The Jammu and Kashmir election department has put in place a contingency plan to deal with any eventuality during the Lok Sabha polls as the state faces challenges like bad weather conditions, border shelling and militancy, the CEO said Friday.
State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Shailendra Kumar said 70polling stations have been identified along the LoC in villages of Poonch andRajouri districts for relocation due to ongoing heavy shelling by Pakistan.
“We have not shifted the stations as yet, but we haveidentified the places where these will be shifted to,” Kumar told PTI.
“A contingency plan is put in place for the comingelections to deal with any eventuality,” he said when asked about thethreat of militancy and ongoing border shelling along the LoC in Jammu andKashmir.
He said the state is also prone to natural calamities.
“We have a plan for each challenge. I hope everythingpasses off peacefully and there arises no need for the contingency plan,”the CEO said.
While mountainous belt of Ladakh and parts of Kashmir andJammu face weather challenges, border belts of Rajouri, Poonch, Jammu, Samba,Kathua, Baramulla and Kupwara along the LoC and the International Border havehigh degree threat of shelling and firing by Pakistan.
South Kashmir, a highly militancy ridden belt, faceschallenge on security front.
The CEO exuded confidence of holding free and fair electionsand said elaborate security arrangements have been made in this regard.
A total of 10 people, including four soldiers, have beenkilled and nearly 50 others injured in Rajouri and Poonch districts in Pakistanshelling since India conducted air strikes in Pakistan’s Balakot on February26.
The action was in response to the February 14 militantattack in Kashmir’s Pulwama in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed.
Jammu and Kashmir has six Lok Sabha constituencies – Jammu,Udhampur, Anantnag, Srinagar, Baramulla and Ladakh. The state will go to pollsin five phases on April 11, 18, 23, 29 and May 6.
The state election department has formed 1,500 mobile andstatic teams, besides deploying flying squads with video cameras to ensurestrict adherence of the poll code.
The Jammu and Kashmir poll panel has received over 180complaints of alleged violations of the model code of conduct through theC-Vigil app and other modes, Kumar said.
Of the total complaints, 123 have been disposed of while therest 59 are being looked into, Kumar said, adding over 20 employees weresuspended for violating the poll code.
Out of 88 complaints received through C-Vigil and otheronline modes, 61 were dropped, 22 disposed of and five under examination, headded.
The actions against electoral malpractice includedregistration of six FIRs, suspension of 24 state government employees, besidesseizure of 36 illegal weapons and cash worth Rs 19.68 lakh, he said, adding aconsiderable quantity of liquor too has been seized.