Port Blair, March 6: After completion of the polling for the Panchayat & Municipal Elections for A&N Islands, elaborate arrangements have been made for smooth and speedy counting of votes on March, 08, 2022 from 8 am onwards.
The Counting of votes for constituencies of Port Blair Panchayats will be done at Girls Senior Secondary School and the counting of votes for PBMC will be done at Jawahar Lall Nehru Rajekeeya Mahavidhyalaya (JNRM), while for other Panchayats it will be done at respective Tehsils.
Adequate security arrangements have also been made to ensure the safety and sanctity of the process. The Counting Agents of contesting candidates will also be present at the time of counting and they are required to be present by 07:30 AM. Passes have also been issued to media personnel for the coverage of the entire process.
Dry day shall be observed on the day of counting (08th March, 2022). All bars, ANIIDCO outlets, Defense & Police Canteens have been directed to ensure the same. If any violations are found, their license shall be cancelled.
The Office of the Director, Panchayat and Municipal Elections has already issued instructions regarding use of mobile phones & cameras during the counting process at JNRM and Govt Girls Sr. Sec School. Accordingly, mobile phones shall not be allowed to be taken inside the counting halls and shall not be used from anywhere else within the campus.
All Media Persons shall be accommodated in the media room. Use of mobile phones and other communication equipment shall be allowed from the media centre.
Nobody (not even the candidate or RO/ARO etc) except the observers and officers appointed by the Director, Panchayat and Municipal Elections shall be allowed to carry a mobile phone inside the counting hall.
A Public Communication Room at both the counting halls has been earmarked for safe-keeping of the mobiles etc of the candidates and their agents/representatives to make use of their mobile phones in case of any need.
No camera- still or video, of the media, except for official recording of the entire counting process, is allowed to be fixed inside any counting hall. No camera stand should therefore be allowed to be taken inside counting hall by media and journalists. Hand held cameras will be allowed to the authorized pass holders. Further, while taking audio video coverage of the counting process, with camera carried in hand or on shoulders by the media/press, under no circumstances, the actual votes recorded on an individual EVM or ballot papers is to be photographed or covered by audio visual coverage. The exact location, up to which the still and video camera of the media and press can move, shall be indicated by the Returning Officer in advance, marked by a line or boundary for guidance of all concerned.
Traffic arrangements have been made in connection with the counting of votes on 08.03.2022 for the Panchayat and Municipal Elections-2015 to be held at two venues i.e. Girls Senior Secondary School (For Port Blair Gram Panchayat) and JNRM (For Municipal Wards) which have been declared as Counting Centres.
The movement of vehicular traffic on ATR from Ferrargunj Junction to Ograbraj Junction will also be regulated during counting of votes on 08th March 2022 in the following manner.
1) The movement of vehicular Traffics shall be restricted from 06:30 am to the road towards Govt. Model Sr. Sec. School Ferrargunj from the ATR from either directions leading from Tushnabad & Ferrargunj Junction.
2) The Vehicles coming from Jirkatang shall be diverted towards Brindaban, Mathura Junction, Saitankari, Namunaghar, Mithakari and Ograbranch Junction and vehicles coming from Chouldari shall be diverted from Ograbraj Junction towards Mithakari, Namunaghar, Saitankari, Mathura Junction, Brindaban and Ferrargunj.
It is further notified that the Agents of candidates will have to disperse from the counting hall immediately after the results of their candidates are announced. Next batch of counting agents shall be permitted into the polling station only after the previous agents move out of the Counting Hall.