Nearly Lost Battle
Author: Dr. K.S.Kang
Twenty twenty year proved to be more than extraordinary just like its strange figure. This year had unfolded a number of unprecedented things like its beginning with one of the worst crisis faced by humanity since World War II in the form of COVID-19 pandemic world wide and then the race to find its causes, prevention and race to find its possible vaccine. Meanwhile it was clear that till soe vaccine or definite cure to this malady is found we have to rely on preventive measures like using masks, washing or sanitising hands repeatedly and maintaining proper social distance, so as not only to protect ourselves but others as well from this deadly infection. Since it is seen that humanity faces one or the other crisis after hundred years. In 1919-1920 it was Spanish Flu so naturally this year had to be different for human race but nobody had thought that this year would create such a havoc to man world wide.
As this year was entering its last quarter administration of my state decided to hold elections for local civic bodies in rural and urban area though it was decided that in these elections COVID guidelines would be followed meticulously. A bottle of Sanitizer was kept at the entrance of hall where training was to be held. The rule of no mask,no entry was followed strictly and the seating arrangement was done with a view to keep social distance. After training on a particular date we were sent to our respective zones to ascertain minimum assured facilities in the polling booths allotted to us as the polling parties were required to stay there on the polling day. After a tour of a couple of days we returned back to district headquarters for the second training along with the polling parties and to escort them to their respective polling booths. Authorities had assured time and again during the training sessions that every material has been checked doubly and put in their kits in adequate quantity and similarly the machines have been checked doubly and are in fit and perfect condition.
But next day as soon as the mock poll at one of my booth started the machine showed error. Without wasting any time I informed the authorities at once exposing the hollow claims of the administration. Soon a master trainer and engineer turned up but they were unable to rectify it as a result of which change of machine was recommended and I replaced the spare machine that was given to me from the district headquarters in the morning of poll day. Mock poll in the new machine was also held as a result of which polling could start only at that booth nearly half an hour late. My problems did not end here that day.
But by the time polling started normally in this booth machine of neighbouring booth started malfunctioning, even though it worked during mock-poll. But as soon as poll started it started showing error. Thank God that Master Trainer and Engineer were still there and as they were unable to rectify it so they informed the district authorities and Tehsildar brought a new set of machines from the headquarters and replaced it in the booth but by the time the polling started it was already an hour behind schedule. Thank God there were no more further surprises for me that da. Thereafter everything went normal and at the end of the day the polls were closed, machines were sealed and all the documents with several envelopes and formats were deposited at different counters and we were let off by 9 p.m in the evening of that day. This time district authorities declared that Presiding Officer and Polling Parties will be relieved by their respective Zonal magistrates and not by Returning Officers that produced some strange unpleasant situations as in a hurry to be free some of the polling officers even forgot the common human decency that was quite depressing and unfortunate.
