Batticaloa to have clustered polling stations
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 March 2004, 00:45 GMT]
The Elections Department of Sri Lanka has allocated two million rupees for providing transport facilities to the voters in areas of Batticaloa district not under Sri Lanka Army’s control, the Deputy Elections Commissioner, Mr. S. Krishnananthalingam, said Tuesday.
In Manmunai and Ambilanthurai, voters will visit the SLA-controlled areas by boat through the lake. The Elections Department will pay for the boat service on the day of elections. In other areas, there will be bus services for the voters, Mr. Krishnananthalingam said. For the voters in Vakarai and Kathiraveli, not under SLA-control, the polling station will be located under temporary sheds close to the Mankerny SLA camp. Mr. Mounagurusamy, the government agent of Batticaloa and the returning officer for the elections, visited Mankerny and Vakarai to inspect the work for cluster polling stations and held discussions on taking the voters in Vakarai divisional secretariat’s area to the polling stations. Meanwhile, the GA said that in Mantheevu, for just 12 voters, there will be a polling booth. This island, surrounded by a lagoon, is isolated and there is a leprosy hospital, where 12 patients are getting treatment. It will be the polling station with the lowest number of voters in Sri Lanka, and for the 12 voters, the booth will employ 10 employees, including a senior returning officer, a junior returning officer, clerical officers and police. The twelve patients in Mantheevu include members of Tamil, Sinhala and Muslim communities.
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