FROM OUR STAFF CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG, April 2: The Deputy Commissioner of East Khasi Hills Sanjay Goyal today announced the decision that hearings on any claims and objections on enrolment of eligible citizens will henceforth be held in the desigted locations located within the political constituency.
Goyal made this announcement following the protest by three frontline social organizations mely the KSU, FKJGP and HYNF on the enrollment through the special facilitation centre at the office premises of the Deputy Commissioner.The three organizations have raised the banner of revolt on the continuous registration of eligible citizens due to fear that illegal immigrants might used the ongoing process to register themselves as citizens of India.
On Thursday, the scheduled hearing on the enrollment of applicants from Lyngkhat at the Deputy Commissioner Office was called off in view of the opposition by the KSU, FKJGP and HNYF. Lyngkhat is an area under adverse position between India and Bangladesh.
Making it clear that the ongoing enrollment is a continuous process as mandated by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Deputy Commissioner said, “ I am carrying the mandated work, but to address the concerns raised by the civil society, the hearings on the claims and objections will henceforth be held at the desigted locations under the blocks or respective polling stations”.
The Deputy commissioner allay fears that there is rampant registration of people into the electoral rolls. “Infact, the growth of the population has not commensurate with the number of registered citizens in the past one year”, stated Goyal while informing that the data base available for public consumption will prove a point.
“There is no reason to panic because no single individual will be enrolled without valid papers”, Goyal said while rrating the procedures that has been put in place.
Amidst the hue and cry on the ongoing enrollment into the electoral roll, the interesting aspect is about the absence of representatives of the political parties in the hearings held by the district administration.
The Congress has nomited a few while the regiol parties have not deputed any of their local representatives in the hearings to determine the credibility of the people who have sought enrollment.
He called upon the citizens concerned to cross check with the available papers on any person or persons of suspected tiolities.
Goyal who was under the eye of the storm following his decision to set up a special facilitation centre for enrollment into the electoral rolls said, “While this is a normal exercise as mandated by the Election of India.”