Take SIR seriously and participate actively: Church

Panaji: Archdiocese of Goa and Daman has called on Catholics to take “seriously” the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll and “actively participate in the important civic exercise”.The letter from the council for social justice and peace to all parish priests, to be circulated among parishioners, has appealed to them to connect with their booth level officers (BLOs) so that no one is left out of the voter roll. It has asked Catholics to participate in the house-to-house verification between Nov 4 and Dec 4, when BLOs will visit each house to verify and update information. It cautioned that if BLOs don’t find occupants at home after their third visit, voters may be deleted from the rolls.It also asked electors to ensure that the completed enumeration form is handed over to the BLO and appealed to existing voters to respond to the enumeration form to confirm their details and ensure their names continue in the revised list. “Absent family members: Please remind parishioners to also fill the enumeration forms for family members who are currently away but are eligible voters, so that their entries are not omitted.

ECI has announced filling of enumeration forms for those who are currently away from Goa through its website,” stated the CSJP’s executive secretary, Fr Savio Fernandes.“This revision is a large-scale and time-bound exercise, and the participation of every eligible citizen is vital to ensure accuracy and representation. Kindly announce these dates to your parishioners and urge them to cooperate with their booth level officers when they visit their homes,” he stated. The council also called upon all parishioners to help one another by spreading awareness about SIR and helping those who need to connect with the BLO for assistance, so that no one is left out of the voter roll.“As the time available for this electoral exercise is short, awareness and motivating the faithful to take part in this important civic duty will go a long way in ensuring that our democratic right to vote is preserved,” said Fr Fernandes