82,000 Golapganj voters to give fingerprints again
A staggering 82,000 people out of 1,65,500 voters in Golapganj upazila of Sylhet will have to go to the registration centres again for getting their fingerprints taken.
The errors had taken place due to faults in laptops and scanners, officials said, adding that works for taking fingerprints will be done on February 17 and 18 in Golapganj pourasava and on different dates till February 29 in unions under the upazila.
Voters' registration with photograph in Golapganj pourasava and 11 unions under the upazila ended in the first week of January and the draft voter list for Golapganj pourasava was published on February 5, showing 15,491 voters.
On completion of the whole process of registration and photo taking of 1,65,500 voters in the upazila, officials checking the matter found that fingerprints of over 82,000 voters were either faulty or not taken at all.
The voters will have to give their fingerprints again for preparation of National Identity Cards, said an official.
Primary and Mass Education Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury during a meeting with district officials at Sylhet Circuit House on Saturday expressed concern over such a large number of faults in fingerprints of voters in a single upazila.
Expressing annoyance over the matter, several voters said they are facing the trouble to attend the registration centres for the second time due to 'inefficiency of the operators and absence of proper supervision'.
Acting chairman of Golapganj pourasava and chairmen of union parishads in the upazila sat at a meeting with the officials who later decided to take fingerprints of 4,194 voters in Golapganj pourasava on February 17 and on 18. Dates have also been fixed
The voters of 11 unions under the upazila, who have been detected with faulty fingerprints or no fingerprints at all, will have to go to registration centres concerned on fixed dates till February 29.
Earlier in January, 26,500 voters from three unions in Beanibazar upazila had to give their fingerprints for the second time as faults were detected on the scanning machines.
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