Our new district is fully prepared for polls, says Palghar collector Abhijit Sudhakar Bangar
Palghar district was formed on August 1, 2014. It consists of six Vidhan Sabha constituencies, out of which four are reserved for tribal rural and two for open category, which are urban. The tribal constituencies include Boisar, Vikramgad, Dahanu and Palghar, whereas Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara are urban. The collector and district electoral officer, Palghar, Abhijit Sudhakar Bangar spoke to Mewati Sitaram on the challenges he faces in the upcoming election.
This is first election in the new district of Palghar within one and a half months of its formation. Are you prepared?We are fully prepared for free and fair polls, apart from creating a proper atmosphere for the election process.Do you think it's too short a period for a new district to handle election?It is actually a blessing in disguise. The entire state administration and machinery has come forward to take care of everything for this. Everyone in state and district administrations was anyway well aware of the forthcoming election. It was my first priority on taking charge. I made sure that in a short time my administration is ready to handle the poll. I am grateful for the help of my officials, as well as bureaucrats and departments concerned.What are your top priorities to ensure a fair and smooth election?Our priority was to enrol every eligible voter, as per the Election Commission's directive, and we did that. In a special enrolment drive, about 40,000 voters were added in Palghar district post the 2014 Lok Sabha election. This is also the first time that, as per EC directive, we have to distribute voter slips to the residence of every person whose name is in the electoral list.Are there any sensitive areas where you need to take special assistance from the EC or state administration?Palghar district is very peaceful and calm. As far as my knowledge and special inputs from various intelligence agencies go, there are no sensitive areas. But we are leaving no stone unturned and making sure that the entire election process is conducted in a fair and peaceful manner. This will involve deploying flying squads, static surveillance, and video surveillance teams. We have adequate police and state reserve police force to deploy in every booth and area. We will also keep additional forces on standby to tackle any untoward incidents to maintain complete law and order.