IAS officers avoid poll duty

Mrityunjay Ram / TNN / Sep 3, 2005, 01:21 IST

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Officers recommended influential leaders to get their names deleted from the poll list.

HYDERABAD: Called to do observer duties during the municipal polls in the state, IAS officials are coming up with an array of excuses to slip away in order to avoid having to face political pressure.
The excuses read more like those given by schoolchildren to bunk classes: stomach ache, fever and parents' ill-health top the list.
At least ten IAS officers drafted for observer assignments by the State Election Commission (SEC) have so far cried off on one such pretext.
Some of them have even furnished recommendations by influential leaders and senior officials to get their names deleted from the list.

According to SEC sources, 30 IAS officers and 30 Indian Forest Service officers were selected for the observer assignment.
But several of the draftees, some of them senior IAS officers, made a beeline for influential ministers and officials to get their names off the list.
With the commission having to find replacements, the process got delayed by four days, State Election Commissioner A V S Reddy told The Times of India.

Poll observers, appointed under Section 20 B of the Representation of the People's Act, are the eyes and ears of the State Election Commission.
They have responsibilities such as supervising the nominations, scrutiny, withdrawal, and campaigning.
They have to tour the designated district extensively besides reviewing the execution of non-bailable warrants, recovery of illicit arms and collection of licensed arms from undesirable elements.
They have to critically examine the classification of hyper-sensitive and sensitive polling stations. Finally, they have to play referee on polling day.
They fear that performing some of these tasks might rub ministers and leaders the wrong way.

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