VIJAYAWADA: State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar, who is all set to issue a notification for the first phase of panchayat elections on Saturday, issued proceedings on Friday removing the District Collectors of Chittoor and Guntur and the SP of Tirupati Urban, besides some subordinate police officers from their positions with immediate effect. He sent a communication to the Chief Secretary and the DGP to this effect.
“In the face of the continued intransigence and opposition of the State government, the SEC has no other option but to invoke the plenary powers vested in it under Article 243 (K) read with Article 324 to remove the tainted officers,” he said. Pursuant to these orders, the officers who stand removed should hand over charge immediately and relieve themselves forthwith, he added.The SEC mentioned that the said officials came under adverse notice of the commission for their contributory failure in preventing the aberrations in the election process. “The SEC’s unchanged view is that the continuance of poll tainted officers is not in the interests of free and fair polls as it will send a wrong signal and their partisan conduct will be counter-productive to free and fair polls,” he observed.
Ramesh Kumar asked the Chief Secretary to send a panel of three names of suitable officers for replacement of the removed. He further stressed that the officer replacing the Tirupati Urban SP should have vigilance clearance. In the case of subordinate police officers, the DGP should send a panel of names and a proposal through the designated liaison officer of the department for replacement of the removed. Police officers, including DSPs of Palamaner and Srikalahasti, Circle Inspectors of Macherla, Punganur, Rayadurgam and Tadipatri have also been removed.
Meanwhile, Panchayat Raj Principal Secretary Gopal Krishna Dwivedi and Commissioner M Girija Shankar went to the SEC office late in the evening, and handed over the letter written by the Chief Secretary to the staff there. Though they were scheduled to meet the SEC in the afternoon, they did not turn up till the evening and the SEC issued a memo to the officials.
Earlier in the day, the SEC met Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan and apprised him of the steps being taken by the commission as well as the needed measures. In a statement, the SEC said that the government has heard the SEC and promised of continuing support to it regarding discharge of its constitutional obligations.Stating that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect soon after the pronouncement of the AP High Court verdict on Thursday, the SEC said that the MCC should be implemented in all the districts without breach and violators however big should face severe consequences. The Collectors and SPs are vested with the responsibility of enforcing the MCC, the statement read.
Meanwhile, leaders of various employees associations met Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das and made it clear they could not discharge election duties until they were administered Covid vaccine. Expressing concern over the conduct of elections even as the threat of contracting coronavirus looming large on the public in general and the employees in particular, they found fault with the SEC for issuing the poll schedule while the vaccination drive is going on. “We cannot attend the election duties until we are administered two doses of vaccine,” Employees union leaders Bopparaju Venkateswara Rao and K Venaktarami Reddy said.
Govt raises all concerns in petition filed in SC
All the concerns have been raised in the Special Leave Petition filed by government in the SC. The SLP filed by the government has been numbered as Diary No 1796/2021 by the SC Registry and it may come up for hearing shortly, said the CS
Employees refuse to attend election duties
Leaders of employees’ unions met the Chief Secretary and made it clear that they could not discharge poll duties until they were administered vaccine. They found fault with the SEC for issuing the poll schedule while vaccination drive is on