FAISALABAD, Aug 13: The local election commission authorities and the returning officers are facing innumerable problems owing to shortage of staff for the local election scheduled to be held on Aug 25 for the 289 union councils in the district.

Informed sources told Dawn that the despite all possible efforts, the district administration had failed to make the required number of male and female government employees available for the polling duty.

They said the lists of the entire staff of the education, rural development, agriculture, livestock, health, revenue, Zakat and Ushr, Baitul Maal, housing and town planning, communication and works, and excise and taxation departments had been provided to the local election commission officials for the polling duty.

The commission provided the lists to the returning officers for deputing the staff as polling station officers, assistant polling station officers and other staff for holding the local election.

Now 11 days are left in the election and the returning officers have just realized that there is an acute shortage of the staff and they claim that they still require over 3,000 officials to conduct the election.

The district coordination officer has through an emergent notice asked all the executive district officers of various departments to provide the lists of more employees so that they could be appointed on the polling day.

The election commission authorities are also trying their best to overcome the shortage of the staff, but the situation is unclear as almost all the staff in the district has already been utilized.