Control room set up for transparent polls
An election officer marks the finger of a voter with indelible ink during a local election in Uttar Pradesh state. PHOTO: AP
A District Election Control Room has been established to ensure transparent elections for the seven national and 14 provincial assembly seats of Rawalpindi district.
Assistant Commissioner Headquarters, Muhammad Sadiq will be in charge of it, while Officers of District Civil Defence have been appointed to be in charge of urban areas’ constituencies.
The District Election Control Room has been established in the Civil Defence Office of District Kachehri. It will remain functional until the completion of the election process on February 10. It also includes representation of the army as well as representatives of Police Special Branch, Secret Police, IESCO, Administration, Municipalities, Sui Gas, WASA and Rescue 1122.
Read ECP training — and inclusive, accountable and transparent polls
For security purpose, closed circuit cameras have been installed in the control room. A total of 1000 closed circuit cameras have been installed for district-wide monitoring. A bomb disposal squad and a modern bomb disposal vehicle will also be stationed at the control room to cater to any untoward incident.
This control room operates by following a three-shift schedule. The first shift will be from 8am to 4pm, the second shift from 4pm to 12pm, and third shift from 12pm to 8am. All shift members will be present the night prior to election day and on the election day as well.
Law and order situation of the district-wide political election and corner meetings will be monitored from the control room. The personnel of the Triple One Brigade will also remain on alert to deal with any kind of situation during this time. The facility of motorcycle and police vehicle will also be available to the control room members.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2023