Kolkata: More than 100 micro-observers sought relief from SIR duties, hours after they were appointed by the EC, citing reasons, like family occasions, parents' illness, job exams and far-away postings.
The applications were submitted to Bengal chief electoral officer Manoj Agarwal on Wednesday.
The Election Commission (EC) appointed close to 4,600 micro-observers from lists of officers from central govt departments and PSUs, including nationalised banks, at the levels of Group B and above. They are required to be present during the SIR hearings of unmapped voters, scheduled to start on Dec 27, and to monitor the work of EROs and AEROs. Micro-observers will help electoral roll observers/special electoral roll observers prepare error-free electoral rolls in Bengal.
After attending a training session at Nazrul Mancha, some micro-observers went to the CEO's office at Dalhousie and submitted applications, seeking relief from SIR duties. According to an official at the CEO office, over 100 applications were received offline and several more were sent on email.
"I live in Durgapur but the EC posted me as a micro-observer in the Canning-II assembly constituency, which is far from my home. I also have a physical disability. I submitted my application, seeking relief from a micro-observer's duty," said Parikshit Pandey, an officer at a PSU bank.
Subhankar Nandi, another PSU bank official who lives in Hooghly, has been appointed as a micro-observer for Islampur assembly constituency in North Dinajpur. "Either the EC relieves me of the duty or posts me somewhere near my home. My mother is ill and my wife is also undergoing treatment," Nandi said.
Shawan Chakraborty, a resident of Shyamnagar, was surprised at his appointment as he is not an officer. "I joined as a clerk in a PSU bank just four months ago and am currently under a probationary period," he added. Pradeep Verma requested to be relieved of his SIR duty as his sister's wedding is slated for Feb.
Swarnadeep Pal and Sourav Ojha, officers at a PSU bank, applied for a swap in their postings after being appointed in Asansol and Habra. Three life insurance development officers, Rajarsi Thakur, Susobhan Rakshit and Vicky Gupta, sought relief only on Dec 28 as they had a job exam that day.
A senior EC official said they would consider the applications on a case-to-case basis. "We appointed 1,000 micro-observers more than than the required number. So this should not be a problem. But all the appointed micro-observers will have to report to duty on the first day before we consider their applications," the official said.
Bengal CEO Agarwal on Wednesday said all those appointed as micro-observers worked in Bengal and no one came from other states.