Kerala - Kochi

Arrangements for counting being completed

Staff Reporter

Classes for counting officers begin today

KOCHI: Arrangements for the counting of the votes for the Assembly elections are being completed in the district. The posting of 1,120 staff members of the Revenue and other departments as counting officers has been completed. The classes for counting officers will be held on Monday and Tuesday at 14 counting centres, according to District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish.

The Collector said the final sprucing up of the counting centres was being completed.

The Collector will conduct personal inspection of all the counting centres before Tuesday. The counting centres at Paravur and Vadakkekara were already inspected on Sunday.

All facilities, including telephone and fax, have been provided at the counting centres. Each centre will have 14 tables so that the counting of 14 polling booths could be taken up at the same time. The agents of candidates can also attend the classes to be held for the counting officers on Monday and Tuesday.

Four more observers have been deputed for the counting, making a total number of 14 election observers, with one for each constituency. The observers will arrive on Tuesday.

Ten police personnel each are guarding the strong rooms, where the electronic voting machines for each constituency have been stored. Altogether, 150 armed police personnel are guarding the strong rooms.

The control room at the Collectorate will be connected with the counting centres with 14 hotlines. The Media Centre at the Collectorate will be provided with all facilities, including LCD projector. The counting will start at 8 a.m. with the postal ballots being taken for counting at first. The postal ballots will be accepted till 8 a.m., when the counting begins. The Collector said that the counting would be completed by 11 a.m.

He said that nobody without the Election Commission's special passes will be allowed to enter the counting centres.

(The Hindu - May 8, 2006)