পাতা:বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্র (দ্বিতীয় খণ্ড).pdf/৭৯

52 বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ দ্বিতীয় খন্ড Non-gazette Government officers, e.g. Circle Inspectors of State Acquisition, Sub-Inspectors of Schools, Assistant Inspectors of Co-operative Societies, Assistant Adjutant of Ansars, etc., were appointed as Presiding Officers. Tehsilders and Assistant Tehsildars of State Acquisition, Primary School Teachers, Union Agricultural Assistants and in some cases clerks of Collect orate and Sub-divisional Officers were appointed Assistant Presiding Officers and Polling Officers. Law and order was maintained by two police constables and 3 Ansars posted at each polling station. Sub-Inspectors and Assistant Sub-Inspectors toured through the union to supervise the former officials. Administrative arrangements at the polling stating were made through the officers-in-charge of the different Union Boards, mostly Union Agricultural Assistant and Tehsildars. Additional clerical staffs were deputed to the Sub divisional Officers and Second Officers from the district headquarters for the additional work involved. Process Servers and in some cases temporary persons were appointed for serving notices, etc. The rural populace was also utilized for the same purpose. Every ward was provided with one polling station and separate arrangements were made for female voters. In the urban areas female presiding and polling officers were provided but in the rural areas this specifically could not be given. The elections for their magnitude and speed were unprecedented. Simultaneous elections were held in over 15,000 polling stations to elect 40,000 members. The following statistics will show the magnitude of the task: (a)Total No. of polling stating in the province ......... 15,821 (b) Total No. of polling booths ......... 28,909 (c)Total No. of Returning and Asstt. Returning Officers about 400 (d) Total No. of Presiding Officers ......... 16,000 (e)Total No. of Asstt. Presiding Officers and Polling Officers ... 50,000 (f) Total No. of police constables, chowkidars and Ansars 80,000 employed. Every Returning Officer was to return about 300 members of 25-30 Unions and this work was discharged by them without any relief or additional hands. As no relief was provided officials had to work round the clock causing great strain on them and hampering other but in many cases important work. Considerable difficulty was experienced with regard to electoral rolls also. These rolls which were prepared for elections to National Parliaments were not up to date and contained large number of mistakes mostly relating to entries of names and age of voters. Adoption of these rolls, prepared alphabetically for every village, mouza or street, for election to Basic Democracies led to stupendous difficulties in a number of places where