EC holds meeting with West Bengal officials on Covid-19

The Election Commission on Saturday asked the Government of West Bengal to strictly enforce the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the Covid-19 safety protocols issued by it in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 pandemic during the Assembly polls in the state.

The EC Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had a meeting with the senior officers of West Bengal, including the state’s Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay.

The commission noted with concern that enforcement under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 “had been “less than adequate” during public campaigns for electioneering”.

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It asked the Executive Committee of the Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Chief Secretary of the State and tasked with the enforcement of the Covid-19 appropriate behaviour under the law, to step up its “assigned statutory duty”.

The EC noted that the district administration tasked with works related with polls continued to remain responsible for enforcement of other laws including the Disaster Management Act simultaneously. The commission directed that the State Disaster Management Authority and its functionaries must implement and monitor implementation of the Covid-19 norms during the campaign and take appropriate action in case of any violation, according to a press-release issued by the poll-panel after the meeting.

Bandopadhyay apprised the EC that the State Government had taken note of the directions of the commission on enforcement of the Covid-19 norms during electioneering.

He assured that the entire machinery had been directed to take more stringent and prompt steps for sensitization and enforcement of extant instructions under the Disaster Management Act 2005.

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The commission lauded the State Government for the good work done in the last six phases of polling in ensuring implementation of the Covid-19 safety protocols during voting at the polling stations.

The poll panel also directed that the local authorities must regularly monitor implementation of the protocol and ensure Covid-19 compliant behaviour and initiate actions in case of violations.