Over 13,000 polling staff to be deployed at 29 counting centres across Karnataka
Bengaluru, Jun 3: Elaborate arrangements have been put in place with the deployment of more than 13,000 staff at the 29 counting centres across Karnataka for the counting of votes on Tuesday for the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, officials said on Monday.
The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling in the 14 seats in most of the southern and coastal districts was held on April 26 and the second phase in the other 14 segments in the northern districts was held on May 7.
Each Parliamentary Lok Sabha constituency has one counting centre each. However, in Tumakuru, counting of votes will be done in two places, so the total number of counting centres is 29.
Speaking to PTI, Manoj Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka said, "We have 28 Parlimentary Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka and counting of votes at the 29 counting centres in the state will begin at 8 am on Tuesday."
He further said that elaborate arrangements have been made and 13,173 counting staff, including counting supervisors, counting assistants and micro observers have been deployed.
"All necessary training for the staff has also been completed. At each counting centre, EVMs and postal ballots will be counted in separate rooms. Media centres have also been set up at each of these counting centres with required facilities (with computers, xerox, fax, printers) so that they can report to their respective media outlets," he added.
According to the police, in Bengaluru alone, more than 2,400 police officers have been deployed at the three counting centres in the state capital, namely Mount Carmel College, Vasantnagar (Bangalore Central Constituency), St Joseph's Indian High School, Vithal Mallya Road (Bangalore North Constituency) and SSMRV College, Jayanagar (Bangalore South Constituency).
Appropriate arrangements have been made for counting of votes in the three Lok Sabha constituencies within the BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) limits to ensure the smooth conduct of the counting of votes under tight security, they said.
A total of 1,524 officers/personnel, 13 armed reserved units and four quick response teams have been deployed by Bangalore City Police unit for counting day and already 516 police officers and personnel, including civil and City Armed Reserve wings, have been deployed for maintaining strong room security duty in three shifts.
More than 400 traffic department police officers and personnel will be stationed to ensure that traffic flow around the counting centres is not interrupted.
A total of more than 2,400 police officers and personnel of the city has been deployed for vote counting duty to monitor the situation in the three counting centres.
From Monday midnight to June 4 midnight, sale of liquor is prohibited in city limits and prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC has been imposed in Bengaluru from 6 am on Tuesday to Tuesday midnight.
The Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and City Armed Reserve platoons will be deployed in sensitive areas of the city to no ensure that no untoward incident occurs, police said.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
