KARACHI, April 23: Dispatch of the ballot papers and other election material to different districts in the province from Pakistan Printing Corporation was started on Tuesday.
The material has been sent under the supervision of a team comprising representatives of the Election Commission, returning officer and district coordination officer.
The ballot papers would be handed over to the assistant returning officers (AROs) for bulk breaking and distribution among the presiding officers on the eve of the referendum, it is reliably learnt.
On Tuesday, ballot papers were sent to eight districts: Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur, Naushero Feroze, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Dadu. They would be dispatched to Tharparker, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Hyderabad and Thatta on Wednesday and for Karachi, the material would be handed over to the ARO on Thursday, informed circles said.
In the recent local government elections there were 14 million voters in Sindh, including over 4.2 million in Karachi. But as there are no electoral lists and no fixed constituency for exercising the right to vote and the age for voters has also been reduced to 18 years, the number of voters in Karachi could exceed five million. All those present in Karachi on the day of referendum, having domicile of any part of the country, would be eligible to vote, provided they produce their old or new NICs.
The election staff have been drawn from government departments, financial institutions and autonomous bodies while the bulk requirement has been met from the education department.
Although most of the polling staff was trained during the local government elections, a one-day refresher course has been arranged for them. The courses will begin from Wednesday.
In Sindh, over 21,000 polling stations have been set up, including 7,600 in Karachi, which have been notified, the sources said and added that over 112,000 polling staff would be required, including 41,600 in Karachi.
It is also reliably learnt that the Election Commission has allocated a budget of over Rs81 million for the referendum in Sindh, including over Rs30 million for Karachi.
The expenditure includes payment to the staff for the referendum duty, food to the polling staff, arrangements for setting up improvised polling stations and their transport.
In Karachi city district, according to informed circles, Rs15 million have been allocated for remuneration of staff and about Rs6.4 million for meals for the polling staff on the referendum day. Another Rs1 million have been provided to the district coordination officer for transport arrangements and over Rs7.3 million to meet expenditures of tents and other articles required for setting up improvised polling stations.
The number of polling stations in the local government elections in Sindh was 3,499 which has been doubled to over 7,000. They said the polling booth scheme envisaged provision for casting 500 votes on each booth but the polling staff would be provided over 600 voting slips to accommodate all those who come to cast their votes.
The locations of polling stations have been selected by the Election Commission staff and verified by the town municipal officers under the supervision of EDO (revenue).
Polling stations will be set up at public places like general post offices, hospitals, banking centres, railway stations, airports and government departments where total strength of employees is over 500.