Accessibility observers to help PwD voters in Bengal

Kolkata, March 14 (IANS) Based on Election Commission's instructions, six accessibility observers will oversee the work related to PwD (persons with disabilities) voters in Bengal, an official said, here on Thursday.

"The accessibility observers will oversee implementation of the instructions of the EC to ensure accessible election at the field level. Divisional commissioners of all six divisions are deployed as accessibility observers," Additional Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, Sanjay Basu told reporters.

Their main function would be to see if all the PwD voters have been registered or not, he added. "If anybody is left, the accessibility observers will facilitate home registration for them and ensure all sort of assistance," Basu said.

The EC has decided to print voter slips in Braille for persons with visual impairment or blind and electronic voting machines (EVMs) are already Braille enabled, he said.

Basu said after the enforcement of the model code of conduct, his office had recorded 34,651 defacement related complaints, of which 32,203 have been acted upon.

In case of private properties, 2,816 defacement complaints were received and 990 of them have been take up.

"THe National Grievance Services portal recorded 302 complaints of which 230 have been resolved," Basu said.

In case of 'c-Vigil', 351 complaints were received and 20 of them are being investigated, he added.