An organisation representing Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) involved in West Bengal's current Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has taken out a protest march in Kolkata on Monday. They are demonstrating against what they describe as an excessive workload and "systemic lapses" within the revision process.
According to a functionary of the BLO Adhikar Raksha Committee, members intend to submit a formal representation to the Election Commission during the demonstration.
The committee has alleged that since the SIR of electoral rolls began, BLOs across various districts have been working "under unprecedented and inhuman pressure".
The committee is seeking urgent intervention and corrective action from the Election Commission.
Reports suggest that para-teachers, college professors, and educators from several state-aided institutions have participated to join the rally in a show of solidarity.
"We have been asked to complete work within a short period of time, but such works usually take more than two years," said the functionary.
The door-to-door enumeration for the SIR, which commenced on November 4, is scheduled to run until December 4, with the draft electoral rolls due for publication shortly after on December 9.
Alarmingly, another member of the committee alleged that the "stress has led to multiple cases of illness, and at least two BLOs died by suicide".
The ongoing SIR process continues to take a serious toll on BLOs across the state, as four more officers have fallen ill over the past two days and are admitted to hospitals. Such incidents raise concern over the workload that the BLOs are facing.
The committee has also issued a warning that if the Election Commission do not extend the deadlines or address the concerns raised by BLOs, the protest movement will continue.
Additionally, another group, the BLO Oikya Mancha, has also voiced concerns regarding the digitisation of enumeration forms and has requested additional support staff to manage the burden.
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