Ph 1 wraps up in a week, SIR not even 20% done in key colonies in Gurgaon

Gurgaon: District election officials have identified nearly 100 polling booths in upscale neighbourhoods where digitisation of enumeration forms remains between 10% and 18%, with just a week left before the July 14 deadline for the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.

The areas include DLF phases, Sushant Lok and Palam Vihar.Officials claimed many residents were not available during house-to-house visits despite prior intimation, while some resident welfare associations (RWAs) asked booth-level officers (BLOs) to come back later. SDM Sanjeev Singla said several residents were reluctant to complete the forms even when BLOs offered doorstep assistance.Officials attribute the slow progress largely to “poor response”. The slow progress in these pockets is dragging down the city’s overall performance in Election Commission’s voter roll revision campaign. Officials told TOI on Monday that BLOs have been visiting the same societies, only to be told by residents to “come another day” as there is “still enough time” to complete the process.

Celebrity Homes & Suits, Cosmos Executive Apartment, Gurgaon One, Belvedere Park, The Villas, Auckwood Estate, Bestech Park View, Raheja Navodaya & Sampada, SARE Homes, DLF Garden City, New Town Heights, Vipul Greens, Freedom Park Life, Nirvana Country, Tulip Orange & White and Paras Irene are among the societies, where the exercise is too slow.Some RWAs acknowledged that response from residents has been slower than expected.

“Most residents intend to complete the process, but many are travelling or occupied with work. We are now circulating reminders through WhatsApp groups and requesting residents to cooperate with BLOs,” said an office-bearer of an RWA in DLF-2.A resident of a condominium admitted that many people were postponing the exercise. “People don’t see it as urgent because the deadline is still a few days away. They assume they can do it later, but that only creates more pressure at the last minute,” the resident said.“The timeline fixed by EC is sacrosanct. We have to complete the exercise within the stipulated period,” electoral registration officer for Badshapur assembly constituency and Singla said during an inspection of the SIR campaign in Beverly Park-2, DLF-2 and Central Park societies. “People often say they are busy or that there is still time left. If they cannot meet the BLO, they can submit the enumeration form online.

We request all voters to take the exercise seriously and cooperate,” said the SDM.The official warned that delays in submitting forms could hamper the timely completion of the electoral roll revision, which is being carried out under a strict schedule laid down by EC. During his visit, Singla reviewed the progress of the campaign with BLOs, supervisors and RWA representatives. He examined booth records and assessed door-to-door verification, correction of voter details and verification of deceased and shifted voters.

He directed BLOs to ensure that every eligible voter is contacted and appealed to RWAs to actively support the campaign by encouraging residents to submit forms on time.Election officials stressed that the revision exercise is aimed at ensuring that every eligible citizen is included in the electoral roll while removing duplicate, shifted and deceased voters. They urged residents to either submit the forms to their BLO during house visits or complete the process online well before the deadline to avoid last-minute congestion.BLOs engaged with SIR said they are under pressure to complete the work as time is running out but residents are not showing any urgency. “We have visited some apartments three or four times, but many residents keep asking us to come back later. With the deadline approaching, repeated visits reduce the time available to reach other voters,” said a BLO, who is assigned to the Sushant Lok area.Another BLO, assigned to the new sectors, said, “People are not treating us well and they don’t consider the exercise as urgent.

Many say they will fill the form later or online, but unless they actually complete it, our work remains pending.”Residents have their own reasons for delay. “Most working professionals are away during the day and many families are travelling because of the summer holidays. It is not unwillingness, but coordinating with the BLO has become difficult,” said an RWA member of a society on Golf Course Road.“People assume there is still enough time before the July 14 deadline, so they keep postponing the paperwork. Only now are many residents realising that delaying the process creates unnecessary last-minute rush,” said a resident of Vipul Greens.