The Election Commission on Saturday reviewed the implementation of COVID-19 protocols during the West Bengal Assembly elections and found that enforcement of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 during campaigning was not up to the mark.
Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar held a meeting with West Bengal officers, including the Chief Secretary and the DGP, an EC statement said.
“The Commission noted with concern that during public campaigns for electioneering, the enforcement under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 has been less than adequate,” the EC said.
The EC said the executive committee of the State Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Chief Secretary and is meant to enforce COVID-19-appropriate behaviour needed to “step up it’s assigned statutory duty’.
“District machinery, which is tasked with election works, continue to remain responsible for enforcement of other laws including the DM Act simultaneously. The Commission directed that the SDMA and its functionaries must implement and monitor the implementation of COVID norms during the campaign and take appropriate action in case of any violation.”
The EC appreciated the state machinery for “flawless arrangements in the polling booth for COVID appropriate behaviour and safe disposal of bio medical waste”.
