M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 11: Latehar Deputy Commissioner Abu Imran on Tuesday inspected polling booths in the sensitive and vulnerable block Saryu.
Barely six or seven years ago, this block used to send shivers down the spine of the civil and police officials due to the ruthlessness and heavy dominance of CPI Maoists here.
Saryu in Latehar was seen as the all-weather capital of the Maoists like Bataclova in Sri Lanka as the centre of the then LTTE rebels. During days of the Maoists’ supremacy and dominance at Saryu, police used to codify Sarju as Bataclova in its wireless messages, which can be still verified from the old wireless messages if stored in the offices.
But there is now a big change of wind here. The venue is calm and peaceful. The fear and dread of the Naxals have taken a back seat.
The yesteryears extremism is replaced by faith and trust in democracy and its tools like elections.
Avinash Ranjan, a Deputy Collector of the 6th batch JPSC on probation, who was part of the Latehar DC Abu Imran’s contingent, informed lagatar24.com this morning that they found candidates contesting elections peacefully. They were having a good time campaigning with electoral emblems.
Sources said there is no compromise with security. The police picket at Saryu is on a high level of alert round the clock.
The block had gained infamy for ambush, arson, explosive trap etc all by the CPI Maoists but now the same Saryu is competing with other blocks of Latehar for infrastructural facilities.
Saryu is to go for the first phase of polls on May 14. There are 24 polling booths with 2 clusters.
Nazareth Deputy Collector Shivendra Singh, who accompanied DC Latehar to Saryu and Ganeshpur, said the Latehar district election officer cum DC inspected the clusters and took note of the facilities like drinking water, toilet, safety etc.
He talked to the villagers and knew how they felt about the panchayat elections.
Shivendra said some boys were playing football there and the district election officer not only joined them but taught them how to kick the ball properly.
“This was our way of SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation) at Saryu and Ganeshpur as when the district election officer was watching the game, there were parents of the players who knew for what the DC Latehar has come to them just days ahead of the polling,” he said.
Mohan Lal Marandi, the Executive Magistrate, was also in the entourage of the DC. He said all necessary arrangements have been put in place at Saryu and Ganeshpur for peaceful voting on May 14.
