Citizens allege BLOs in Salcete demanding passports for SIR drive

NT Reporter

Margao

Citizens for Democracy Goa (CFDG) on Tuesday alleged that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in some Salcete constituencies are insisting on passport copies from citizens for the ongoing Special Identity Register (SIR) enumeration drive, despite clear instructions that no documents are required.

CFDG convenor Elvis Gomes said enumeration forms are being distributed and collected by BLOs, but complaints have emerged that BLOs in certain parts of Salcete are acting on instructions from alleged “higher ups” to obtain passport copies.

“There are clear instructions that no documents are required to be submitted along with the SIR enumeration forms,” he said.

“We believe this is a mischievous and deliberate attempt to create hurdles and prevent eligible people from entering the voters’ rolls,” he said, adding, “Such unauthorised and non-essential demands, especially for documents like passports, will inevitably lead to confusion and intimidation, potentially discouraging citizens from participating in the enumeration process.”

He said the Chief Electoral Officer and the concerned district authorities should immediately issue a fresh and unambiguous directive to all BLOs and inform the public that no documents are required to be submitted along with the enumeration forms.