Wednesday, August 10 2005 20:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: In a bid to fine-tune the poll machinery ahead of assembly elections in Bihar, the Election Commission today (Aug 10, 2005) instructed the State Government not to induct 'tainted' officers as also civil and police officials posted at one place for more than three years in poll-related work.

The Commission also directed the Government not to post poll-related officials in their home districts.

A two-member EC team of Deputy Election Commissioner Ananth Kumar and its special advisor K J Rao, which is on a visit to the state since yesterday to review poll preparedness, told reporters that the State Government had also been told to fill all election-related posts lying vacant.

The EC team had a meeting with chief secretary G S Kang, DGP Ashish Ranjan Sinha and advisor to the governor Arun Pathak. Kumar said the chief secretary had assured them of prompt compliance.

The EC officials also asked the superintendents of police of all the 38 districts of the state to submit an Action Taken Report to the DGP by August 15 regarding arrest of persons against whom non-bailable warrants were pending.

They asked the DGP to send a comprehensive list carrying details from all the districts to EC by August 19.

In a move that could prevent criminals from contesting elections, the EC had on August 5 asked the Bihar Government to delete from voters list names of persons against whom non-bailable warrants of arrest could not be executed in the last six months.

Kumar and Rao said they had told the State Government to speed up the process of providing photo identity cards to voters.