ECI-Bengal govt tiff surfaces over agency for election booth infrastructure maintenance

Kolkata, Oct 19 (IANS) A fresh tussle has erupted between the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the West Bengal government over the choice of the agency needed to maintain infrastructure facilities, technically termed as Assured Minimum Facilities (AMF) and Extended Minimum Facilities (EMF), for the polling booths in the state amid the Assembly elections in the state next year.

The ECI and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, are in favour of discarding the old decentralised system through the fund allotments to the District Magistrates (also the District Election Officers) for election-related expenses, a major part of which is infrastructure development for the booths.

The ECI aimed to replace the existing decentralised process for utilising election funds with a more transparent system, bringing greater clarity and preventing misuse of expenditures in this area. It wants any reputed state-run entity to carry out the AMF activities, and accordingly, the CEO’s office contacted the West Bengal government undertaking Mackintosh Burn Limited (MBL), which has years of proven experience in infrastructure construction and maintenance.

The tussle, insiders from the CEO’s office said, started from that point. “After initial discussions, Mackintosh Burn management agreed to take up the AMF activities for the election booths. But to the surprise of the ECI and the CEO’s office, last week, the Mackintosh Burn management communicated to the CEO’s office about their inability to carry out the work,” a CEO’s office insider said.

However, the ECI has not taken this approach of the Mackintosh Burn management to backtrack after giving initial consent to carry out the work lightly, and the CEO’s office has forwarded a fresh communique to the management. The ECI and the CEO’s office exercised their authority under certain sections of The Representation of the People Act, 1951, and directed the state government undertaking to carry out the AMF activities as was agreed earlier.

In the fresh communique from the Additional Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to the Director of the Mackintosh Burn, to start the preparatory exercise for the election booth maintenance activities, or face consequences under the existing legal provisions, including criminal proceedings against the directors of the entity under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

At the time the report was filed, there was no reaction either from Mackintosh Burn management or from the state government on this fresh communique from the CEO’s office. In fact, both the state government officials as well as the top officers of Mackintosh Burn, which is a state government undertaking, have maintained absolute silence over the development so far.

--IANS

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