Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Voters complain of non-inclusion of names

K. Manikandan

Identity cards issue hit by shortage of staff

TAMBARAM: Complaints are pouring in from residents in the southern suburbs about non-inclusion of their names in the final voters list prepared on Tuesday. Apart from non-inclusion, residents have also been complaining about the absence of the list in their respective local bodies and frequent problems in the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) programme.

Soon after the publication of the final voters list on Tuesday, scores of residents thronged the Tambaram Taluk office, their respective local bodies and other offices where the lists were displayed. Many of them returned home disappointed, unable to locate their names on the list, despite applying on Form 6 last month for inclusion.

In Perumbakkam, Medavakkam and Sembakkam for instance, staff at the Village Panchayat offices were simply not aware of the list.

The staff directed these residents to the Designated Photo Locations (DPLs) where the EPIC programme was on, despite the voters trying to explain that they had come only to check their names in the list.

Officials however said complaints pertaining to non-inclusion were not large as the final list was prepared after two intensive rounds of verification.

Further, about one lakh new voters were added to the list in Tambaram alone compared to the previous elections. In 2001, the total number of voters in Tambaram was 7,76,058 and this year it had increased to 8,72,478 In Alandur, the current voter population is 4,31,630 , while in 2001, it was 4,23,174 . Considering the increase in number of new voters, non-inclusion of names could have occurred due to various reasons, including failure to apply through Form 6 and also due to some errors on the part of the government machinery, officials added.

If non-inclusion of names in the final list was a cause of inconvenience to some, the problems at the DPLs proved to be harrowing for those waiting for their voter ID cards. In most centres, staff arrived half an hour late, leading to frayed tempers among the residents. At a couple of centres in Chromepet and Sembakkam, power failure disrupted the programme soon after work commenced.

Though the EPIC programme will be on till 31 March, it will be held at any given centre for only three days or a week in some places. The EPIC programme has been proceeding at a snail's pace due to the problems of infrastructure and logistics. Only 13 and 7 digital cameras have been deployed in Tambaram and Alandur Assembly constituencies respectively, according to official sources.

And with these limited equipment at their disposal, the staff involved in the EPIC programme have to move from one centre to another.

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