Dist officials get ready for hearings from Aug 31 to Sept 30

Pune: Electoral registration officers (EROs) and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) will plan hearings from Aug 31 to Sept 30 on claims for and objections to the electoral rolls.Adequate manpower, infrastructure and technical support will be available at each venue. Computers, printers, internet connectivity and adequate manpower will be at hand.Six teams at each hearing venue will issue relevant forms, maintain proceedings, scrutinise documents submitted by voters, check names in the 2002 electoral roll and map relatives’ names.The teams will prepare two copies of hearing orders, hand one to the voter and keep the other.Documents submitted by voters and the decisions of EROs will be uploaded online.District collector Jitendra Dudi has directed officials to ensure that voters appearing for hearings bring original documents; six nodal officers have been appointed for document verification.Doubtful documents will be sent to nodal officers in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations, Pune Zilla Parishad, Pune Passport Office and Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education for verification.Officials were also directed to preserve documents submitted by voters, original orders, proceedings and notices.“Hearings should be organised at polling stations in a manner convenient for voters. Where an AERO is responsible for around 10 villages, separate dates should be fixed for each polling station and venues selected keeping voters’ convenience in mind. If hearings are held at mandal officer offices, the venue should be within two km of voters’ addresses,” Minal Kalaskar, deputy district election officer, said.