Ensure free, fair polls with effective seizures: CEO

Jammu, Sep 14: To maintain the sanctity of the J&K assembly polls, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pandurang K Pole Saturday called for ensuring free and fair polls with effective seizures.

Convening a meeting of 22 enforcement agencies at Nirvachan Bhawan, Rail Head Complex here, the CEO exhorted the agencies to ensure close monitoring at all the entry and exit points of Jammu and Srinagar airports.

To impose strict vigil, he passed instructions to monitor activities both at the interstate check posts and border check posts across the union territory.

The CEO also instructed all the financial institutions including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and UTLBC to keep a strict vigil on suspicious digital transactions by banks and the institutions were instructed for the onward submission of such transactions to the Income Tax Department for appropriate action under the laid down financial laws.

Giving reference to the guidelines laid out by the Election Commission of India (ECI), he asked the J&K Excise Department to ensure strict implementation of all the restrictions provided in the Excise Act on the storage of liquor in unlicensed premises.

“The Excise Act should be vigorously enforced during 48 hours ending with the hour fixed for the conclusion of the poll as envisaged in guidelines laid out by the ECI,” the CEO said.

He also directed the Excise Department to ensure strict enforcement of restrictions on dry days.

To curb the cultivation of opium and cannabis, the CEO asked the Excise Department to utilise the services of Lumberdars and Chowkidars of hotspot villages in J&K.

He also directed the Excise Department to launch special drives to unearth illicit liquor-making factories; destroy illicit liquor; and establish backward linkages for liquor intercepted in neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Ladakh.

The meeting was attended by Additional CEO Rahul Sharma, Special Secretary Nirupa Rai, Nodal Officer Expenditure Monitoring of J&K and Under Secretary Huma Khan.

The agencies were sensitised about the inter-agency coordination, stressing prompt action and consequent seizures of freebies including drugs, liquor, and cash meant to lure the voters around 72 hours before the commencement of phase I of the J&K assembly polls.

Meanwhile, the agency-wise seizures made to date from the announcement of the J&K assembly polls were also discussed and all the agencies were asked to gear up their efforts to ensure effective seizures during the election process to uphold the guidelines of ECI regarding the conduct of inducement free and fair elections.