ROURKELA: The Sundargarh unit of the Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA) on Friday demanded the district administration to allow adequate time for teachers to join poll duty considering the difficulties they are likely to face.
Earlier on February 9, OSSTA had written to the State Election Commission in this regard following which the district administrations of Puri, Balasore, Bhadrak and Khurda among others reportedly extended poll duty joining time by a day.
Stating that Sundargarh administration is yet to take any decision in this regard, district OSSTA secretary Santosh Nayak said teachers on election duty are a harried lot given the hectic schedule assigned.
Teachers of far-flung areas have been instructed to report at respective block offices by 7 am a day before polling. From there, they would collect polling materials after necessary formalities and reach respective polling stations at distant locations by the evening after which arrangements like creation of voting compartments, marking of prohibited and voting areas, display of voters’ lists, etc have to be made.
Each presiding officer would have to then sign at least 1,200 ballot papers and start voting by 7 am next morning, he said. For impartial conduct of election, teachers of respective blocks and towns have been deployed at faraway blocks.
While some teachers of Bonai block have been given election duty in Hemgir block more than 210 km away, few lady teachers of Balishankara block are deployed for Lathikata which is over 135 km away. They are expected to report at 7 am on their own arrangement, Nayak pointed out adding the administration should consider the practical difficulties to allow one day extra time as per the previous practice.