The Election Commission has beefed up security measures in and around its secretariat in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to help prevent any untoward situation ahead of the next parliamentary elections.
Meanwhile, the election-related necessary kits and equipment for the upcoming general and upazila parishad polls are reaching the commission. The law enforcing agencies would secure those too, Commission Secretary Muhammed Sadique said.
EC officials said the commission had sent a letter to the inspector general of police seeking security of its secretariat, saying the existing measures were not enough. “The commission needs additional security force,” it said.
Nine police personnel were on duty at the commission secretariat, which is located on the Planning Commission premises.
Additionally, two members of the police and one of Special Branch were deployed at the entrance of buildings five and six.
Following the letter, police authorities on Friday deployed 10 members of Battalion Ansar at the secretariat and these were supplemented by four members of the law enforcing agencies, instead of the usual two, at two entrance points.
From tomorrow, 18 police members led by an officer-in-charge would be on duty. Of them, six would be deployed at the entrance of the EC secretariat while the rest are to be stationed at the Planning Commission gate.
The commission is procuring 300,000 indelible ink pots, 297,000 official seals, 509,577 marking seals, 42,260 brush seals, around 1.5m ballot box seals, and necessary number of forms.
After finalising candidacy, the EC would print the ballot papers.
Materials including official seals, marking seals and brush seals reached the commission yesterday while the rest will arrive by October 24, said officials.
The commission will setup 37,200 centres, around 2,500 more than the previous polls in 2008. For this, the commission is procuring 40,000 more ballot boxes. The transparent ballot boxes are supposed to reach the commission this week under a project assisted by the UNDP.
