Kolkata: Booth-level officers (BLOs) in West Bengal finally got a breather from their 'out of syllabus' work after slogging for 176 days since the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise was rolled out. However, BLOs pointed out that they were yet to receive their 'release order' from the Election Commission (EC), even though their assignments ended with the conclusion of the two-phase Assembly elections.
BLOs Await Formal Release
'Now that the election is over, I no longer have any BLO job. But I am yet to get a release order from the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), who gave me the appointment letter for the BLO duty,' said Arup Mondal, a school teacher who was roped in as a BLO in Tollygunge. 'From next week, I will return to school and can concentrate on full-fledged teaching. But I need the EC release order.'
The on-ground work of around 80,681 BLOs in Bengal started on November 4 with the distribution of enumeration forms among residents for the SIR of the electoral roll. For over a month, they visited electors' homes—first to give out the forms and then to collect the filled forms—and upload the voters' data online. The enumeration work ended on December 11.
Impact on Schools
As most BLOs were teachers and officials at government schools, the institutes had to manage with curtailed staff, handling both teaching and administrative work. Later, after electors' hearings started winding up, the teachers-turned-BLOs began returning to classrooms. But by then, most schools were occupied by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), resulting in suspension of classes. However, their work as BLOs continued.
Now that the election is over, school heads have called the BLOs back, asking them to return to work full time. But the BLOs are still awaiting a formal release. After the draft electoral roll was published on December 16, BLOs were flooded with 'claims' and 'objections' as electors were summoned by the EC with documents for hearings to get their names on the voting list.
Additional Workload
The introduction of 17 features to the BLO App—added one after the other—kept the BLOs on their toes during the hearing phase. 'Our workload continued rising. During the publication of supplementary lists, our phones kept ringing non-stop as electors sought our help to know if their names had appeared in the roll. Before the election, distribution of voter slips was a new task we were given. Last of all, we were sent to manage voter assistance booths at polling stations,' said a BLO in Garfa.
Pointing out how the EC duty impeded her school job, Jayita Biswas, who was a BLO in Maniktala, said, 'The new academic session started in January. As I was away on EC duty, another teacher had to carry out my school duty, taking on extra load to cover the syllabus. I did go back to school on March 5 and finished the syllabus for the first unit test. Now, I am checking answer scripts. From April 12, central force personnel moved into our school and classes were suspended. I again had to be on EC duty for VAB training and distribution of voter slips.'
Reunion with Families
But the end of the election meant a reunion with their families. 'The SIR and poll-related work, which started on November 4, encroached on my family life, too. Finally, I can be with my family. But I hope the release date comes at the earliest,' said Aurobindo Datta, a BLO in Howrah.
