Rains bring dark clouds over SIR work in Tamil Nadu
Under-pressure revenue dept staff say can’t complete without date extension
Representative Image (Photo: Justin George)
CHENNAI: Already under tremendous pressure to complete the massive task of verifying the 6.41-crore-strong electoral roll in Tamil Nadu, the government employees, especially the Revenue Department staff, are now facing yet another hurdle: the heavy rain that is lashing many southern districts.
The intense spell is not only affecting the distribution of the enrolment form for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it also forces the department to divert officials for relief and rehabilitation work, stretching the already struggling manpower further, said sources.
Meanwhile, with only nine days remaining for the completion of the SIR process, the work to digitise the enrolment forms has not even reached the halfway mark. The deadline for completing the exercise is 4 December.
District Collectors have instructed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to upload all filled-in enumeration forms without further discussion or objections from voters. As of Monday, 96.22 per cent of forms have been distributed, while only 49.86 have been digitised by the BLOs.
Senior officials have directed BLOs to expedite the work. “BLOs have been told to upload forms without asking questions because each voter is responsible for the personal details they provide,” a Revenue Department official said.
Following the instructions issued by the State government, BLOs are currently engaged in uploading filled-in forms, attending to voter queries at help centres, and collecting pending forms. “We have a few more days to complete the enumeration process. We are collecting forms from voters, and with one more weekend available, we can achieve the target,” a BLO from Thoothukudi district said.
However, revenue staff expressed concern over meeting the deadline because of the heavy rain. “The southern and central districts have witnessed continuous rain, and the entire revenue machinery is involved in relief measures. It is difficult to finish the enumeration work without an extension,” said MP Murugaiyan, president, Federation of Revenue Associations.