COIMBATORE: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Valparai Unit in the Coimbatore district demanded that the Coimbatore District Election Officer shift the office of the Election Returning Officer's office for the Valparai Assembly constituency to Valparai instead of operating from Anaimalai.
P Paramasivam, Secretary of the CPI (M) Valparai Taluk, in a petition to the District Collector cum the District Election Officer, said both Valparai and Anaimalai taluk fall under the Valparai assembly constituency.
Though the constituency is mainly based in Valparai, a hilly region, the election officials camped at Anaimalai. The Returning Officer's office, especially, is set up at Anaimalai Taluk office, which is around 55 kilometres away from Valparai.
The people of Valparai have to travel to Anaimalai every time whenever they need to get permissions from the election officials when the Model Code of Conduct is in force, according to Paramasivam.
"The people at Ettiyar Estate in Valparai organised a football tournament on Saturday. However, the police denied permission, citing the MCC and asked them to obtain permission from election officials. As they are camped at Anaimalai, we went there and got permission on Saturday and conducted the events on Sunday.
It is difficult to us for us to travel a 55 km distance through the ghat road, and the weather of the hilly region does not support travel at all times. The people at Valparai have to face hurdles in approaching the election officials to obtain permissions even for small events. So, we demand that the election officer shift the office of the constituency's returning officer's office to Valparai," Paramasivam said.
"The valuables seized by the election flying squads usually returned after concerned people submit the documents to claim that the valuables are genuine. But here, we have to go to Anaimalai Taluk office to submit the documents and get back our valuables. Considering the issues, they should shift the RO office to Valparai," he noted.