Reinstate suspended officials: BLOs to DC
SGPC elections
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, August 12
Government employees assigned as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) ahead of SGPC polls met Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori to submit a demand letter, seeking reinstatement of two officials who had been suspended as they couldn’t meet their voter target. Amritsar BLO Union president Pravesh Kumar Sharma met the District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner to submit a letter regarding the difficulties being faced by BLOs deputed on election duty. The union condemned the suspension of BLOs and demanded their immediate reinstatement, citing that the extra work being carried out by BLOs in addition to teaching and non-teaching duties, has put a lot pressure on the officials.
“We have requested the DC to allow exemption to BLOs in certain cases and not to force employees to perform BLO duty on gazetted holidays and public holidays. Earned leave should be arranged for BLOs as additionally they are also working on weekends and gazetted holidays. Since a large number of BLOs are from Anganwadi, Asha workers and other non-technical fields, the unnecessary burden of filling Google forms or doing other online work should not be placed on BLOs. Some other important demands were listed in the letter,” said the BLO Union leaders.
These also include a hike in annual honorarium received by BLOs from ~7,000 to ~20,000. The DC assured the union that BLOs working on voter registration for SGPC polls will be given the honorarium.
State finance secretary-cum-district president of Democratic Teachers’ Front Punjab Ashwani Awasthi, while lending support to BLO Union, asked the district administration to resolve their problems immediately.
