670 vulnerable polling booths identified in Vellore, nearby districts

Vellore District police identify 670 vulnerable polling booths for Lok Sabha election, ensuring safety and civic amenities for voters.

District police in Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai and Tirupattur have identified 670 vulnerable polling booths in these districts for the Lok Sabha election.

Police said that Vellore, Arani, Arakkonam and Tiruvannamalai are Lok Sabha constituencies that have around 5,500 total polling booths. “Polling booths are being reviewed regularly to ensure civic amenities are in place for voters,” said an election official.

Of the identified vulnerable booths, Vellore has the highest number of 227 booths, followed by Ranipet (206), Tiruvannamalai (131) and Tirupattur (131). Safety measures including web cameras, police personnel and status of strong rooms are also being done. As most of the polling booths are government schools especially in remote rural areas, arrangements for easy access to them are being made. Wash rooms and water taps are readied.

In order to ensure smooth and peaceful polling, the district police have been cracking down on history-sheeters and rowdies. So far, 248 persons have been arrested in these districts as a precautionary measure ahead of the election.

All those possessing licensed arms are directed to deposit them voluntarily at respective police stations. As many as 1,800 weapons have been identified for deposit as part of the election process. Special squads were constituted to serve pending warrants against offenders.

Border check-posts in these districts are also tightened to prevent illegal flow of cash and materials for distribution to voters. Each district, on an average, has at least six check-posts. Some of the check-posts in Ranipet are Sikkarajapuram, Pallari, Thamraipakkam, Arumpakam and Rettaikulam. Most of them are located on national highways. All the check-posts have been integrated with control rooms at the SP office in these districts with advanced CCTV cameras.