Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari has exhorted the officials of different departments to work in close coordination for effectively implementing the model code of conduct in force for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
The Chief Secretary wanted the officials to work in the same spirit as they did in the recent Assembly elections. Ms. Santhi Kumari conducted a high-level meeting with senior officials on the implementation of MCC on Thursday. Officials informed the Chief Secretary that in addition to setting up special checkposts on the border States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, effective surveillance had been stepped up in coordination with the checkposts of neighbouring States. Special control rooms had been set up by all major departments for the conduct of elections and implementation of MCC.
The police department had set up 444 checkposts as well as nine inter-State checkposts. So far, ₹10 crore cash and unlicensed weapons, explosives, gelatin sticks and gold have been seized by the police. The Transport department had set up 15 checkposts and 52 enforcement teams had been deployed for round-the-clock monitoring of the situation. During the inspections carried out by these teams, ₹34.31 lakh had been seized.
The Commercial Taxes department had set up 16 inter-State checkposts and special monitoring was taken up at 31 strategic points. Special vigilance had been kept on 25 godowns where there was possibility of distribution of freebies to entice voters. This was in addition to the 141 manufacturing godowns and 912 trading godowns that were kept under surveillance. The Excise department on its part had set up 21 inter-State checkposts as well as six mobile checkposts besides identification of eight districts where there was a possibility of illicit liquor manufacturing. In all, 65 checkposts were set up by the Forest department, of which 18 were inter-state checkposts.
Five railway lines, where there was a possibility of illegal transportation of liquor, had been identified and special measures were taken to prevent them. So far, ₹50 lakh worth liquor had been seized. Likewise, a special vigil was kept on all distilleries in the State and CCTVs were installed to monitor the supply of liquor through the distilleries. The Chief Secretary directed the Command and Control Center of the Police Department in Hyderabad to monitor transportation of liquor through CCTVs.
