Voter enumerators throng election offices

They became anxious after Tuesday's Supreme Court verdict which turned down the Chief Election Commissioner's appeal against a High Court directive in January regarding preparation of a new voter list for the next general election.

Assurances by election officials that payments would be made 'within a short time' after a directive from Dhaka could not satisfy them as there was no clear answer to their question as to when and how much remuneration they would get.

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Many of the enumerators apprehended that they would not at all get their remuneration 'as their service went in vain'. The new voter list became null and void after the Supreme Court verdict, many of them said.

At Dimla upazila election office, over 100 data collectors gathered, many of them seen exchanging words with upazila election officials. Rebeka Banu, a data collector from Chhatnai union in the upazila, expressed her fear that payment of their remuneration became uncertain after the SC verdict.

Another data collector Talebur Rahman, a primary school teacher in Kishoreganj upazila, alleged that they had to work under threat of political parties and local influencials.

"I have been visiting the upazila election office regularly for the last two months to inquire about my remuneration.

"Time and again I was told that no directive have come from Dhaka", he said.

Same is they condition for enumerators in Jaldhaka, Domar and Saidpur.

Saidpur upazila election officer Marufur Rahman told this correspondent, "We are waiting for Election Commission's directive following the Supreme Court verdict."

District election office source said that 3,677 data collectors, 724 supervisors and 74 assistant registration officers were engaged in then job to prepare the new voter list.

Data collection work began on January 1 this year and the draft voter list was published on May 3. The enrolment workers completed their assignments by 12 March. Till then the enrollment workers were not paid.

Mentionably, the Election Commission paid Tk 6 to each data collector for collecting data of a (each) voter in 2000 when a new voter list was compiled. A supervisor got Tk 1.25 for verification of data for one voter.

Last time, each data collector was given a target to collect data of 300 voters. The target was fixed at 400 this time.

At the beginning of the enrolment process, the EC did not give any clear indication about the remuneration. But the enumerators expected that this year the rate world be higher than that in 200 due to price hike of essentials.

District election office sources said that the EC allotted money to pay Tk 1000 to each data collector in first installment and that amount reached the district on May 10. But it was not disbursed till May 23 when the SC verdict was delivered due to lack of permission from the EC.

Nilphamari District Election Oofficer (DEO) Faridul Islam, when contacted, told this correspondent that he is expecting a directive from the EC soon regarding payments to voter enumerators.

In reply to a question he said it is too early to comment whether the present enrolment workers would be engaged again to update the current voter roll.