EC plans to increase polling centres

Although the number of centres has not yet been finalised, the deputy election commission office in Chittagong said a draft list was being prepared and would be completed within a day or two.

"Once we send the draft list to the office of chief election commissioner in Dhaka, it will make public the final list through gazette notification 15 days prior to the election date", Assistant Election Commissioner SM Ezaharul Haq told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon.

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He said the number of the polling centres was 408 in the CCC area during the last parliamentary elections in October 2001 but this figure might go up to between 550 and 575 in the upcoming corporation polls.

However, the election commission offices here are yet to identify the vulnerable centres for the CCC election.

"After the draft list is prepared, we will categorise the centres as most vulnerable, vulnerable and normal in consultation with the law and order enforcement agencies concerned," Ezaharul Haq said.

Depending on that evaluation, the election commission office would seek necessary forces for each of the centres to maintain law and order during the polls, he added.