DC Briefs Election Expenditure Observer about arrangements in place for Monitoring Election Expenditure
Reiterates Commitment to Holding Free, Fair and Transparent Assembly Elections
SAS Nagar, May 8, 2024: Election Expenditure Observer for 06-Anandpur Sahib Parliamentary Constituency, Mrs Shilpi Sinha, (Indian Post & Telecommunications Accounts and Finance Service) today emphasized the need to book every penny spent on the political campaign by the parties and candidates during the upcoming Lok Sabha Election-2024 in shadow expenditure registers.
Holding a maiden review meeting with the District Administration, SAS Nagar to take stock of the arrangements in place for monitoring the election expenditure said that as the Nomination process has already started yesterday, after filing the nominations, the onus of election expenditure would be on the candidate that was earlier on political party. She said that monitoring expenditures would ensure that the expenditure is not being misused on induce voters.
Deputy Commissioner Mrs Aashika Jain while briefing the Election Expenditure observer about the arrangements made by the district administration for expenditure monitoring during the parliament elections said that the district administration is fully committed to holding free, fair and transparent elections in the district. She said that apart from deputing Nine Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and Flying Squad Teams (FST) in the district, three to four Video Surveillance Teams (VST) in each assembly constituency and three video viewing teams, an Assistant Expenditure Observer (in the rank of Income Tax Officers) and one accounting team has also been working in each constituency.
ADC (Urban Development) Damanjit Singh Mann has been made Nodal Officer of these expenditure teams. She said that senior officers with expertise in financial matters have been included in these teams. The Deputy Commissioner further said that the shadow observation registers are being prepared to book the expenditures being made by the candidates during the elections.
She said that these registers would be then compared with those maintained by the candidates at regular intervals. She said that strict vigil is being ensured for the effective and transparent functioning of the expenditure monitoring teams in the district. She also apprised that advertisements inserted in the various Media by the candidates are also being monitored closely by the district administration through the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.
Similarly, the sale, storage and manufacturing of liquor in the district by liquor vends and Distilleries, Brewery and bottling plants is also under CCTV screening. SSP Dr Sandeep Garg while apprising the Observer about the patrolling and other drives to keep a strict check on liquor, valuable goods and drugs said that district Police has registered 52 FIRs under NDPS, 13 under Arms Act and 50 under Excise Act with the arrest of 146 accused.
He reiterated that district Police in coordination with district Administration will not allow anyone to induce or fear the voters by one or another means to vote for a particular candidate or party. On the occasion, Additional Deputy Commissioner (G) Rajiv S Tidke, Commissioner MC Mohali Navjot Kaur, ADC (D) Sonam Chaudhary, ADC (UD) Damanjit Singh Mann, SDMs Dipankar Garg Mohali, Gurmandar Singh Kharar and SP (H) Tushar Gupta.