Jamshedpur goes to polls today, 250 companies forces deployed

Drone cameras to be used in sensitive areas, make-shift jails come up  

Jamshedpur: Security has been beefed across Kolhan comprising Seraikela-Kharsawan and twin districts of Singhbhum in view of polling for second phase of assembly elections scheduled on Saturday.

At Seraikela-Kharsawan and West Singhbhum district security arrangement has been made keeping naxal-infested areas in view, in the East Singhbhum district, especially in steel city, security preparation has been made keeping the communally-sensitive localities.

The administration has deployed over 250 companies forces from the CoBRA, Jharkhand Jaguar, Jharkhand Armed Police, CRPF, CISF, Central Armed Police Force (CAPF),  and District Armed police across three districts.

Apart from deploying forces in the poll-bound Kolhan for tomorrow’s elections, the police and administration has started staging flag-march in all the sensitive areas in Jamshedpur as well as in the Seraikela-Kharsawan and West Singhbhum district.

Officials said that necessary arrangements have also been made for deployment of forces in the district for the smooth conduct of simultaneous polls. There was no dearth of police personnel during elections. The police is fully geared up for the elections and all measures would be been taken to ensure free and fair elections.

Revealing about the security arrangement at Jamshedpur, senior SP, Anoop Birtharay said they have set up 10 Quick Response Teams (QRT) comprising 15 armed personnel in each team to meet any emergency in the city.

 Apart from the para-military forces, we have decided to press three drone cameras at Jugsalai, Sakchi and Mango, the localities which are considered to be sensitive,” Birtharay said.

Birtharay informed that they have set up two additional make-shift jails — one at Jugsalai and another at Telco — for keeping those who would be found indulged in disturbances during the polling.

Notably, polling in Jamshedpur East and Jamshedpur West will start from 7 am and continue till 5 pm.  In the remaining four constituency in the district polling  will started from the same time, but continue till 3 pm only.

In addition to this, micro observers have been deputed at 100 polling stations to keep an eye on every movement of the polling agents and on the suspicious characters, if any, at the naxal infested booths and also at urban area booths which are vulnerable from the law and order point of view.  

” We are confident that the pollings would be peaceful. We have deployed forces at the strategic locations in the rebel-hit areas in Ghatshila sub-division, Chowka-Chandil in Seraikela Kharsawan and Saranda in the West Singhbhum district. ,” said a police official.

He added that they have also sealed the areas bordering Bengal and Odisha so that the rebels cannot act during the poll.  He pointed out the police in the bordering states will also maintain strict vigil during the polling at Kolhan during the second phase of the polling tomorrow.