KARACHI, April 18: Expenses on the polling staff on account of their lunch and dinner alone on the referendum day in Karachi will be about Rs10 million.
The government has decided to make arrangements for lunch and dinner boxes for the polling staff on duty on the referendum day or to pay Rs200 per head. However, informed sources said, since it would be difficult to make arrangements for supplying over 100,000 lunch and dinner boxes of quality food, the authorities appeared to be inclined to pay cash for lunch and dinner.
According to a rough estimate, in Karachi for about 8,000 polling officers, over 100,000 polling staff would be needed. The staff have been taken from among education, bank employees and other government departments and they would be imparted the necessary training to handle the referendum polling.
The list of polling officers is likely to be notified on Saturday, April 20, by the Election Commission, however sources said about 8,000 polling stations would be set up in the city with two booths each, one for ladies and the other for gents.
Presiding officers and assistant presiding officers would also be paid allowance at the rate of Rs450 and Rs375, respectively. At every poling station there would be one presiding officer, and at every polling booth an assistant presiding officer and one polling officer besides other polling staff.
The number of polling stations had almost been doubled against the 3,499 polling station set up for the local government elections.
The number of polling stations has been increased to facilitate the public and to ensure their participation without any hassle, the sources said, adding the polling booth scheme envisaged provision for casting 500 votes at one booth, however the polling staff would be provided over 600 voting slips to accommodate all those who would come to cast their votes at the polling stations.
The entire country had been declared one constituency, so a voter could cast his vote in any polling station irrespective of his/her domicile status or residence. The voter would, however, have to produce his/her National Identity Card (old or new).
The location of polling stations has been selected by Election Commission staff and has been verified by Town Municipal Officers under the supervision of EDO (Revenue). The location also includes public dealing places like GPO, hospitals, banking centres, railway stations and airport, government departments where the total strength of employees is more than 500. Polling will be held from 9am to 7pm without any break.
According to the Election Commission, the final scheme of polling stations would be published on April 20. The Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan is the presiding officer for the referendum as the entire country has been declared a single constituency for the referendum.
The chiefs of Election Commission in each province would act as Additional Presiding Officers who have already made necessary arrangements for the referendum, including the needed material and ballot boxes.
