Kolkata, Feb. 6 -- Ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, the state government has appointed the NBCC to examine whether polling booths across the state have adequate security arrangements and minimum facilities, the Election Commission of India informed the Calcutta High Court on Friday.
The development came after Mackintosh Burn Limited, a state government undertaking, withdrew from carrying out infrastructure-related work for the upcoming elections. During the previous hearing, counsel for the Commission had submitted that the responsibility for providing infrastructure at polling stations lies with the state government and that the Commission does not execute such works. However, the court sought a report from the Commission on steps taken to ensure minimum facilities for voters.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen observed that the Commission is vested with sufficient powers to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is made available for the conduct of free and fair elections. The bench directed that the report be shared with the petitioner in the public interest litigation.
The PIL was filed by BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya, who sought court intervention to ensure that polling stations across the state are equipped with basic amenities for voters.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.