Punjab assembly elections: Ludhiana district administration to ensure Covid protection for voters, staff in all 2,979 polling booths

LUDHIANA: The district administration would make elaborate arrangements of masks, gloves, thermal scanning, sanitisers, PPE kits, face shields, and others in all 2,979 polling booths of Ludhiana in Punjab.

Additional deputy commissioner (

Jagraon

)-cum-nodal officer Dr

Nayan Jassal

said that as per directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the administration is committed to holding free, fair, transparent and safe elections during the pandemic.

She said that Ludhiana has 2,979 polling booths in all 14 assembly segments of the district where Covid safety measures would be put in place to ensure the safety of the voters and polling staff.

She said that voters will have to wear masks mandatorily, maintain social distance, and thermal screening would be ensured at the entrance of all polling booths for which ANMs, ASHAs and Anganwari workers have been deputed as booth Covid control nodal officers. She said that the voters will be given a glove for one hand which they will use for signing and pressing the button of the voting machine.

Jassal said that those recording high temperature or having suspicious symptoms would be asked to come and vote in the last hour on polling day (February 20). She told that the safety of voters and polling personnel is the prime concern and elaborate arrangements for the bio-medical waste management of the waste generated in all these polling booths have been done.

She added that one yellow and red bin has been given to each polling booth where this waste would be dumped and later, the bio-waste would be disposed of scientifically by a private company following collection from all booths to collection centres of each constituency.