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27 assembly segments declared 'hypersensitive'

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

The Jammu and Kashmir government has declared 27 assembly segments as 'hypersensitive' and 34 as 'sensitive.'

Thus, of the total 89 segments in the six parliamentary constituencies there, only 28 are 'normal.'

This was disclosed by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitley at a high level meeting attended by state Chief Electoral Officer S V Bhave, Director General of Police Gurbachan Jagat, Home Secretary I S Malhi and other senior officers.

Jaitley said that adequate security arrangements have been chalked out for the conduct of peaceful polling in the state. One hundred and six polling stations have been identified in inaccessible areas to which polling material would be ferried by helicopters.

Later talking to pressmen, the chief secretary said the government would not allow the All Party Hurriyat Conference to create any law and order problem.

He said the state administration would strictly adhere to the Election Commission's model code of conduct, and desist from accompanying ministers on tour. Government officials would remain non-partisan and non-partial.

"Any deviation from this," he warned, "would attract serious action against the erring official."

Jaitley said that unlike the last parliamentary election, local employees would be utilised for polling duty.

He said 250,000 youngsters would exercise their franchise for the first time this year. With this, the total strength of the electorate in the valley stood at 1.51 million.

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