Normal electoral practice, says officials
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 3
With tentative elections just round the corner, many vehicle owners expressed apprehension on Wednesday with news that the District Administrations and the Police were requisitioning vehicles for election duty.
They also complained of harassment and the ‘arbitrary’ manner in which the Dimapur district administration along with the Police were going in and around the town requisitioning vehicles for poll duty.
As social media was abuzz with the news, many questioned if the District Administration and the Police were empowered to requisition private vehicles, arguing that there are enough government vehicles which can be used for election duty.
Others were heard advising fellow vehicle owners to steer clear of major thoroughfares to escape the waiting district administration/police team.
One angry car owner whose vehicle documents were taken away called it a form of harassment. “They don’t even make roads but they want our vehicle for duty,” he vented.
Others continued to express concern questioning if the exercise would cause any problems in the days to come.
Routine procedure, says district administration
However, Deputy Commissioner of Dimapur, Sushil Kumar Patil sought to allay fears over reports that vehicles were being seized and clarified that it was only requisitioning the vehicles for assessments on February 1 and that no vehicles were seized during the day.
“It is a routine process which is done before every election,” he maintained before adding that the requisitioning of vehicles was part of the district administration’s preparatory work for elections.
The Deputy Commissioner further contended that Government vehicles alone would not be enough for electoral works and informed that it has already held meetings with owners of commercial vehicles like trucks and buses in this connection.
While apologizing over the inconveniences caused, the DC insisted that there was “nothing to worry about” adding that the vehicle documents were only being “taken for the time being.”
Meanwhile, Joint Chief Electoral Officer Moa Aier stated that owners of private vehicles cannot refuse the requisitioning of vehicles for election duty. The government, he informed, would give some remuneration to the owners for using their vehicles.
On concerns that vehicles may not be handled properly or returned with damage, Aier insisted that they would normally be using vehicles with proper insurance and hence, damages to vehicle was not a concern.
The requisitioning of vehicles is a common practice in other states during elections and Aier further informed that similar exercise would be conducted in other districts across the state.
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