Magura voter enumerators stage sit-in for payments

Two hours into the demonstration, local election officials assured them that payments would be made 'within a short time' after a directive from Dhaka and they withdrew the programme.

Voter enumerators in three other upazilas of the district have also been thronging local upazila election offices to inquire about their unpaid remuneration.

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Sources said, they became anxious after the May 23 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.

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

At Shalikha upazila election office on Monday, over 100 data collectors gathered, many of them seen exchanging words with upazila election officials.

Mohammadpur upazila election officer, when contacted over cell phone, said, "We are waiting for Election Commission's directive following the Supreme Court verdict."

District election office source said that 1,474 data collectors, 380 supervisors and 45 assistant registration officers were engaged to prepare the new voter list.

Data collection work began on January 1 and the draft voter list was published on May 3. They completed their assignments by March 12 and till that time they were not paid.

Magura District Election Officer (DEO), when contacted, said he is expecting a directive from the EC soon regarding payments.