Relocated Delhi families face voter roll confusion after demolition drive
Hundreds of families relocated after a demolition drive in parts of Delhi are facing confusion over how to complete the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
Hundreds of families relocated after a demolition drive in parts of Delhi are facing confusion over how to complete the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, with many unsure where to collect forms and which address to mention. Residents who have moved to Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board flats in Savda Ghevra said they have received conflicting advice on whether they should complete the exercise from their demolished settlements or from their new addresses. While officials had earlier said such cases would be treated as special cases, several families said they were yet to receive clear directions on the ground. Read Full Story Among them is 77-year-old shopkeeper Lallu Jaik, who shifted with his 73-year-old wife Uma Devi after their home near Delhi's Race Course was demolished on June 14. "We were told by neighbours to go back to BR Camp, collect the enumeration form and fill it out. But what address are we supposed to mention? Our house there has been demolished," Jaik told PTI. He said travelling back to the old settlement, nearly 45 kilometres away, would cost around Rs 500 one way. "How can we spend so much money just to collect and submit a form? If the process could be completed here, it would make life much easier," he said. Uma Devi said the journey itself was difficult as she suffers from severe swelling in both feet and rarely steps out.
She also said she could not vote in the Legislative Assembly elections last year after learning that her name had already been deleted from the electoral roll. "I was never informed that my name had been removed. I only found out when I went to vote," she said. More than 13,000 Booth Level Officers have been carrying out door-to-door visits under the revision, which began on June 30, to distribute enumeration forms and collect electors' details. The exercise, earlier scheduled to end on July 29, will now continue till August 8. Before the exercise began, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Alok Kumar had acknowledged the problem posed by recent demolitions. He had said that when Booth Level Officers visited demolished settlements, they would find vacant land instead of electors, making distribution of forms and verification difficult, and that such cases would be treated as "special cases" for discussion with the Election Commission of India. Residents, however, said no specific directions had reached them. Mohan, a Booth Level Officer in BR Camp, said the names of residents who had shifted had not yet been deleted from the electoral rolls and that he had advised them to submit Form 8 for change of address. "We have been instructed not to distribute the enumeration forms to those whose houses have been demolished or those who have received the issuance slips of the house they will be relocating to.
The BriefWire