tynsong also feels that the process should be conducted in the villages as the village authorities know better than anybody else the antecedents of the applicants from their area who want to enrol as voters.
Meanwhile, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal has clarified that updation of the Electoral Rolls is part of the Continuous Summary Revision mandated by the Election Commission of India which includes corrections, modifications, deletions as well as inclusion of names.
Goyal said that concerns have been raised regarding the procedures adopted in taking up this exercise by various Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) in disposal of various forms submitted in this regard.
He, however, clarified that hearing for all the forms as applied for, will be held at various locations in the blocks and rural areas in the various Assembly Constituencies in the district as done in the past.
He further said that hearings are conducted by the ERO AERO concerned who are State Government Officials performing their duties as per the relevant Acts and Rules, provisions and instructions of the Election Commission of India.
“The ERO/AERO has to satisfy himself/herself about the eligibility of the person before taking a final decision after the hearing. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been appointed for every Polling Booth to conduct preliminary enquiry on the spot and assist the ERO/AERO for the purpose of hearing.
He also informed that all the Political Parties have been contacted in the past and have been encouraged to appoint Booth Level Agents who can also help the EROs/AEROs in this exercise.