Eye on the sky as Kolkata votes today in final poll lap
Times of India | 1 June 2024
KOLKATA: Kolkata and its neighbouring constituencies go to vote on Saturday with one eye on the sky after six hours of continuous rain on Thursday night and Friday.
The skies cleared a little on Friday but weather officials have not ruled out chances of rain on Saturday.
EC officials have taken guard, taking the state administration's help to increase voter turnout in constituencies like Kolkata North.The poll panel has also tied up with major telecom companies to send messages and alerts to voters, asking them to reach booths on time. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Kolkata North had a 65.7% turnout, much lower than in other parts of Kolkata.
An official said they were sending voters recorded voice-messages of 'EC icons'.
Monsoon's arrival in north Bengal on Friday morning has brought with it storm cells across the state, occasionally erupting into thunderstorms like the one late on Thursday. While convection storms are difficult to predict, the Met office warned of a 50% chance of a downpour during polling hours on Saturday.
Foolproof plan to curb flooding: Hakim
The Met office's prediction of a 50% chance of rain during poll hours on Saturday has prompted KMC to take up cyclone Rem-al-like preparedness measu-res for the next two days, incl-uding cancelling leaves of essential employees till Sunday.
Mayor Firhad Hakim and municipal commissioner Dhaval Jain held meetings with civic officials and chalked out a plan. "We have drawn up a foolproof plan to combat waterlogging in case of a downpour. Our team of officials and workers will be stationed at the headquarters and in boroughs to ensure voters don't face any hardship," said Hakim.
EC's messages to voters, urging them to come out and vote, are being played at shopping malls, said additional CEO Arindam Neogi. "We have tried to reach out to voters at high-rises through residents' welfare associations. Police kiosks and digital boards are displaying EC's appeal. We are sending booth-level officers for direct contact with voters," Neogi said.
Machines for pruning trees should be kept ready, along with generators and pumps, KP has told traffic gu-ards. "In some areas, officers should keep heavy-duty cranes, JCBs and payloaders on standby in case a building collapses after heavy rain," said a cop.